The Immersive Wire - 5 December 2021 (Sunday edition)

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

// 5 December 2021

Hot take: mulled cider should not be a festive drink. The golden brew should be served throughout the winter months.

Invest to own a part of the future of exercise in the Metaverse

MAIN STORYWhat's the value of metaverse coins?

 Readers, you know how careful I am about crypto's links to the metaverse. My cynicism with cryptocurrencies and NFTs stem from one core point: they do not have value in the real world. Altcoins live then perish as often as fruit flies, as rugs pull under investors' feet and finances scurry to private bank accounts.Why? Partly because the most popular coins and NFTs all link to events or products offline, whether it is buying items where they accept Bitcoin as legal tender, or communities and exclusive parties built around lazy apes. The more utility an item has, the more secure it is and likely that it will steadily increase in value over time.Remarkably, metaverse coins exhibit the same qualities that grant them stability. Over the last week (29 November to 3 December), global markets slumped slightly as they witnessed a variant of Covid-19 spread across multiple countries. Cryptocurrencies normally sit in their own well-insulated bubble, where market shocks deviate away from reality and rely on memes and speculation. Yet three coins related to the metaverse - The Sandbox (SAND), Alien Worlds (TLM), and Enjin Coin (ENJ) - all saw volatility that coincided with the global market. As a macro effect, the coins link to the real world more than others do.On utility, all three have a purpose in the virtual ‘worlds’ and communities they are built on. Virtual land and items are all linked to the currency, so it has links to their purchase. With usability comes stability, as it is a commonly-accepted currency that anyone can use to purchase and use assets. Much better than an altcoin from the depths of the internet that can buy nothing.Read more of the analysis.

VirZOOM shipped the first commercial VR Exercise solution in 2016. Today, thousands of VZfit members cycle through 10 million miles of roads mapped by Google Streetview, pedal tanks in multiplayer tank battles, fly helicopters in a firefight, fly a winged horse to soar 100s of feet high through a canyon, among many games that get you fit while you explore and play!Invest to join in for as little as $500.

Q&AAdvancing safety standards in the metaverse

Kavya Pearlman, Founder and CEO of XR Safety Initiative

What have you been up to over the last year? The last year has been incredibly busy for the XR Safety Initiative (XRSI), and next year will be even busier. We are laying the foundation for the metaverse, and creating a safe and inclusive immersive space. As many people know, the metaverse brings about a convergence of various different technologies, whether it is 5G, decentralised tech, NFTs, virtual goods, and AR and VR to name a few. All of this requires standards to be built, and that is what we are trying to do in partnership with national governing bodies, universities, and businesses. One example of our work is the recently released medical, privacy and safety framework. Who do you work with the help improve privacy and safety? We are currently advising various governments and tech companies, alongside other stakeholders (such as the Uniform Commercial Code) regarding the building of laws for commerce in the metaverse. We also advise the UK's NHS for their medical XR ecosystem, the government of Australia for their e-safety tools for online safety, and a whole bunch of senators in the US on laws related to immersive technologies. One example is the CAMRA Act, which is currently on the Senate floor, which will hopefully free up money to conduct research on how immersive technologies can impact children. We also work with a variety of universities, such as San Diego, Glasgow, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and Arizona State among others. What is the goal of XR Safety Week?Our goal is to have a conversation non the major topics that matter to everyone. The foundation of the XR Safety Week is 'safety' for the simple reason safety is of critical importance when exploring unique innovations of XR to remain mindful of the implications that come with those concepts. Each year before the holidays, XRSI will promote this time of the year to ensure that we engage with XR technology with safety at the forefront. The whole week wants to celebrate XR focusing on Child Safety, Diversity & Inclusion, Medical XR, Arts, Journalism, Human Rights, and much more.XR Safety Week is free, and available on AltspaceVR and Youtube.

Jobs boardSDK 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. SENIOR WEBXR ENGINEER, US. Build a human-centric metaverse with a stellar team at www.urnowhere.com. Full-Time Position, Fully Remote Team, Core hours (10AM-5PM EST). NOWHERE aims to revolutionize gathering with patent-pending video presence technology that allows serendipitous social mingling between conversations with friends or colleagues at conferences, meetings, or parties all within dynamic web environments. Nowhere combines expertise from veteran founders, experience experts, engineers, game designers, theatre-makers, VFX artists from Windmill Factory to build a healthier digital future. Please share with anyone you think might be interested. JOIN NOWHERE.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!