Snapchat Spectacles 3 review: Pretty, pricey

They’re merely a stepping stone towards true augmented reality eyewear — a public hardware beta for the Snap Lab R&D team that Apple and Facebook aren’t getting as they tinker in their bunkers.Still, I hoped for something that could at least unlock the talents of forward-thinking video creators. Snap is already losing $227 million per quarter as it scrambles to break even.So it seems with Spectacles 3 that Snap is gathering data and biding its time, trying to avoid burning too much cash until it can build a version that overlays effects atop a user’s view through the glasses. The battle for early adopters could start much sooner, though, as The Information reports Apple plans to launch its AR/VR headset in 2022 and more portable AR glasses in 2023Spectacles could be worth the steep $380 if you’re a videographer for a living, perhaps making futuristic social media clips like Karen X Cheng, a creator Snap hired to demonstrate the device’s potential. And as Snap’s Lens Studio lets anyone build 3D effects for Spectacles 3, perhaps we’ll see some filters and imaginary characters that are more than just a momentary gimmick.But for those simply seeking first-person camera glasses, I’d still recommend the Spectacles 2 at $150 to $200 depending on style which remain available. Spectacles can at least now export in a variety of croppings for better sharing on Instagram and elsewhere.What’s new are the 3D photos and videos. Spectacles will automatically pan back and forth for you, and export 3D photos as short Boomerang-esque six-second videos.Unfortunately, I found that I didn’t get much sense of depth from most of the 3D photos I shot or saw.