The 2023 Polys WebXR Awards Recap

vrcoin on March 7, 2023

The third Annual Polys WebXR Awards took place this weekend. The show was bigger than ever thanks to the first-ever in-person awards and a special event saying farewell to AltspaceVR. However, despite some new categories, the overall category list was shorter this year as a number of previous awards were combined. A Very Special Polys The Polys launched during the height of the pandemic. Fortunately, not being in person has a way of not greatly hindering an event that’s already dedicated to WebXR. The event took place in a bespoke AltspaceVR world, with watch parties on YouTube as well as other remote platforms. However, this time, people were able to get together in person but they did it in a very “metaverse” way. In-person hosts, producers, presenters, and an audience gathered at ZeroSpace, an XR stage and motion capture studio in Brooklyn. Their actions on the stage were volumetrically

The 2022 WebXR Brand Summit

vrcoin on September 19, 2022

This year’s WebXR Brand Summit took place last Thursday, September 15, preceded by a more open-format Town Hall event the week before. Hosted by the same organization that puts on the Polys Awards, the event included roundtables and use cases for how brands are exploring WebXR to increase exposure and services on a more spatial and connected internet. Not Just for Brands Not for the faint of heart, the full live-streaming remote event ran nine consecutive hours. Hosted by the tireless Sophia Moshasha and Julie Smithson with tech support from Ben Irwin, the event included 20 speakers in 11 sessions. If you think that that means it was just people selling sneakers all day, you miss the importance of brands in immersive spaces. “This is where we believe it starts. Brands have made initial investments in this space from the early days. … We owe them a lot of

The 2nd Annual AR/VR Policy Conference

vrcoin on September 16, 2022

The second annual AR/VR Policy Conference took place this Wednesday, September 14, in Washington D.C., accompanied by a live stream on YouTube. The event, once again hosted by Information Technology Innovation Foundation and the XR Association, followed last year’s all-virtual event. Registration for both events was free, regardless of in-person or virtual attendance. As a proud media partner of the AR/VR Policy Conference, here’s the ARPost recap – though you can also watch the complete event on YouTube. Welcome and Keynote The marathon session lasted from 11 AM to 5 PM local time, though in-person attendants also had access to a networking social following the conclusion of the sessions. There was also a demo floor for participating companies to showcase their XR for good projects. Elizabeth Hyman’s Welcome Address The AR/VR Policy Conference started off with a welcome address by XRA CEO Elizabeth Hyman. Hyman praised ITIF as a partner

AWE EU 2022 Is Headed for Lisbon

vrcoin on September 12, 2022

Wait, wasn’t AWE a few months ago? It was for America, but it’s the Augmented World Expo – there are three live AWE conferences throughout the year. Next, it’s time for AWE EU. We saw what AWE had to offer in Santa Clara this spring. So, what can we expect when it comes to Lisbon next month? What to Expect If you know the flow of AWE in the States, you’ll spot some similarities and differences. AWE EU still kicks off with Ori Inbar’s keynote. And, according to the current iteration of the agenda, Inbar’s keynote has the same theme as the one we saw in California in June. Further, the legendary AWE Expo Hall is still a part of the European event. And, exhibitors can still win Best of Show awards at the wrap-up ceremony on the last day. However, AWE EU is two days instead of three. Further,

Highlights and News From Snap’s Lens Fest 2021

vrcoin on December 13, 2021

It’s hard to believe it, but it has been a year since Lens Fest 2020. This annual event is when Snap reaches out to the developer community. That includes Snapchat lens creators as well as those who create experiences for other apps and websites using Snap’s camera API, camera kit. Last year, the Lens Fest saw major updates to Snap’s creator software, Lens Studio, as well as a focus on creating lenses with social impact. So, what did this year’s three-day-long event bring? A Whole Lot of Energy Lens Fest isn’t just a developer’s conference. Because anyone can be a lens creator, the event is an opportunity for Snap to celebrate all of the people that contribute to their platform – professionally or otherwise. “Lens Fest is our annual, global event that highlights innovation and creativity from every corner of the lens creator community,” Snap co-founder and CTO, Bobby Murphy,

AWE 2021 Day Two: More on the Metaverse

vrcoin on November 11, 2021

The first day of AWE was all about announcements. There was less of that on day two, but AWE isn’t all about announcements, it’s about celebrating XR experiences and learning from XR expertise. Day two delivered these in droves. In addition to even more great expert talks and panel discussions, it was the first day that the Expo floor and Playground were open. Another Marathon Session on the Main Stage Day two started out, like day one, with back-to-back-to-back powerhouse sessions on the main stage: panel discussions on “reinventing the camera” and “XR for brands,” followed by Charlie Fink on “The Race to Build the Metaverse.” Reinventing the Camera Lauren Goode of WIRED hosted a fireside chat with Snap CTO Bobby Murphy and lens creator Brielle Garcia. Goode opened the conversation with a word that we heard a lot on day one but we’ve never heard from Snap. “The

AWE USA 2021 Day One: “Metaverse Shmetaverse”

vrcoin on November 10, 2021

Tuesday, November 9, was the first day of AWE USA 2021, including keynotes from Ori Inbar and John Hanke, panel discussions, and of course, company announcements. If it could be summed up in a single word, that word would, of course, be “metaverse” – love it, hate it, or both, almost everyone on stage used it at least once. Our classic events disclaimer first: There was too much going on for everything to get covered – including some things that we would have really liked to have covered. Marathon Session on the Main Stage The day started off with three powerhouse speakers on the main stage: AWE founder Ori Inbar, Niantic CEO John Hanke, and Qualcomm’s VP and GM of XR Hugo Swart. Ori Inbar’s State of XR, AWE.LIVE Perhaps nobody has been looking forward to the return of in-person AWE more than Inbar himself, and his excitement was clear