Google Rebrands AR Stickers as Playground; Introduces 3D AR Animation

While there wasn’t much news on the VR front from Google at today’s New York hardware event except from learning that the new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are compatible with Daydream View VR headsets, Google did introduce a new slate augmented reality (AR) stickers that will have you taking selfies with Iron Man.

Dubbed Playground, the new mode in the Pixel camera is a rebrand of its AR stickers that launched with the Pixel 2 roughly a year ago. Playground algorithmically suggests AR animations based on the scene or feeling (sentiment detection) of what your shooting, and it also works in selfie mode.

While Playground may not seem much different from AR stickers, lenses, or filters we’ve seen in the past, Google is clear on the fact that these are in fact all 3D assets, delivered in a smarter way with spatial and object recognition thanks to artificial intelligence.

So you want step up your selfie game? One example Google showed off is being able to stand next to characters you love, like Iron Man himself. Under the hood of this all is ARCore, which brings in more accurate lighting estimation, plane detection, occlusion, and scene understanding.

Although a bit confusing, it appears that AR Stickers are now called Playmoji. And Playmoji packs let you pick from a selection of animated pets, signs, and visuals that let you have everyday fun. Coming later this year, Google also announced that you’ll be able to sharpen your dance skills with moves from Childish Gambino.

Google revealed Strangers Things stickers as well as a pack for Star Wars at the last Pixel hardware event.

You can watch a Pixel 3 video on the new features below: