The Immersive Wire - 8 December 2021 (News edition)

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

// 8 December 2021

Spoke at XR Safety Week on Monday; long and short of it is that I do think the media's perception of the metaverse will cool in 2022.

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

MAIN STORYSony and Snap, two brothers from different parents

Sony showed off a VR headset prototype.

• The 4K OLED microdisplay was demonstrated at a Sony event earlier this week, at Sont's R&D center. It's worth noting that it is not under Sony Interactive Entertainment, which handles their PSVR efforts. But still, projects from one part can transfer to the other if the time is right.

• As it is such an early prototype stage, it is likely that it won't feature as part of the PSVR's successor which is hinted to come out in 2022. Bit of a mad rush for the engineering team if the turnaround was that swift.

• At this stage, it is all speculation, but it is also an indicator that Sony is actively pushing further and further into VR as a platform. The high investment and interest indicates that the company expects more immersive products to come in the future, which is interesting in of itself. These projects take years, so investments now will likely turn around later - unless there is a drastic corporate shift in the interim.

Snap unveiled creator tools for more creative

AR experiences.

• The company demonstrated more perks of its Lens Studio, showing off a range of AR features.

• What struck me is this quote from the TechCrunch article: 'The company is building out its own internal “AR innovation lab,” called Ghost, which will help the company bankroll Lens designers who are looking to push the limits of what’s possible, dishing out grants for up to $150,000 for individual projects.'

• Clearly Snap is doubling down into AR more and more, treating their fans and creatives with a lot of care and respect.

• Yes, these updates can be linked to the Spectacles, but the hardware is still very much in developer mode. Right now the company offers a suite of tools and services which link to phone use. We will see more specs being used, but not soon - don't hold your breath. For now, Snap is building the capabilities.

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OTHER STORIESThe Game Awards and beyond

Want to share any new stories? Do let me know at tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com.

• 1Spatial announced the award of a £0.6m multi-year contract with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

• Biolum, which premiered at SXSW, is now on Steam.

• Dynabook Europe announced an update to its dynaEdge AR (Assisted Reality) solution with the launch of the dynaEdge DE200.

• Fast Travel Games has announced Cities: VR, coming in spring 2022.

• Immerse announced its new partnership with DTG, the digital transformation company that delivers technology and solutions.

• Metaverse Association was unveiled; a non-profit foundation established to support those who are working for an interoperable metaverse.

• MyndVR announced the acquisition of VR therapy company Immersive Cure.

  • The company also announced that Jessica Benson, founder of Immersive Cure, will join MyndVR as the VP of Market Development.

• The Glimpse Group announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Sector 5 Digital.

• The Game Awards will debut a new streaming experience by Active Theory’s Dreamwave Platform.

  • During the show, an immersive watch party will open to fans to create avatars, explore the environment and hang out with others while watching the stream on both mobile and desktop devices.

• The Sandbox sold a plot of virtual land for around $450,000.

  • I do wonder about the impact of Sandbox as a metaverse; alongside Roblox, I think it is the most interesting I am following. The sheer creativity it gives people is insane.

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