The Immersive Wire - 24 November 2021 (News edition)

By Tom FfiskeVR/AR and metaverse analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

// 24 November 2021

I won't spoil Bake Off here, but my friends and I cheered and jeered louder than a Boeing 747 when the winner was announced.

IMVERSE Holo software for LIVE volumetric video capture

TOP STORIESMining for Bitcoin while hopping to the bathroom

Fold AR is a new game made in collaboration with

Fold and Niantic.

• Basically, think of Pokemon Go mixed with Minecraft and mining. Instead of roaming around finding Pokemon, cubes appear every ten minutes near the player and they can get small denominations of Bitcoin.

• We are talking small, by the way; one-twentieth of a penny is the smallest kind.

• Why mention it here? Because we are seeing more and more convergence of crypto and immersive technologies, mashing the hyped tech trends of 2021 and making an amalgamation of the nerdiest proportions.

• The company also mentioned that it ties to the metaverse. It doesn't, but it's a great example of a company trying its luck by adding a keyword into the press release.

• Regardless, the game's approach makes sense. Financial incentives - such as dangling the most popular cryptocurrency of them all - is a great way to ensure people come back consistently to the title. But at the same time, I have to wonder if it will hold people for a long time. Will simply checking the phone every ten minutes be enough for some people, without additional elements to keep people returning to the app?

Niantic announced a $300m investment

from Coatue.

• The money will be used for its current games and apps, its Lightship platform and to help build the metaverse. The company is now worth $9bn.

• While I do not think Fold AR builds on the metaverse, I do think Niantic is up to it. The company wants to map the world and bring a new dimension to the games and experiences we have around us. When it comes to blending two worlds together, their platform is perhaps the most open for companies to use for themselves. In short, it is a smart investment.

• It will take a few years before we see the fruits of the cash injection coursing through Niantic's veins, but I am certainly curious to see where it will go.

The aLIVE METAverse is here!

IMVERSE Holo helps you set up multi-camera systems for LIVE capture and recording of volumetric video without green screens or cloud services. Our FREE version connects up to 3 Microsoft Azure Kinect cameras to a single PC. Use our Unity plugin compatible with OpenXR to create your VR/AR experiences and projects.

Start capturing holograms with just 1 camera & your laptop.

OTHER NEWSAwards, funding, and new VR releases

Got stories? Let me know at tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com, or reply to this email and I will come back to you.

• AIXR announced that Tom Furness is the Accenture Lifetime Achievement Award Winner.

  • Also, AIXR announced its 2021 VR Awards winners following the awards ceremony.

  • I spoke at a panel during the event, which was a lot of fun. The event went smoothly, and it was great to see some talented people on the day. I am still not a fan of awards where the public vote, but I also understand the incentive to use them for engagement.

• Alchemy Immersive, in partnership with Meta, will release First Life, a VR experience narrated by David Attenborough.

  • Elliot Graves, Director and Creative Lead, Alchemy Immersive, said: "First Life represents a combined effort between Alchemy and Meta Quest to explore rendered immersive media without the limitations of real-time computation. We're excited to share something that has a real legacy for future high-resolution headsets while at the same time sharing another beautiful story from our natural world"

• Dent Reality raised £2.5m in seed funding.

  • Disclaimer: I provided PR assistance for Dent Reality regarding the announcement.

• Dyson unveiled an "advanced virtual reality technology" that will allow customers to test out products at home.

• Iron VR announced that L*st for Darkness VR: M Edition is now out. 

  • I am shocked that there is demand for a... less rude version of the game, but this is the universe we now live in.

• HaptX announced that it has secured a $4m credit facility from Crescent Cove Advisors.

  • And if you missed it, the same company suspects Meta copied their protected designs.

• Jetpack Stadium was released as part of Jetpack Vacation.

  • (Think of it as Rocket League for VR).

• Morgan Stanley reckons that metaverse gaming and NFT tokens could, as a market, be worth $56bn by 2030. 

  • Treat it with a pinch of salt, but current trends indicate an incredibly lucrative area.

• NIIT Limited announced that it has entered into a partnership with Immerse.

• Nike launched their own version of the metaverse.

  • Built in Roblox, it acts as a persistent online world where people can try on Nike products. It is a marketing stunt, but a fun one.

• Red Sea: Immersive announced its 21-strong programme of VR experiences.

• Sundance Film Festival will include The Spaceship, a virtual venue situated to orbit the earth alongside the International Space Station and accessible via VR or laptop.

• The Glimpse Group announced that it has been issued a patent for presenting a "Simulated Reality Experience in a Preset Location."

  • According to the release, "The patent relates to a system that allows a user to be present in a virtual world that is aligned with the physical world in which the user is moving in and for the synchronization of that alignment."

• Ultraleap announced it has completed a £60m ($82m) Series D round of investment.

• White Spark Pictures announced the completion of Beyond the Milky Way, a VR documentary narrated by Brian Cox.

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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) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!