Apple Reportedly Wants Nothing To Do With The Metaverse

vrcoin on January 10, 2022

A source claims the company’s highly-anticipated mixed reality headset will prioritize shorter experiences. Last year rumors began circulating that Apple is in development of its own combination VR/AR headset. As for when we can expect to get our hands on this long-rumored mixed reality device, some sources are reporting a potential 2022 release date, though the company has yet to comment.That said, whileApple CEO Tim Cook has stated that AR technology is “critically important” for the company’s future, it appears as though they have little to no interest in the “metaverse,” aka the future of everything.Image Credit: The InformationIn Mark Gurman’s latest “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, the Apple and consumer tech expert claims that Apple has little to no interest in bringing the metaverse to its mixed reality hardware and will instead be focusing its efforts on delivering shorter experiences best enjoyed in small “bursts.” These experiences could include

Avatar Creation Tool ‘Ready Player Me’ Raises $13M to Provide Metaverse-wide Avatars

vrcoin on January 3, 2022

Wolf3D, the Estonian startup behind web-based avatar creator Ready Player Me, has closed a $13 million funding round. The company says it will use the funds to further build out its avatar creation tools and eventually allow developers to earn money through the sale of in-game assets and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Ready Player Me studio Wolf3D has secured a $13 million Series A funding round, which was led by Wise and Teleport co-founders Taavet+Sten, and features participation from GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner, Samsung Next, NordicNinja, Konvoy Ventures, and others. The news was first reported by Venture Beat.

Read Player Me allows anyone to create and customize their own avatar, which can then be imported into social VR platforms such as VRChat, Spatial, LIV, MeetinVR, and more.

Working on both desktop and mobile devices, Ready Player Me presents an easy way of doing so, letting you use the same skin across multiple platforms—some 900+ apps and games now, the company says.

Image courtesy Wolf3D

With the fresh funding, Wolf3D says in a blog post that it will build out its custom content creation tools, invest in avatar art through additional styles and body types, and improve avatar performance.

In addition to building APIs and SDKs to improve the developer experience, the studio says it will also be focusing on making Ready Player Me a “revenue generator for developers” by allowing third-party devs to sell in-game assets and NFTs—cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and can be easily bought, sold and traded.

The company hasn’t said when it will roll out its monetization strategy, however it lists it as “coming soon.”

In the meantime, Wolf3D says its scaling up from 30 people today to over 70, with multiple roles offered across Europe and the US. The latest funding round brings the company’s lifetime outside investment to $16.5 million, following a $2.1 million seed round in July 2020.

This article was originally published on roadtovr.com

‘XR Casino’ Brings Cross-Platform Gambling To VR & AR

vrcoin on July 12, 2021

Bet on games of Blackjack and Roulette in this blockchain-powered virtual casino coming soon to major VR & AR devices.

XR Casino, Inc (“The Company”) has announced an official release date for its cross-platform gambling experience which allows users on VR and AR devices to bet real money on games like blackjack, roulette, and slots from the comfort of their own holographic casinos.

Lynx to Launch MR Headset “below $1,000”, Kickstarter Coming in September

vrcoin on July 9, 2021

French startup Lynx announced its Lynx R-1 mixed reality headset last year. The standalone headset, which is capable of both VR and pass-through AR, was previously said to launch for business somewhere around the $1,500 price point. Now Lynx says it’s pivoting focus to include both enterprise and consumers, and will bring the headset down “below $1,000.” You can expect a Kickstarter sometime in September 2021, the company says.

Lynx founder and CEO Stan Larroque announced in the project’s July update a few key changes to its upcoming MR headset. You can check out the full 30-minute video at the bottom of the article.

Cannes XR Virtual Exhibit Offers Insightful Panels On VR

vrcoin on July 7, 2021

The legendary film festival goes virtual to deliver a series of live talks featuring some of the biggest names in the XR industry.

This week marks part two of XR3, an ambitious collaboration between Cannes XR, Tribeca, and the NewImages Festival that consists of 50 pieces of VR art from immersive artists located around the globe. Festival-goers can purchase a ticket to access a collection of genre-defying art via the Museum of Other Realities, a virtual exhibition space accessible via PC VR headsets.

Dogecoin Millionaire Launches Tamagotchi-Style AR Game

vrcoin on July 6, 2021

Earn exclusive NFTs and Dogecoin by taking care of an AR-powered ‘Dogeagotchi’ in this location-based mobile game.

In an effort to establish what he calls a “Doge-fueled Party metaverse,” Vancouver-based Dogecoin millionaire Gary Lachance is giving away one million of his own Dogecoin, currently worth $300,000 CAD, but there’s a catch.

In order to access this digital stockpile, you’ll need to take care of your own personal ‘Dogeagotchi.’ This includes feeding it treats and taking it on healthy walks throughout the real world.