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- The Immersive Wire - 21 July 2021 (News edition)
The Immersive Wire - 21 July 2021 (News edition)
The Immersive Wire - 21 July 2021 (News edition)
NEWS DIGEST EDITIONCurated VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday
// 21 July 2021
London feels like a constant sweaty oven.
Snap acquired Vertebrae for
.
Like others, Snap is betting that AR shopping will stick around long after people are stuck at home, and bought the company to expand their own efforts in the space.
A few (nebulous) studies say that the market is potentially worth billions of dollars. While the exact sum is too hard to say, there is still an appetite for AR shopping - but the real question is, how much value?
This is alongside Snap buying WaveOptics for $500m, as part of their expansion to get more components under their banner.
Remember that it also ties into Snapchat's ad business; while shopping for clothes with AR, Snapchat could also serve ads on alternative products, thus feeding into its own ecosystem.
In theory, it can also tie into their Spectacles, but we will need to see future variations to see how that will play out. It is too soon to say where the technology will go when it is still in its (relative) infancy.
Will the strategy work? My money is on yes, but I wonder how big a market it will be - in the short term, perhaps a couple billion; but beyond that, I am not confident enough to say. As Snap is not disclosing the amount, then my fingers are crossed that it'll be enough to pay itself back over the next few years.
What is Snap's strategy?
Snap builds out its vision further. Photo credit: Vertebrae.
The real world manifests in 3D, therefore data needs to reflect this. As a tech company specialised in disruptive holographic 3D solutions, we’ve been digitally twinning lately on our 3D Looking Glass displays.
Want to share your news story? Let me know at tom (at) virtualperceptions (dot) com.
Arthur announced that it has partnered with Georgia State University to make a VR program for international students.
Bodyswaps expanded their VR soft skills library with two new CX scenarios.
Lone Echo 2 will come out in August.
MyDearest announced its new VR experience, called DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate.
Netflix hires Oculus veteran to make games on the platform.
No, don't get too excited; it is more likely to be easy games that can be played via the streaming service, perhaps HTML-based, rather than complex games that can rival, say, the PlayStation or Xbox.
Oculus Quest 2 may get 128GB versions soon.
Resolution Games closed a Series C funding round of $25m.
Space Explorers has a new episode out, streaming until July 23.
STUDIO GO GO launched a VR experience in Brighton Palace Pier, open from 24 July.
XR Association released a survey on how COVID has impacted XR. Nothing from it will be surprising, but it provides new perspectives on the trends we know.
Typical of the summer months, there is less news going about as companies deal with holidays and employees taking a (deserved) break.
So I will take this as an opportunity to outline some personal highlights for the year so far, in summary:
AR is smashing it. With studios like PRELOADED and Poplar taking bold steps with their partner brands, campaigns are getting smarter and more in-depth every year. What I wonder is which industries will adopt the technology the most - from my perspective, it would be packaging and marketing.
VR is moving up in absolute terms, but still niche. The numbers are growing quickly, but in absolute terms, it is still a nascent technology compared to phones and the like. The hardware is incredible, as is the content; the key, I feel, is the constant cadence of both over the next year or so. Though I am aware I am grossly summarising a complex market.
Money is flowing in. This is because of low interest rates and insatiable hunger in M&A, but VR is currently being consolidated by a number of players with differing views of the future of immersive. Currently I have some popcorn, and I am intrigued to see who will win out.
If you can handle the heat, you can handle VR. Photo credit: STUDIO GO GO.
Jobs board
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN DIGITAL MEDIA, UK. We are looking to appoint a dynamic and adaptable course director for our BA (Hons) in Digital Media to lead and deliver teaching, learning and assessment on the BA Digital Media and steer its next phase of growth. As well as a track record of academic leadership you will have extensive practical experience in digital media such as immersive storytelling (AR/VR/XR), modelling and animation, creative media design / production, or web / mobile app design and development.
SENIOR IMMERSIVE LEARNING DESIGNER, UK. Make Real is looking to expand our digital learning team with a Senior Immersive Learning Designer. Your role will be to consult with clients in order to create exciting and imaginative design solutions. Your designs will affect behaviour change in order to deliver on specific learning outcomes, while being achievable within a set budget and timeline.
SENIOR UNITY DEVELOPER, UK. As a growing and exciting business, we are looking for full-time talented multi-disciplinary Unity developers to join our expert team in central Brighton. Our ideal candidates will have a broad range of technical experience with a proven track record of delivering interactive Virtual & Augmented Reality projects across a range of HMD & mobile hardware. Working as part of our existing team of designers and artists, the roles will primarily involve the delivery of VR/AR projects for our global clients.
EU ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE. Avatour is the remote collaboration platform for site meetings. Our cloud service enables full-motion 360° real-time communication, experienced via a web browser or optional VR headset. We are looking for an Account Executive to expand the Avatour business in the European Union. You’ll be initially our only salesperson in the EU, and directly responsible for the expansion and preservation of our customer base in the region. The ideal candidate will have a track record of success selling an Enterprise SaaS product, and experience in customer success as well.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, UK. Rock Paper Reality is hiring an ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE who has experience in immersive technology. Ideal candidate can manage the entire sales cycle from finding a client to securing a deal to maintaining the relationship post-sale. Experience in enterprise sales, C-level presentations, and marketing desired.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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