The Immersive Wire - 27 July 2022 (News edition)

The Immersive Wire - 27 July 2022 (News edition)

July 27, 2022

27 July 2022 //

by Tom Ffiske

Metaverse and VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

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Sandbox VR launched in

  • Comparable to Zero Latency, but with more bells and whistles. Pico Neo 3 headsets complemented haptic feedback vests and dongles to make full room-tracking experiences. 

  • Supportive staff, flowing drinks, and a robotic bar made for a unique experience, paired with shooting zombies and aliens alike. Perfect for a group of friends or a small-team work outing. It also had more sophisticated kit than DNA VR. 

  • It is also part of an aggressive expansion plan for the US company, with London being the first of potentially several in Europe. 

  • The killer feature was shareable videos. After every experience, a highlights reel of players is auto-generated which showcases top players, their activities in the game, and real-life shots matched to their avatars. Incredibly smart for social marketing, and would like to see the idea spread to more locations. 

 Venice Immersive will present 43 projects from 19 countries and 32 works in the Worlds Gallery section,

  • It will include 30 projects in competition, 10 projects out of competition, 3 projects developed during the Biennale College Cinema, 30 worlds selected for the Worlds Gallery, and one film special event. 

  • An example project is Alex Ruhl's directorial debut VR drama, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. Audiences will step into the memories of single-mum Lina and daughter Priya (voiced by Natasha Lewis and Priya Davdra) and play the eponymous game with their own hands to drive the story of this heartwarming coming-of-age drama.

 Meta announced that the Meta Quest 2 will go up by around $100

  • One, buy your headset now if you want one. 

  • Two, it's not surprising. The company had been selling it at cost for some time, and is experiencing tough economic headwinds as they take a $10bn revenue hit from Apple's privacy implementation.

  • Three, at least you get Beat Saber for free with it (but I am unsure it is worth the $100 hike). 

Us having fun in The Sandbox. Photo credit: Sandbox VR. 

What do you think of the Meta Quest 2 price hike? Join the discussion and meet like-minded professionals on the

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OTHER STORIESOther little nuggets 

  • Arvizio announced AR Instructor 2.0, an enhancement to their no-code solution.

  • BrandShield and The Sandbox announced the results of a strategic partnership that seeks to ensure the safety and security of crypto wallets and NFT assets.

  • Falmouth University students launched a satellite VR experience. 

  • George Ezra will perform in Roblox. 

  • Moss: Book II launched for Meta Quest 2.

  • PwC surveyed US-based consumers and business leaders on the metaverse, and found a few items:

    • Interest: 50% of consumers call the metaverse exciting, and 66% of executives report that their companies are actively engaged

    • Implementation: Two-thirds of company leaders tell us they’ve moved beyond metaverse experimentation, and within a few years, most say their metaverse efforts will be fully integrated across the business.

    • Reality: 44% thinks the metaverse will be business as usual in 2 - 3 years.

  • The Drum will do awards for the metaverse this year. 

  • VR Awards will work with Immersive Tech week, and move from London to Rotterdam on 1 December 2022.

  • X.LA Foundation launched a Metamall with building blocks to support the creation of content and design in the Metaverse, as well as a credit card and a technology based on NFTs and Revenue Share Smart Contracts (RSCs).  

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!