The Immersive Wire - 30 January 2022 (Sunday edition)

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

// 30 January 2022

I'll be hosting an in-person event in London to celebrate the book launch, so come along if you like.

More details on The Metaverse: A Professional Guide

MAIN STORYMeta's seismic influence 

Meta’s influence in discussions about VR and the metaverse has its gravitational pull. Discussions feel like they orbit around a singular company, almost like a starting point for ideas and discussions. The reason why is simple: Meta has an outsized influence in immersive technologies because it invests a sizable amount into the area. But because of the early-mover advantage and the sheer amount of money being funnelled into Reality Labs, it also leads to one company dominating discussions on both the metaverse and VR. 

The problem with exploring this topic is that it can be mired by cynicism. When Meta’s plans are explored, there is an overlaying film of intentions and assertions, where the reader may expect an opinion on the company. I do not. At best, I am an observer who has followed the company’s moves closely. I recognize that parts of the company have a political context that could bleed into the metaverse side of the company, such as echo chambers and the spread of misinformation. But equally, I also recognise that the company is also investing a sheer amount of money into an ecosystem where, without their help, VR developers would likely struggle. My stance is that I wish to chart their movements, and share my views on their actions. Because whether people like it or not, Meta is building the future in their vision, and bringing a whole bunch of companies along for the ride.  

Let’s touch on VR first. Numbers are nebulous because the company is not transparent on its sales figures, but we can infer that they are sizable. ‘We really couldn't be happier,’ a representative told Shakeel Hashim from Protocol. ‘The device is selling quite well, faster than Quest did.’ In fact, the company said the Quest 2 outsold all of its predecessors combined. While Meta didn't reveal exact numbers, it is still a huge amount and an indication of market growth. 

It’s a shame that the company does not ever detail the raw number of units that they move each quarter, preferring instead to give short snippets of information that isn’t backed by raw numbers. For example, Meta has mentioned that 90 per cent of original Quest users were new to VR and pushed $100m in sales via the Oculus store – but not a peep on how many VR headsets they sold. A snippet from my upcoming book, in a chapter titled 'Meta’s seismic influence on metaverse discussions and VR development.' The full book (and chapter) will be published on 2 February. 

The Metaverse: A Professional Guide sorts the sense from the nonsense, giving experts insights and guidance on how to navigate the burgeoning world of immersive technologies. By the end, you will have a firm grasp of the metaverse and all the contingent technologies that link to its foundations.Out 2 February. Keep an eye on this newsletter for exclusive peeks and updates. 

Q&AFashion and immersive technologies 

Stefan Hauswiesner, CEO and co-founder of Reactive Reality

What is your background?I have over 12 years of experience, and I'm the CEO of Reactive Reality. During my research and PhD studies at the Graz University of Technology, I worked on creating a virtual fitting room. It was a room-sized box with multiple cameras which allowed users to step in and see themselves wearing virtual outfits on a large TV screen. Around this time, I met my co-founders Philipp Grasmug and Philipp Pani. We quickly realized that software allowing consumers to try on outfits before buying them online had huge market potential, but that the existing technology was geared primarily towards laboratory use and was far too expensive for wide-spread adoption. We saw the need to scale up the technology, bring the functionality to mobile devices, and lower the bar to entry for e-commerce businesses of all sizes. This is when Reactive Reality was born. What are you working on, and what’s a key learning that you’ve had from it?We set out to solve the return rate problem of fashion e-commerce, caused by online shoppers being unable to experience the products before buying, leading to return rates of up to 50%.However, what we hadn’t anticipated is how fun and interactive consumers would find this. As soon as our PICTOFiT became available publicly to users, they started to mix and match thousands of outfits and spent hours doing so every month, leading to significant increases in sales and user loyalty, and engagement. This ‘fun factor’ was a key learning to us back then, and has now become a major focus for the company. We now know that a frictionless, fun experience is just as important as, for example, accurate size recommendations. In fact, our technology, which enables users to immerse themselves in brands or products with photo-realistic avatars, has many applications in fashion and beyond. I believe that AR and VR will go through a phase of user empowerment just like photos (Instagram) and videos (Youtube) have before. Scalability will be key as we make progress towards the Metaverse, and our technology will help drive the change. Personalized avatars with digital clothing are fundamental aspect of the Metaverse. The Metaverse is an “embodied internet” where people want to express themselves through their appearance, just like in real life. This level of personalization requires a lot of content (it’s hard to express your personality in a crowd of millions who all pick from the same 10 t-shirts). If you had to give one piece of advice, what would you give?My top recommendation for fashion retailers would be to evolve and adopt immersive, consumer engagement technologies like AI, AR and VR. A major flaw of e-commerce is the boredom and frustration associated with online shopping. We combat this by offering highly engaging virtual fitting experiences. Mixing and matching outfits and seeing them on your own avatar in a variety of photo-realistic virtual environments, such as a beach or cocktail party, is fun and immersive. It provides personalized interactive experiences that foster a stronger connection between consumers and brands. AR isn’t just a novelty and has so much potential beyond what can even be predicted at this moment in time. For instance, the ability to see furniture in your own home. Or even virtually driving the car that you want to buy. These are just some examples of how AR, VR, and the metaverse can transform the consumer experience by providing a level of engagement that just previously wasn't there. If you want to learn more about what he does, check out his work here.

Jobs boardSENIOR COMPUTER SCIENCE and SOFTWARE DEVELOPER (3D, Linear Algebra, C++).  MetaVRse is a web-based 3D game engine for building immersive experiences without needing to code.   We are looking for a unicorn computer scientist from anywhere in the world who can help us improve the core rendering technology that will serve creators to build custom products in training, marketing, sales, retail and learning in photorealistic, real-time 3D delivered on any device in a browser. Working with our Head of R&D, you will be responsible for creating and implementing new 3D graphics solutions to push the limits of our technology stack.  Solid understanding of Real-time 3D libraries (OpenGL, Vulkan), Linear Algebra, C++ and 3D rendering and game engine technologies. Apply Here.XR SOFTWARE ENGINEER NETWORKING, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company. Qualcomm is a company of inventors that unlocked 5G ushering in an age of rapid acceleration in connectivity. Under this dynamic umbrella, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company, shapes the future of augmented reality by empowering businesses and developers. We are looking for an experienced XR Software Engineer Networking to drive the architecture, development, and deployment of core parts of our XR toolkit. A successful candidate has extensive experience in multiplayer streaming and can apply it to XR experiences. Do you have a solid technical background, a passion for the XR industry, and enjoy working with engineering teams? Apply hereXR CONTENT DIRECTOR, Pixo VR. The VR marketplace is exploding, and PIXO is leading the way in on-demand generation and adoption in our industry. With our groundbreaking PIXO ApexTM platform, we provide comprehensive, end-to-end VR content, distribution, and management solutions for enterprise. PIXO VR is searching for an XR Content Director to join our team. Reporting to the COO, the Content Director will manage the overall production, procurement and growth strategy for our XR content library. Working with a team of offshore and onshore designers, engineers, artists, marketers, and 3rd party content developers, the Content Director will ensure PIXO is delivering an exceptional content experience to all our end users. Check out further details here. SDK TECHNICAL ENGINEER, Pico Interactive Europe. As SDK Technical Engineer you will be responsible for investigating/troubleshooting issues reported, and collecting/consolidating customer requirements back to the Beijing DevSupport team. Through this role you will be the technical liaison between Pico Interactive Europe customers and Pico product teams to ensure Europe region's commercial success. In Europe, Pico is one of the premier enterprise hardware companies in the rapidly growing VR market. Click here for more.TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER, Pico Interactive Europe. As Technical Project Manager you will be responsible for evaluating improvements to the devices, services, logistics, and operations to continue the high growth business of Pico Interactive Europe. In Europe, Pico is one of the premier enterprise hardware companies in the rapidly growing VR market. The Pico Europe business is responsible for all business opportunities in Europe, Israel, Russian Federation and India. Click here for more. DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER. ArborXR is device management for AR & VR devices. We power some of the largest headset deployments in the world with Fortune 500, ISVs and companies around the world. Looking for someone with experience in the B2B SAAS marketing space who would enjoy working with a fully remote team based in the US, Canada and Europe. Would join a quickly growing marketing team with a hot product that is selling rapidly. Click here for more. WEB-AR DEVELOPER wanted to work with veteran AR agency. Experience in JavaScript, Three.js, A-Frame, and 8th Wall preferred. Ideal candidate thrives working remotely. Includes competitive salary and full benefits. To apply, send resume to [email protected].INTERNSHIP, US. The intern will be primarily focused on developing proficiency in the use and application of tools designed for experiences in VR/AR headsets. GRIP-IE interns will assist the Get Real management team and clients in the design, development, and implementation of features within both internal and partner platforms. Interns will follow industry best practices including continuous improvement through code reviews of existing and new code. GRIP-IE interns will also be responsible for managing communication with software vendors on a variety of topics including bug identification, feature requests, troubleshooting, and documentation materials. Click here for more. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, UK. Here at CIRCUS (an award-winning creative agency, specialists of Virtual Brand Experiences) we're on the lookout for an enthusiastic B2B Business Development Manager on a part-time, remote basis. If this sounds of interest and you love all things virtual, we'd love to tell you more. Click here for more. 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) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!