Executive summary
Welcome to your weekly briefing on the metaverse and spatial computing. Here are your snippets to sound smarter in meetings this week:
Top story: Valve imported 13 tonnes of VR headsets, according to the Verge (more below).
Immersive Wire anniversary party: The Immersive Wire is hosting a party in London to celebrate 10 years, happening on 18 June. Join if you are free!
Demo day: We are hosting an XR demo day on 9 July. Come participate, and submit your demo to show the audience.
Other stories: Pokémon Go location data was reportedly used to train AI systems with potential applications in military drone navigation and analysis in conflict environments (more below)
I conquered half of Europe via Ticket to Ride. Unfortunately, I was blindsided by a long, long train between London and Moscow.
Top story
Valve imported 13 tonnes of VR headsets, according to the Verge.
What happened? Import records suggest Valve recently brought in around 13 tonnes of VR headsets to the US, likely part of the first mass production run of its upcoming Steam Frame device.
Why does it matter? The shipment provides the strongest evidence yet that Valve is preparing a commercial launch of its new VR headset and broader hardware ecosystem.
This week’s stories
DEM Museums will launch TIMEWALK at London’s Immerse LDN in July, an immersive exhibition that recreates ancient civilisations including Göbeklitepe, Babylon, Ancient Egypt, the Maya and Rapa Nui through large-scale audio-visual storytelling.
FunkyMouse will add a Steam VR mode to LANESPLIT on 23 June, alongside new electric and petrol bikes, weather effects, and playable characters based on real-world motorcycle content creators.
Meta has announced that more than 50 Meta Lab @ Best Buy locations will open across the US and Canada this summer, giving consumers hands-on access to its AI glasses and VR headsets.
Pokémon Go location data was reportedly used to train AI systems with potential applications in military drone navigation and analysis in conflict environments.
Samsung has demonstrated a VR-based meditation experience designed to reduce anxiety during blood donation by guiding users through calming immersive environments.
The University of Exeter will build a new virtual reality “digital twin” facility as part of its expanded innovation and enterprise infrastructure to support research, teaching, and industry collaboration.
Note: The Immersive Wire is run by Tom Ffiske, who also works at Accenture. The contents of the newsletter should not be regarded as Accenture’s views.
All spelling mistakes are deliberate, actually.
