Hololens no more? Neopets Returns, & AI for Hire?
Hololens no more? Neopets Returns, & AI for Hire?
This week...Microsoft HoloLens team dissolved, Apple hint at consumer friendly MR option, and would you fall for an AI job applicant?
Good morning Metaverse Business Brief readers. Let’s jump into the most relevant news from the Immersive world in our weekly roundup.
Top Stories
Microsoft announce ‘Hardware Portfolio’ changes. The organisation brought forth a wave of 10,000 layoffs, with the struggling HoloLens project directly affected. Alongside declining revenue across the board, the decision was made reportedly due to the decision by US congress to block the purchase of 6,900 headsets powered by HoloLens.
Game Devs cold on Metaverse. In the latest GDC state of the industry survey for 2023, 2,300 respondents within the games development community exercised suspicion and caution regarding the metaverse, with issues raised suggesting a lack of support for NFTs, Web3 and the metaverse concept within development organisations. The survey suggested that double the number of respondents believe Epic Games are more likely to deliver a true metaverse than Meta.
Apple delay AR headset, MR still favoured. In the latest round of industry speculation, Apple are reportedly considering a halt on the release of it’s full AR headset in favour of a ‘lower cost’ consumer friendly MR headset first. This release, speculated for 2024, will come hot on the heels of it’s first MR headset which is said to arrive this year.
Neal Stephenson speaks at Davos. In a panel at the World Economic Forum, Neal joined Chris Cox - chief product officer at Meta - and discussed the engineering advancements necessary to allow for the widespread use of virtual worlds via head mounted devices. In the words of the prophetic Stephenson, “we’ve got a ways to go” before we will have the ability to support potential users in the millions.
In Funding
Classic game Neopets raises $4 million. The browser based hit formed in the 1990s has seen an IP relaunch under the project ‘Neopets Metaverse’. This new release aims to offer players the opportunity to monetize free-to-play gaming experiences on the blockchain.
The Edit LDN see $4.8 million celeb backed funding. Sporting athletes like soccer player Jesse Lingard and NBA star PJ Tucker are amongst investors in this marketplace platform for limited edition streetwear clothing pieces. The funding will be used to bolster the companies existing metaverse store.
Createra announce $10 million series A round. The metaverse engine enables creators of user generated content to distribute and ‘MetaFi’ games. Tools like Createra are heralding the birth of crypto-native games, and the platform aims to become an ‘amusement park’ for world gamers and creators.
Keep an eye on
South Korea plan Seoul Metaverse replica. The 'Metaverse Seoul’ project is leading a three year plan to expand public services. The efforts will see avatars granted the ability to enquire about taxes, access forms of youth counseling, and read e-books. The virtual world is expected to be completed by 2026.
Ostloong introduce advanced AR Ski Goggles. In an announcement at CES 2023, the Swiss startup shared details surrounding Sirius, advanced ski goggles which display real world environmental information as you race down the slopes. The goggles will feature an HD camera, cellular data, and GPS navigation.
Virtual landlords establishing class systems. An investigation by Wired has found that a new market for leasing virtual real estate is growing within worlds like Decentraland, with the original goal of democratised virtual world access shrouded by what is becoming a divided online social fabric driven by exploding rental systems.
ChatGPT ‘answer’ shortlisted for job interview. In an experiment by communications consultancy firm Schwa, a ChatGPT job application passed multiple levels of scrutiny within the firms hiring process. This led to the AI being unwittingly shortlisted for an interview, beating more than 80% of its fellow applicants.
Events to be at
January 30 San Francisco | SPIE AR | VR | MR
February 14 Online | Insights Live: Art and the Metaverse: From Creation to Market
March 14 Online | Insights Live: The Great Debate: Entertainment in the Metaverse – LBE vs Home Entertainment
April 11 Online | Insights Live: Growth of Web3 and Retail
–
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, and your ChatGPT Generated Job Applications to team@aixr.org.
January 23 2023 Edition - Issue 3