The Immersive Wire - 28 July 2021 (News edition)

NEWS DIGEST EDITIONCurated VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

// 28 July 2021

Give someone a holographic high five.

Facebook is recalling the foam face masks and giving the Quest 2

a storage boost.

• Firstly, Oculus is pausing worldwide sales - which is wild, considering how complex the supply chain is. But then again, how many people are buying VR headsets during the sweatiest months of the year? On 24 August (the day after my birthday, hint hint), the headset will return to stores with some upgrades.

• The new headset is inclusive of the same price, so new shoppers can take advantage of the bigger space. As games get bigger and bigger, it makes sense that the company wants to lay the groundwork for devices that can run full-fledged titles.

• The new silicone face masks are free, as some users reported skin irritation and wish to replace their foam versions. Combined with the breaking straps, and it looks like Facebook wanted to move fast and break things - while also breaking their own headset and (literally) irritating their users. Still, it is great of the company to iterate their product to address their customers' concerns.

• I am not sure how many people will recall their foam face masks, or are even aware of the offer. It might be that Facebook is considering that less than 0.01 per cent of its users - less than the number who reported skin irritation - will be part of the product recall. Still, the fact that it happened at all, while involving the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), might influence their hardware development strategies in the future.

Facebook will also make a metaverse team, headed by

Vishal Shah, Instagram’s VP of product.

• This is all part of Facebook Reality Labs (FRL), which now has many different immersive wings under its large umbrella.

• It is another move that pits itself against Roblox and Epic Games, where all three have views on the metaverse.

• Not much more to say on this, except that it is clear Facebook is investing into exploring the area to ensure they become the go-to computing platform for whatever the metaverse will look like.

Might need a little switcheroo. Photo credit: Oculus.

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• AWE is hosting the AR Cloud Challenge.

• Credersi and PixelMax launch a virtual version of the Credersi Science & Tech Campus.

• INMO has raised over $72,000 for their AR glasses.

  • Something to note: because a lot of people have been saving money during the pandemic, crowdfunding has become a valuable way to raise money when VCs are not around. If one person can't give a few thousand dollars, what stops a few hundred chipping in ten dollars a pop?

• LinkedIn is looking for content for their AR marketing skills course.

  • Main focus seems to be on brands that have successfully used AR as part of their marketing campaign.

• Oculus introduced the Passthrough API for developers to use.

  • Like many, I am hyped to see how developers will use the technology for their own games and services.

• Perception announced the launch of their Holo-SDK software in the UK.

• PhotonLens announced its merger with Shadow Creator.

• SUPERHOT removed a scene where the player has to self-harm, and the game was then review-bombed on Steam.

  • I love video games, but I detest the dark corners of the community. Come on.

• VR Days Europe 7 will happen on 13 - 17 November, and have an open call for submissions.

• XR Solutions Network launched their directory.

Jobs boardDue to continued growth and success, Immersive VR Education is looking for candidates for a range of new roles: FULL STACK DEVELOPER, remote position. Looking for a competent Software Engineer with 4+ years of industry experience to join our dedicated Web development team. This talented individual must have a vision and drive and must not be afraid to back big ideas. Click here for more. SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER (Node.js), remote position. Looking for a competent Senior Software Engineer with 5+ years of industry experience to join our dedicated Web development team. This talented individual must have a vision and drive and must not be afraid to back big ideas. Click here for more. SENIOR DEVELOPER (VUE.JS), remote Position. Looking for an experienced JavaScript developer who is highly skilled with Vue.js. You will be joining our Web development team to develop and enhance customer facing Web Applications, where you will be responsible for following best practices to produce modular and maintainable code. Click here for more. QA LEAD, remote positions available. Looking for a competent QA Lead with 2+ years of industry experience to join our dedicated QA Team in Waterford. This talented individual must have a vision and drive and must not be afraid to back big ideas. Click here for more. SENIOR UNITY GAME DEVELOPER, remote position. Looking for a competent Senior Unity Developer to join our team with 5+ years industry experience. The talented individual must have vision and drive and must not be afraid to back big ideas. Click here for more.  SENIOR PRODUCT OWNER, remote position. Looking for a competent Product Owner. This talented individual must have a vision and drive and must not be afraid to back big ideas. Click here for more. UI DESIGNER, remote position. 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