Verizon teamed up with smart glass company Vuzix to deliver a “first-of-its-kind” augmented reality experience for sports and gaming with 5G. The Vuzix Shield smartglasses were recently recognized by the CES 2022 Innovation Awards and Honoree. The glasses look like regular glasses, can integrate with a smartphone, have advanced optics, voice control, and the world’s first miniature uLED stereo displays.
Verizon is leading the 5G revolution in the U.S. along with AT&T. The companies will begin a massive nationwide network construction and roll-out in the coming months. Verizon is convinced that 5G is the future and has been building deep connections with NFL and the most popular American sports.
Verizon announced a new agreement with Vuzix Corporation, a leading smart glasses and augmented reality supplier. The deal looks to build the future of sports, gaming and sports training. Verizon seems to be looking to position itself beyond a 5G provider with the deal. Details of the products and services the companies will develop were not made public. However, it is more than likely that Verizon is looking to tap into American sports live streaming, on-demand, products and fan services, a multi-billion dollar sector.
The Future Of Smart Glasses In The 5G Edge
The smartglasses company Vuzix said that 5G provides the necessary speed to develop augmented reality content. Many have questioned the idea of constructing the Metaverse and new augmented realities due to a lack of processing and data power capabilities. However, Verizon assures their 5G is the fastest network and can get the job done.
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality have taken over sporting events with impressive 3D augmented demonstrations for fans. Retail, shopping and entertainment are also looking into developing the new Metaverse experience driven by companies like Apple, Microsoft, and other big tech. Only time will tell if Verizon is planning to take a more active role in this new Metaverse style construction, beyond sports and gaming.
Vuzix used to target big manufacturing and industrial users for their products. Now they are pivoting to providing glasses to the average consumer. The company holds a surprisingly high number of patents related to video eyewear, a total of 243. Augmented reality could be used to transmit live events, show off augmented reality content in stadiums, player info, and stats, and run complex analyses of gameplays. Verizon and Vuzix both agree that 5G and smart glasses will transform sports, training and gaming.
Source: Vuzix & Verizon