Last week’s XR news was a whirlwind of developments across the industry, with many companies announcing disruptive technologies and new content creation platforms.
The news comes after Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and Chief Executive, told audiences his firm would shift towards becoming a “metaverse company”, sparking a global ‘virtual space race’.
Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) firms such as Facebook, Nextech, Epic Games, Nvidia, Pico Interactive, Darley, and others dominated the headlines as they shocked the industry with their latest technological updates.
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!
128GB Oculus Quest 2 Available from 24th August
Oculus, the world’s top consumer VR headset and subsidy of US social media giant Facebook, announced on social media it would release a 128GB Oculus Quest 2 model by August 24 this year.
The company added it would retire the 64GB version of the Quest 2, allowing greater flexibility for storing 3D content, and would leave the £299 price tag unchanged.
The news comes after the Menlo Park-based firm came under fire over reports its foam eye and nose guard cushions contained irritants which caused users to develop skin rashes, forcing the European Commission write a report on the matter and temporary pull the headset from Amazon EU shelves.
XR a ‘Tool for the 21st Century Firefighter’, Execs Say
XR Today spoke with Darley’s Kevin Sofen, Pico Interactive’s Logan Parr, and Kirk McKinzie of McKinzie Smart Systems, who advocated the adoption of immersive learning in the firefighting and first responders industry.
According to the three speakers, mixed reality (MR) solutions were instrumental in training firefighters and first responders on fire behaviours and strategies, which also drastically increase training deployment times, learner retention rates, and safety outcomes for staff and civilians.
Improvements were noted amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, namely as the crisis significantly disrupted access to key training facilities and prevented public learners from receiving vital safety experience needed to tackle fires at home and in nature.
The speakers added that the industry would see a “trend of adoption” of XR technologies post-pandemic, and that “many people will be investigating” ways to incorporate them into their business models.
Nvidia Reveals Major Metaverse Expansion
US tech giant Nvidia unveiled its plans to expand across the Metaverse at the SIGGRAPH 2021 event last week, where Richard Kerris, Vice-President of Omniverse Development, told audiences his company aimed to host “exchanges, market economies, and other things in the virtual world.”
According to the exec, Nvidia’s Omniverse would be a “connector” of digital worlds for brands, enterprises, and digital design engineers.
He also revealed Blender users would move to the Omniverse to benefit from the platform after 500 firms had invested in the Metaverse platform.
He said: “With over 3 million users of Blender out there, free and open source 3D software packages are really gaining momentum at an unprecedented rate.”
Nextech Acquires ARWay to Pioneer ‘Mini-Metaverses’
Vancouver-based AR firm Nextech acquired British spatial computing firm ARway in an agreement aimed at building new Metaverse technologies, it was revealed last week.
The rapidly-expanding AR firm will also hire ARway founders Nikhil Sawlani and Baran Korkmaz to facilitate the company’s metaverse ambitions.
Nextech CEO Evan Gappelberg said in a statement business cases for the Metaverse were “here to stay” and growth opportunities were “significant”, adding: “Nextech’s mini-metaverse offering will be available to brands and companies that want to create mini-metaverses based on a geolocation like museums, corporate headquarters, theme parks, sports stadiums, University Campuses and more”
Nextech would use ARway’s technologies and AR software development kit (SDK), which will be compatible across operating systems, to trigger AR experiences based on a user’s geolocation data.
Epic Games to Discuss VR Production at SIGGRAPH 2021
US video game and software firm Epic Games held an ‘epic’ presence at the ACM SIGGRAPH after the company announced it would discuss VR production techniques for attendees of the event.
The online conference saw Epic Games host two courses and five on-demand sessions during the 5-day event.
The Cary, North Carolina-based company also unveiled its OpenColorIO software, which allows developers to execute colour correction features on its 3D rendering and visual effects (VFX) software.
Epic Games’s Unreal Engine allows developers to build impressive VR worlds and additional 3D content, and the firm is also expanding with Metaverse and enterprise-level tools in the near future.
Found a story that you believe we’ve missed? What were your favourite moments from last week’s events? Let us know in the comments section below or reach out to us on our social media channels!
