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Magic Leap leak: Our first look at Magic Leap's user interface?

Images are leaking out on Reddit and Twitter -- but take them with a grain of salt.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
2 min read
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The Magic Leap One head-on.

Screenshot by Scott Stein/CNET

After $2.3 billion in funding and nearly four years of secrets, Magic Leap is on the verge of shipping its first headset -- this summer, in fact -- but we still have very little idea what you'll see inside.

Until today, perhaps -- because it sure looks like images of Magic Leap's proposed user interface have just leaked onto the web! 

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Various (Twitter, Reddit)

As noted by TechCrunch, users on Reddit and Twitter are publishing images that appear to be taken directly from the company's Creator Portal, a site that generally requires developers to sign a non-disclosure agreement

They show an interface similar to Microsoft's HoloLens, where you sometimes interact with flattish menus that hover in front of your face, but can also pin virtual photos, virtual TV screens and even 3D virtual objects to specific locations in your real world. (See  those above.)

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Nie-li (Reddit)

Magic Leap appears to be calling these virtual objects "prisms," which of course makes sense because some of them are three-dimensional. Here's a close-up of the gallery "prism": 

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Various (Twitter)

The leaked images also suggest that Magic Leap may let you interact with other users on day one, since they show a group chat feature where you'll apparently create your own avatar. 

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Various (Twitter)

It also looks like Magic Leap will have a mobile app that doubles as an extra controller:

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Noah_A_S (Reddit)

Magic Leap confirmed to CNET that the images are legitimate, but also that they're screenshots -- not captured through the lens, meaning they're not necessarily what you'd see. 

Bryan Crow (Twitter)

"These images were part of Magic Leap's latest SDK update from earlier this week to give context to developers who do not have access to hardware," said a Magic Leap representative by email.

Separately, Magic Leap producer Naomi Yee is tweeting examples of cool things developers can build, like a plane that can fly around your room or a car that races up your walls:

We'll let you know what else we find out as we approach Magic Leap's full launch.

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Magic Leap