News: Magic Leap Wraps 2019 with Immersive Holiday Experience

The book is almost closed on 2019, but Magic Leap has one more gift to offer its users before the new decade arrives.

Now appearing in the Magic Leap "Concepts" section of the app store is an experience called Music Box that brings an immersive caroler to anyone using the augmented reality headset.

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When launched, the app utilizes hand tracking by prompting you to give a thumbs-up gesture to determine where the experience will be placed in your real-world surroundings.

Once placed, the small circular platform (about a foot across) presents a mini forest filled with Christmas trees, holiday ornaments, and gift boxes.

Situated in the middle of all the holiday trimmings is a small girl, rendered in the style of classic Rankin/Bass stop motion holiday TV specials, holding a balloon as she waits for you to acknowledge her presence.

Soon after, the character asks if you'd like to hear a song and, if you meet her thumbs-up gesture with your own, she'll begin singing a sweet tune that evokes the holiday spirit.

While you're listening to the song, you can interact with the scene in other ways, including brushing away falling snowflakes, moving the tops of the trees, and tapping various items surrounding the singer, each of which gives off a musical chime when triggered, all using just your hands.

The simple yet heartwarming holiday experience is yet another example of how developers can use hand tracking on the Magic Leap One to immerse users in an app in a completely natural way that brings the user closer to the constructs and characters inhabiting virtual environments.

Hopefully, after a somewhat rocky end to the year, this positive light on the immersive horizon bodes well for Magic Leap in 2020.