The Immersive Wire - 16 June 2021 (News edition)

The Immersive Wire - 16 June 2021 (News edition)

June 16, 2021

NEWS DIGEST EDITIONCurated VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

// 16 June 2021

 

Watch the launch date announcement teaser trailer by ANABURN.

Tribeca Film Festival is now on, with a few VR works

  • Similar to other film festivals, it is getting a fair bit of support from many companies in the UK, as a way to push the creative industries in new ways. The festival is similar to London Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.

Recently I spoke to the creatives behind

and

, both alumni of Digital Catapult and Arts Council England’s CreativeXR programme. What particularly interested me was why it needed to be immersive in the first place - I love it, don't get me wrong, but what makes it so different compared to anything else? Lawrence Bennett, Writer of Madrid Noir, gave a great answer:

  • "We really set out to make something that is not only fun and interactive but something in which you'll meet a believable and likeable character. A character that will discover things at the same time as you on the journey. The real meat on my part as the writer was to work out how the audience and Lola would communicate. It is effectively a 40-minute monologue with no talking back, and we needed a way to make that feel natural.”

 The same goes for topics like schizophrenia; what makes the storytelling different in immersive, when a 2D equivalent can be as persuasive? May Abdalla, one of the two directors of Inside Goliath, commented:

  • "We didn’t want to make a depressing piece, and it is led by the voice of the protagonist. People are represented in a damaging way in the media, combined with the isolated conditions of schizophrenia and leading to lower mortality. We wanted to tell a story that destigmatises the character and the condition.

  • “We did it in VR because psychosis is, effectively, a virtual reality. There is a degree where, over time, you believe the world you’re in with the expectations you have, and you are in two places at once and you have an appropriate metaphor with the qualities of the condition. Film doesn’t truly represent the inner world, with the expectations of feeling. It is palpable in VR that you begin to learn the rules of the other universe, and you’re immersed as soon as you’re in the room.”

 We're seeing more and more creative projects like these come through. I just hope the world opens up so it is easier for more people to experience the productions for themselves.

What's your favourite virtual production?

Contribute to the discussion

Seems sus. Photo credit: Tribeca.

Smash Drums is an arcade VR drumming game that will shake your house on 17 June! Get ready to ROCK and DRUM HARD in this VR rhythm game for the Oculus Quest! Embark on an epic drumming journey that will have you destroying multiple environments through chaos and flames! Be prepared to smash drums to 21 awesome indie rock songs at launch, with more content coming after release! This is Smash Drums! Rock & roll has never been more alive...DEMO: Check out the free demo now on

.TRAILER: Watch the launch date announcement

.

Other stories

Want to contribute a new story? Send an email to tom (at) virtualperceptions (dot) com

  • ABI Research found that nearly 28 million AR and MR smart glasses will ship in 2026, while the total global AR/MR market will surpass $17bn in the same year.

    • Remember, treat analyst figures with a pinch of salt.

  • Avatar Dimension announced that it has officially opened doors in Washington D.C.

  • Dinesh Punni launched a VR development course, where people can enroll.

  • Facebook unveiled some AR and business suite tools. Also, the company acquired Bigbox VR.

    • On the latter story, one click-bait article said that Facebook bought the Fortnite of VR - it's grossly inaccurate and designed to farm cheap clicks, but I have to respect the hussle.

  • Google retired its AR measuring app.

    • If it's any consolation, I tried to use it several times to measure my room, and it said I was as tall as Lady Dimitrescu. As a middling-height man, I can confirm I am not Lady D.

  • Magic Leap is having a shake-up as three executives leave the company.

  • Niantic and Hasbro are teaming up to make Transformers: Heavy Metal. 

    • Similar to their Harry Potter and Pokemon games, it is expected to use its IP and engaging mechanics to monetise users via its free-to-play model.

  • Shopify acquired Primer, continuing its investments into AR.

  • Turtle Beach unveiled a ludicrously elaborate controller for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

  • U.S. Space Force will auction AR NFTs of satellites and space suits to coincide with the launch of a satellite suite.

    • Hang on, I need to check my notes again...

    • Oh wow, it's real.

  • XYZ Reality raised £20m to expand out of Europe.

  • YouGov found that younger shoppers are more interested in XR and retail.

Jobs board

B2B Virtual Reality – 3 x BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS, UK. VRTUOSO, a rapidly growing and multi-award winning company, is looking for three full-time B2B Sales Managers who are excited about technology advancements, and able to sell to CxO/Director level within enterprise accounts.

B2B Virtual Reality – HEAD OF MARKETING, UK. VRTUOSO, a rapidly growing and multi-award winning company, is looking for a Head of Marketing capable of taking VRtuoso to the next level. We’re looking to make the leap to working with enterprise level companies at scale and we hope you’re the one to help us accomplish this.

B2B Virtual Reality – CHANNEL SALES MANAGER, UK. VRTUOSO, a rapidly growing and multi-award winning company, is looking for a Channel Sales Manager to lead the channel and reseller programmes. The role is primarily responsible for onboarding new partners, serving as the primary liaison for new partners, growing the sales of existing partners, and assisting with sales/marketing initiatives for our reseller channel as a whole.

B2B Virtual Reality – DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING, UK. VRTUOSO, a rapidly growing and multi-award winning company, is looking for a Director of Engineering to lead our engineering department and help us build, deliver, and maintain the leading VRtuoso Virtual Reality products for the enterprise market.

Display your vacancy in front of thousands of talented VR/AR professionals in just a few clicks. Click here for more info.

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That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) virtualperceptions (dot) com. Have an excellent day!