This Week In XR: Mojo Adds $21 Million To Series A, Hot Take On Quest 3, The Techno Optimist Manifesto
Hot new release Quest 3. I love the traffic and other improvements like the scan rooms. The interface has also become much better. The first thing you see when you start the system is the physical space you are in, which is activated by color cameras. Your set point exists anywhere in the physical world, no matter where you are. The digital display sits above reality, much like the cartoonish environment that was the starting point of the Quest 2. The camera's colors are so good that I could read email on my iPhone while wearing headphones. It looks more natural.
This YouTube video is meant to show off the Quest 3's improved graphics, but it is misleading. While the graphics on the headset are indeed a little better, the ambiance just feels wrong, so go with the thickness. Now the bad news. Although the new Quest 3 is thinner than the Quest 2, it is heavier and warmer. I miss the open sides of the Quest Pro that dissipate heat. Therefore, Quest 3 may not be suitable for fitness applications. XR needs Game of Thrones. Perhaps this will finally be possible with MR.
Mojo Vision is getting its mojo back after failing its contact lens round with a $43 million Series A round. Mojo Vision, which has abandoned its ambitious contact lens venture and shifted its focus to small displays, announced another Series A round worth $22.4 million, doubling the previous tranche. bringing the total to $43.5 million. The round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Khosla Ventures. The company's screens are significantly denser (14,000 ppi) than Apple's small Vision Pro OLED screens (3,400 ppi).
Universal anthropic music. The complaint alleges that Cloud2 may have been tricked into distributing nearly identical lyrics to songs such as Katy Perry's "Roar," Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Rolling stones. Our guest this week
Qualcomm is laying off more than 1,258 employees in Santa Clara and San Diego. The company employs 51,000 people in the Golden State. “Given the ongoing uncertainty in macroeconomic and demand conditions, we plan to take additional restructuring actions to ensure continued investment in key growth and diversification opportunities,” the company said in a statement. Most of the people laid off seem to work in sales, business communications, accounting and human resources.
Marc Andreessen's new optimistic techno-manifesto. It would be presumptuous to write a statement expressing your beliefs, but the world of technology relies on the work of a billionaire. It's hard not to, considering what it has achieved since the invention of the browser in 1992. Andreessen founded Netscape, and it became one of the most successful technology venture capital firms in the world. Rich man in history. “We believe that the technical capitalist machine of markets and innovation never stops, but continues to develop.” “Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress and the realization of our potential.” I like it, but I'm not quite sure how I feel when Andreessen says something like, "Our enemy is corruption, regulatory capture, monopolies and cartels." But it's interesting.
Even Roblox is tired of remote work. In a letter to employees, CEO David Baszucki told the company it was time to leave its beautiful AirBnB in Portugal and return to San Mateo. Ironically, this company may be the closest thing to a metaverse that we have. They recently launched their own version of video chat. It turns out that being virtual is great when we need to be apart, but not so great when we need to be together.
Mythic Realms turns your home into a mixed reality/fantasy RPG on the Quest App Lab . Speaking of games that take advantage of mixed reality, Mystic Realms from Penticore Games launches today on Meta Quest via the App Lab. The full version of the game is expected in 2024.
Wonderland and Robot Invader have teamed up to find a new way to get players interested in virtual reality gaming. The companies have rebuilt the first levels of the upcoming VR game Meta Quest Dead Secret Circle so that all three levels can be played through the headset's browser. It is now available for free at Wonderlandengine.com.
The 10th annual Augmented Enterprise Summit opens October 24-26 in Houston. The Augmented Enterprise Summit focuses on commercial and industrial applications of AR/VR/MR (XR) and other emerging technologies related to the metaverse. The Extended Enterprise is your best opportunity to see how the world's largest companies are driving meaningful digital transformation with XR and find solutions ready for the modern workplace.
This week's "Our Guest This Week" features Jake Zimm, executive vice president of virtual reality at Sony Pictures Entertainment and host of "Ghostbusters"; The Rise of the Ghost Lord takes place next week. You can find us on Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
What we read
The Metaverse is Dead Because Silicon Valley Isn't Fun (quick deal)
Elon Musk's Neuralink wants to connect people with artificial intelligence. How many brains were damaged along the way? (Samuel Segal/FOX)
