Crypto’s Next Frontier: Virtual Reality – And World of Warcraft
Imagine a massively multiplayer roleplaying game like Runescape or World of Warcraft suddenly converted to VR. Now add cryptocurrency and blockchain, what do you have? The ability to own that bow or staff in your hand. Likely even the ability to trade it for real money, via blockchain.
Some game platforms like Enjin have already built upon Ethereum, but other platforms exist and are actively trying to attract game development. Even Ripple wants in on the action.
See the full story here: https://www.ccn.com/news/crypto-virtual-reality-world-of-warcraft/2019/07/28/
England – Work Begins On The National Space Centre’s XR Lab
Home to the new NSC Creative Academy, the XR Lab will allow for the creation of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) content, housing workstations and a stereoscopic test dome. It’ll extend the programmes available to those working with the Space Communications team through the new Community Engagement Programme.
The versatile space will be able to support school visitors, allowing them to further their interest in these technologies, as well as help students work with experts as part of their studies.
Once completed the programme aims to involve 3,600 socio-economically disadvantaged young people from Leicester, of whom 50% will be female, in the various workshops being planned.
Immersive XR Series Brings Kaleidoscopic VR To Pasadena
Inhabiting the second floor of Ayzenberg’s sp[a]ce gallery in Pasadena, CA until September 8th, Robot Remix XR brings together the immersive works of artists, activists, and wonderfully unique thinkers. Curated by Paisley Smith and Milo Talwani, the current menu of experiences will leave you laughing, crying, and surprisingly reflective.
“I think it’s super important for artists, and potential VR artists (aka all audiences) to see what is possible in the space. Without actually experiencing these projects, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the amazing things that can be created in VR,” Paisley told me.
This idea seems to be echoed in sp[a]ce’s art gallery on the first floor, where robot-themed toys, paintings, and AR art bring a beautiful (and metallic) world to life.
Sensor-actuator device could add touch to virtual and augmented reality
A new, flexible, transparent, sensor patch, which is sensitive to human touch, is displayed in professor Liwei Lin's lab at Etcheverry Hall, at UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. on July 1, 2019. The sensor is being developed by graduate student Junwen Zhong. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Researchers at UC Berkeley College of Engineering recently announced that they developed a piezoelectret-based device that is a sensor and actuator. The device vibrates as feedback, similar to how it works in smartphones. But this technology is also very flexible, lending itself to be integrated into clothing and other wearable technologies.
Researchers believe that this technology could significantly improve the user experience in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) applications, changing the way they see and hear. In fact, they believe that it could provide touch feeling in immersive virtual experiences in the future.
In addition, the vibrations generated by the actuator can be customized, which could be used to help people with visual or hearing impairments communicate via vibrations.
The sensor function can generate electrical outputs without a power supply, which can turn on the actuator via electrostatic force to generate the vibrations that can be felt by human skin.
Zhong said that this device outperforms popular piezoelectric materials, showing a high piezoelectric coefficient and low driving voltage. This is key to improving the sensor’s sensitivity and the amount of electricity needed to power the actuator, he said.
See the full story here: https://www.electronicproducts.com/News/Sensor_actuator_device_could_add_touch_to_virtual_and_augmented_reality.aspx
Chris Fermoselle and deKryptic are Turning Heads with Augmented Reality Tees & Accessories
Juanita: Any words of wisdom for fashion and tech-forward entrepreneurs who want to break into the AR apparel scene?
Chris: Its been about 2 years since we were able to launch our product into the marketplace. The AR industry is still so new for most people and they don’t understand it yet. The estimated time is about another 6-8 years until it really becomes a part of an everyday consumer’s life. With that challenge alone, that should give you enough information that it’s not an easy space to get into and that there will be resistance.
See the full story here: https://arpost.co/2019/07/26/chris-fermoselle-dekryptic-augmented-reality-tees-accessories/
The DeanBeat: The inspiring possibilities and sobering realities of making virtual beings
But the summit made clear that this wasn’t just a matter of physically reproducing humans with digital animations. It was also about getting the story and the emotion right to make a believable human. Cyan Banister, a partner at Founders Fund and an investor in many Virtual Beings Projects, said she wanted to see if someone could reproduce her grandmother so that she could have conversations with her again. Banister said these characters could be so much more compelling if they remember who you are and converse with you in context.
“I saw Hatsune Miku in person, and that was magical, seeing how genuinely excited people were,” Banister said. “I wondered what is the American equivalent of it. We haven’t seen it yet, but I think it’s coming.”
Her best friend, Roman Mazurenko, was killed in a car accident. Months afterward, she gathered his old text messages in an effort to preserve his memory. She wanted one more text message from him.
She had her team in Russia build a chatbot using artificial intelligence, with the aim of reproducing the style and nature of Mazurenko’s personality in a text-based chatbot. It worked. Kuyda put it out on the market as Replika, and now it has more than 6 million users in the past couple of years. Many of those users write fan letters, saying that they are in love with their chatbot friends.
There are so many lonely people in the world, Kuyda said. She has been told that Replika is creepy, but she has begun to figure out how to measure the happiness that it creates.
The potential risks of the wrong use of AI — virtual slaves, deep fakes, Frankenstein monsters, and killing machines — are plentiful.
The moral is, “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
Peter Rojas, partner at Betaworks Ventures, said, “We shouldn’t be afraid to think about legislation and regulations for things that we want to happen.”
He said there are moral, ethical, and responsibility issues that we can discuss for another day.
See the full story here: https://venturebeat.com/2019/07/26/knights-and-bikes-is-a-quirky-take-on-1980s-coming-of-age-stories/
Virtual reality meets old school gaming in new Tokyo attraction
A new Virtual Reality attraction, Mazaria in Tokyo's Sunshine City allows players to become part of some of their favourite anime and gaming worlds.
Mazaria spokeswoman Kumiko Yoshinari says that the experience is designed for visitors to "enter into this world and have a great time alongside their favorite characters."
One such visitor, Momiji Fukatsu, says that she thinks that because Virtual Reality as a new technology is not readily available to everyone, "having a place like this where you can try it out with lots of different games is great."
The centre is made up of four zones including an "Adventure Zone", "Panic Zone", "Science Fiction Zone" and "Festival Zone".
The VR Park also includes a gift shop and a restaurant that serves many Bandai themed foods such as Pac-Man curry and ice cream.
Mazaria opened on 15 July 2019 as a permanent attraction located in Tokyo's Sunshine City complex. Tickets are about 40 US dollars for adults and 20 US dollars for children for a full day-pass.
See the full story here: https://www.wtvy.com/content/news/Virtual-reality-meets-old-school-gaming-in-new-Tokyo-attraction-513235311.html
How ‘FOMO’ inspired this millennial founder to build a $71 million-dollar virtual reality game
At that time, other immersive VR gaming attractions — such as The Void and MindTrek VR — were beginning to emerge in major cities. But Zhao dreamed of creating an experience that put greater emphasis on in-headset interactions between players.
“There were a lot of VR experiences like what you experience at home. Then there were full immersive ones. We didn’t do any of that. We felt the game experience was not about the environment, but your friend,” said Zhao.
So, with their team of six having successfully built a pop-up venue and amassed a small cult following for its games in Hong Kong, they decided in 2018 to take their business stateside — to the mecca of VR, Silicon Valley.
“That was the second paradox: People were curious about us being from Hong Kong, so they were interested in investing,” said Zhao.
With it, the company has expanded to new markets including Vancouver, Canada; Jakarta, Indonesia; Macau, greater China; and Singapore.
Zhao said those venues enjoy around 90% occupancy during peak hours, which are on weekends and in the evenings from 6 p.m.
Sandbox VR now plans to open new locations in a range of U.S. cities, including Austin, Chicago and New York, as part of the company’s plans to target leading global markets.
“It’s a fundamentally human experience, so the scope is global. But we’re aiming for countries with high GDP (gross domestic product) initially,” said Zhao, pinpointing other parts of the U.S., the U.K., Japan and China. A 30-minute session in the U.S. currently costs $48.
It’s part of Zhao’s grand ambition to create a “new movie industry” of VR content. For that, the entrepreneur will be looking to raise more funds next year.
See the full story here: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/26/how-sandbox-vr-became-a-virtual-reality-gaming-sensation.html
Americans Want to Pay $21 for All Their Streaming Services Combined, Poll Finds
As Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal and Apple get ready to launch streaming services, they may not need to be the best ones offered in the U.S. in order to thrive, but new data suggests that being in the Top 3 would certainly help — a tall order still, considering the likes of Netflix, Amazon Video and CBS All Access have a leg up on the upcoming competition.
Many Americans who stream media pay for three services at a collective $37 per month, though the optimum price for wooing far more households to multiple streamers is a combined $21 a month, a new Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll finds. The acceptable range consumers would like to pay for all their streaming offerings is $17 to $27. (The poll uses the Van Westendorp model, which seeks to locate the sweet spot in pricing between what consumers deem “too good to be true” and “too expensive.”)
So far, consumers are willing to pay much more for their cable TV package than they are for streaming, as the poll indicates that 90 percent of U.S. subscribers pay more than $50 per month for their service.
Most analysts say that Disney is in the best position to meaningfully challenge Netflix, given its deep library (especially after acquiring the 20th Century Fox film and TV studio), brand-name recognition, dominance of recent box office trends and strong franchise properties related to Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. Shows and movies that Disney once licensed to Netflix and others will soon head exclusively to Disney+.
See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/americans-want-pay-21-all-streaming-services-combined-poll-finds-1226433