The SDK gives developers a framework, APIs and a robust set of tools to use in creating AR experiences.
Google has released the SDK for developers to start working on their new and future applications and to bring AR to millions of users.
Augmented Reality (AR) as an endeavour is set to explode on to the scene following initial successes, most notably the release of Pokémon Go previous year that led people to go to some extreme places with their phones to catch a digital creature. And, with the launch on iOS 11 imminent, Apple is primed to take the lead in AR development for smartphones. Unlike Tango, ARCore doesn't need special hardware or sensors and should work with most high-end modern cameras. Google says that it will run on millions of devices, and it's available now on the company's Pixel handset and Samsung's Galaxy S8. Google said that when it rolls out the full ARcore platform, "a wide variety of qualified Android phones running N or later" would support it. Google said it is working with other smartphone manufacturers, including LG, Huawei, ASUS, and others, to bring the preview version of ARCore to "roughly 100 million devices".
Google's mobile AR efforts have been focused on its Project Tango AR initiative over the past few years.
As such, Apple's AR offerings will be available across a broad range of devices - and although iOS 11 hasn't been released yet, demonstration apps have already been presented to potential consumers.
ARcore uses the IMU and visual information to keep track of the motion of your phone, so you can see the correct perspective of digital assets when you move around them.
This type of technology gained huge popularity following the launch of the Pokémon Go in July previous year.
The announcement comes almost three months after Apple announced its own augmented reality development platform for developers, called ARKit, in June.
Google is no a stranger to augmented reality by any means thanks to Project Tango, but that project might not have been the ideal match for the general consumer. These are motion tracking (which uses the phone's camera to observe points in the room), environmental understanding (Google says ARCore can detect horizontal surfaces) and light estimation in the room to light up the virtual objects, and make them seem even more real.
That certainly made both Apple and Google notice, and now we are in the early stages of a development war to see who will win.
"These custom browsers allow developers to create AR-enhanced websites and run them on both Android/ARCore and iOS/ARKit", Burke wrote.