The Metaverse continues to fuel the latest developments in the virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) industry, namely as music icons advocate decentralised virtual platforms, a Chinese tech giant unveils its flagship VR headset, and Apple earns another patent for its ecosystem of XR solutions.
The VR Awards also saw a spectacular evening of accolades delivered to firms, individuals, and content creators across the sector, who were recognised with honours for their contributions to XR.
In case you missed it, here are the top stories from last week. Be sure to also stay posted with our newsletter by visiting https://www.xrtoday.com/sign-up/ for further updates!
Snoop Dogg, Deadmau5 to Join Outlier Ventures Partnership
Music titans Snoop Dogg and Deadmau5 announced they would join an accelerator programme launched by Outlier Ventures, a London-based venture capital firm for a decentralised Metaverse.
The US rapper and Canadian producer will join the Base Camp Accelerator programme, which launches in 2022, and will join representatives from Sandbox and Polygon Network, among many others.
The programme comes as the firm pushes for an open framework to develop the Metaverse, namely after publishing a report advocating an open-source Web3 stack model and decentralised platforms.
ArborXR, Axon Partner for Public Safety Training
ArborXR, an enterprise-grade AR/VR management platform, has partnered with public safety training firm Axon to deploy VR training content to US public safety staff.
The former has begun distributing Axon’s VR solutions on HTC VIVE’s top-spec Focus 3 headsets to deliver training solutions for public safety and law enforcement officials. The news comes after Axon rebranded to reflect its expansion into body cameras, VR training, and other safety solutions.
Huawei Launches VR Glass 6DoF Headset
Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies revealed it would soon release a lightweight, tethered VR headset with 6 degrees-of-freedom (DoF), Huawei Central reported this month.
The device was set to launch in October last year, but was delayed due to possible concerns over the ongoing US-China trade war, which severely disrupted supply lines for the Shenzhen-based firm, XR Today speculates.
Apple Scores XR Spatial Audio Patent
US tech giant Apple Inc revealed it had been granted a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to develop a real-time 3D spatial audio solution for VR/AR devices.
Apple’s ‘Auralisation’ solution uses geometrical acoustics technologies to simulate real-world environments with high-quality spatial audio.
The development comes as Apple plans to release a mixed reality (MR) headset in late-2022, with additional plans launched for a pair of AR-powered smart glasses in 2023.
AIXR Announces Winners of 5th Annual VR Awards
The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) selected winners on Thursday last week from over 128 nominees and nearly 100 finalists for its fifth annual VR Awards.
People from across social media and AltspaceVR attended the virtual event, which featured winners from Hewlett-Packard (HP), Resolution Games, Vale VR, Studio 3DAR, and many others.
A ‘holoported’ Tom Furness III, inventor, professor, and ‘the Grandfather of VR’, also won an Accenture Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to human interfaces and the VR industry.
STYLY Debuts Creative Platform on HTC VIVE Flow
STYLY, a VR creative platform developed by Psychic VR Labs, has debuted on the HTC VIVE’s latest headset: the HTC VIVE Flow.
The platform allows XR content creators to curate their creative works in collective, immersive virtual spaces via VR headsets such as the Meta Quest 2, web browsers, and smartphones.
HTC debuted the VIVE Flow to help users relax with numerous activities such as meditation, games, and streaming movies and video, among many others.
