Executive summary
Welcome to your weekly briefing on the metaverse and spatial computing. Here are your snippets to sound smarter in meetings this week:
Funding: RPR has launched the Galaxy XR Launchpad, offering one organisation $100,000 in studio time to develop a spatial computing pilot for Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset.
Awards: European XR Awards, part of UnitedXR Europe, has opened its call for entries for its second edition in Brussels on 7–9 December, inviting Europe-produced narrative and game XR experiences for submission.
Immersive Wire anniversary party: The Immersive Wire is hosting a party in London to celebrate 10 years, happening on 18 June. Join if you are free!
I am a cooked chicken in the summer heat, slowly rotating around London.
This week’s stories
Augmented World Expo announced the Auggie Awards finalists, rising XR builders, startup nominees, and enterprise deployments ahead of AWE USA 2026 in Long Beach, highlighting current development activity across spatial computing, AI, gaming, enterprise, and immersive entertainment.
Edinburgh is set to gain a new VR entertainment centre in Dalry following plans lodged to convert an existing office block into an immersive VR leisure venue.
Galvion and Distance Technologies announced a collaboration to integrate Distance’s computational optics and Acuity OS into Galvion’s helmet systems to develop glasses-free AR capabilities for defence applications, with market-ready integrated systems expected in 2027.
HOWSE, made by a team of award-winning creators, is a darkly comic LBE VR experience exposing the collapse of modern housing.
Pilkington UK uses VR in its manufacturing operations to support training and process optimisation in glass production.
Raindance Immersive Festival will return for its 11th edition from 12–25 June across VRChat, London venues, and Zoom, featuring 27 immersive experiences alongside virtual summits, VRChat film screenings, and an in-person showcase near BAFTA.
SensAI Hackademy is partnering with the Worlds in Action Hack [02-LA] ahead of SIGGRAPH 2026, offering developers workshops, mentorship, world model API access, and $10,000 in prizes for projects spanning AI, XR, gaming, VFX, 3D, and interactive media.
University of Brighton research shows virtual reality could support recovery outcomes for patients with brain and spinal injuries by improving rehabilitation engagement and functional progress.
Note: The Immersive Wire is run by Tom Ffiske, who also works at Accenture. The contents of the newsletter should not be regarded as Accenture’s views.
All spelling mistakes are deliberate, actually.
