The 10 Coolest VR/AR Experiences From SXSW 2022
RADIO GHOST (INTERACTIVE – AUDIO)
...Me and five other participants were dropped off at the location (in broad daylight) and told to saddle up with headsets and smartphones for this interactive audio adventure. What followed was a tantalizing trip through a warped and distorted broadcast of 1980s music during which a melodic voice had me questioning my existence. I won’t give away the end, but the “ghost hunting” I was tasked with from the start, assigned by the smooth-talking British woman crooning through the static airwaves, taught me a few lessons in capitalism, to say the least.
EINRIDE (XR – TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY)
... During a demo, I was able to drive an Einride Pod vehicle that was located in Sweden while I was in Austin, TX by moving a small lever to make the pod move forward or stop. I could also honk the horn and even turn on windshield wipers if I wanted to. All in real-time with zero latency. ...
COMPOSITION (INTERACTIVE – AUDIO & PROJECTION)
... I saw a different future for live performance for the six minutes I had with this creation. ...
See the full story here: https://vrscout.com/news/the-10-coolest-vr-ar-experiences-from-sxsw-2022/
We Tried Snap’s AR Glasses And Had Our Minds Blown
... The device features foldable arms that allow for easy storage in the accompanying charging case. Two dual waveguide displays provide impressive AR visuals in real-time. The headset also features two front-facing cameras for capturing video and images, stereo speakers, touch controls that allow you to cycle through Lenses as well as scan the environment for Lens suggestions, WiFi connectivity with a paired smartphone app, and a USB-C port for charging.
Trying the device out for myself, I was blown away by the quality of the AR visuals. Each display offers 2,000 nits of brightness, resulting in ultra-clear 3D images that blend seamlessly with the real-world environment, which means no more of those annoying semi-translucent graphics. The only thing more impressive than the graphics was the tracking. ...
I also found the overall field of view to be relatively underwhelming. The AR visuals only cover about half of the display, which can easily take you out of the experience. ...
See the full story here: https://vrscout.com/news/we-tried-snapchats-ar-glasses-and-had-our-minds-blown/
Face recognition AI is being used by Ukraine’s military to identify Russian soldiers who have died.
Ukraine is reportedly employing advanced facial recognition technology to identify the bodies of Russian soldiers and notify their families via social media.
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has begun to use Clearview AI’s artificial intelligence technology.
Through facial recognition, its software can locate the social media accounts of deceased soldiers, which authorities can then use to contact relatives and arrange for the bodies to be collected.
“As a courtesy to the mothers of those soldiers, we’re disseminating this information over social media to at least let families know that their sons have been lost and to allow them to come collect their bodies,” Ukraine’s vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said.
See the full story here: https://technotrenz.com/entertainment/face-recognition-ai-is-being-used-by-ukraines-military-to-identify-russian-soldiers-who-have-died-1748855.html
DOJ cracks down on ‘rug pulls,’ charging Frosties NFT project founders
According to a Thursday release from the Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, 20-year-olds Ethan Nguyen and Andre Llacuna were arrested in Los Angeles and both charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in “connection with a million-dollar scheme to defraud purchasers” of the NFTs “Frosties.”
The DOJ’s complaint alleges that they “abruptly abandoned” and shut down the project within hours of selling out $1.1 million worth of NFTs, and transferred the proceeds to various crypto wallets “under their control in multiple transactions designed to obfuscate the original source of funds.” ...
As part of the release, IRS-CI special agent-in-charge Thomas Fattorusso warned that his team is watching crypto closely. Despite NFTs being a relatively new choice for financial investments, the “rules apply to an investment in an NFT or a real estate development:” ...
See the full story here: https://cointelegraph.com/news/doj-cracks-down-on-rug-pulls-charging-frosties-nft-project-founders?utm_source=Telegram&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1cu8TRd8hllIeZq2z1V0pl6qsU29_guhjBiOZY493aKnIFhsvfa2m8H7Y
The Ultimate LA Guide To The Metaverse
... Across L.A., companies both new and established are building and betting on the metaverse to varying degrees—from animation studios making virtual reality movies, to electronics companies designing hologram videos straight out of a sci-fi story. These investments are tied to a lucrative promise: the metaverse is projected to be a nearly $800 billion market opportunity, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. For the region’s entertainment industry, in particular, the metaverse could present a new way to create and deliver content and engage with fans. ...
See the full story here: https://dot.la/guide-to-the-metaverse-2657027165.html
Peabodys Create New Awards Site with Digital and Interactive Storytelling Winners
... The Peabody Awards is taking an ambitious step forward to address that shortcoming by adding 12 new awards for Digital and Interactive Storytelling alongside four special awards to leaders in the field. ...
The finalists stretch back to 2001 and, along with the recipients of the special awards, showcase the range of innovation in digital media as well as its artistic development. The categories are also a form of historical preservation, as the announcement arrives in tandem with a new website that preserves the projects and introduces them to new audiences. ...
The inaugural “Field Builder” award has gone to Nonny de la Peña, ... Her 2012 VR documentary “Hunger in Los Angeles” was the first such project to be programmed at Sundance. ...
The Peabodys also introduced a “Trailblazer Award” that went to Phil Yu, who founded the famous “Angry Asian Man” blog in 2001 that addressed a wide array of issues from a historically marginalized perspective. ...
Additional special awards were given to the creators of the computer program ELIZA for its language processing program that inspired future A.I. projects, and the British research group Forensic Architecture for developing technology aimed at addressing social justice issues. ...
See the full story here: https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/peabodys-digital-interactive-storytelling-winners-1234710885/
National Football League Announces Partnership with StatusPRO to Develop Virtual Reality NFL-Licensed Game
The National Football League (NFL) and StatusPRO, Inc., a sports technology and gaming company that uses real-time player data to create authentic extended reality experiences, announced today a partnership to bring an NFL-licensed virtual reality (VR) simulation gaming title to fans globally. Available on Meta Quest and PlayStation® VR, this title will bring fans closer to the gridiron than ever before, allowing them to play like a professional football player through a first-person 3D immersive experience.
See the full story here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220323005297/en/National-Football-League-Announces-Partnership-with-StatusPRO-to-Develop-Virtual-Reality-NFL-Licensed-Game
Bored Ape Yacht Club creator raises $450 million to build an NFT metaverse
Yuga Labs, the owner of three of the biggest NFT brands on the market, has raised $450 million in funding at a $4 billion valuation, the company announced today. The team behind Bored Ape Yacht Club plans to use the money to build a media empire around NFTs, starting with games and its own metaverse project.
The team describes its metaverse project, called Otherside, as an MMORPG meant to connect the broader NFT universe. They hope to create “an interoperable world” that is “gamified” and “completely decentralized,” says Wylie Aronow, a co-founder of Bored Ape Yacht Club who goes by the pseudonym Gordon Goner. “We think the real Ready Player One experience will be player run.”
The announcement comes just weeks after Yuga Labs made a major move to consolidate the NFT space, acquiring CryptoPunks and Meebits from Larva Labs. The acquisition put three of the most lucrative NFT collections under one roof — and gave Yuga Labs a bigger roster of IP to pull from when crafting its game and metaverse plans. The company also launched a cryptocurrency, ApeCoin, last week; the token will be governed independently and used as the primary currency in Yuga Labs’ properties.
See the full story here: https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/22/22991272/yuga-labs-seed-funding-a16z-bored-ape-yacht-club-bayc-metaverse-other-side
