Snapchat has just announced the second wave of its AR Spectacles that will soon start hitting the developers' desks in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain.
It introduced the AR Spectacles last month during its Partner Summit where it also announced that the company will provide an approved U.S. developer with a starting point to test the device.
And now, EU developers will also get their chance, as approved partners will pay a monthly fee to access the current model of the device.

According to Snap:

"Since launching the [AR] Spectacles, developers have already created incredible Lenses and we have taken in significant interest from our global AR developer community. Now, even more can apply to build and share Lenses for Spectacles. For €110 monthly with a 12 month commitment, a subscription unlocks access to Spectacles along with the Spectacles team to help developers bring a project to life."

The access fee that Snap charges for the device will not only pay for its development and support but also retain a degree of exclusivity with developers since the device is not yet ready for public consumption.

The Snap AR glasses will compete with that of Meta AR device and both of them are on the same timeline for a public release. This is problematic to Snap as Meta's device, in its testing phase till now is better than the Snap's in almost every department. So, even before they both hit the shelves, Meta seems to be ahead in the race.

Snapchat has had a longer lead time, as non-AR Spectacles went on sale way back in 2016, and Snap has long been the leader in innovative, engaging AR development. Still, it seems that Snap will struggle to get attention for its device if Meta's Orion glasses come out at the same time.

Though that will also depend on the price, and which company has the more reasonably priced glasses. Apple's VisionPro is already out of the running on this count at $3,599, though Meta said that it thinks its glasses will sell for roughly what a new mobile device does.

Perhaps that would provide Snap an entry point. On the other hand, development costs have been and will be very high, and Snap needs to recover that somewhere.
In any case, wider availability to developers is the next step for Snap's AR Spectacles, and now, more creators will be able to start experimenting with the device, as well as the new "Snap OS" operating system, which enables wearers to interact with Snap's new AR experiences by using both their hands and voice.

Snap says its Spectacles prototypes will begin shipping to EU developers over the coming weeks, with those in further markets to gain access next year.