When Meta rebranded from Facebook two years ago, the word “metaverse” went mainstream. Even people outside the tech world wondered if we would soon start to socialize via virtual reality headsets. But, at least according to public opinion and the stock market, the metaverse proved itself to be pretty mid. Propelled by founder and CEO…
After more than a year and a half in development, Meta is bringing Horizon Worlds out of the headset. The VR social app has started rolling out for some users on web and mobile in early access, Meta said. By expanding to mobile and web, Horizon Worlds can cater to a much larger user base,…
As part of the v57 software update for Meta Quest headsets, the company announced Monday a bevy of new features– including more avatar customization options, an unsend message feature, group links, free-form locomotion ability in Horizon Home and a rebranded Explore feed. Meta also made improvements to video recording, multitasking and more. Starting today, the…
It’s time to beta test Meta’s greatest technological innovation since the News Feed: legs. Now on Meta Quest headsets, you can download an update that lets you walk on two feet, just like our ancient ancestor, the Ardipithecus ramidus, an early hominid that achieved bipedality 4.4 million years ago. Now, it comes full circle. When…
The next big thing in VR might not be higher resolution or more immersive sound, but an experience augmented by physical sensations or moving parts that fool your senses into mistaking virtual for reality. Researchers at SIGGRAPH, from Meta to international student groups, flaunted their latest attempts to make VR and AR more convincing. The…
We’ve seen the rise of no-code and low-code platforms being applied to any number of applications and use-cases. What would happen if this thinking was applied to metaverse-style virtual worlds? What would be built? Certainly, with Apple’s recent announcement of the launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset, there is renewed interest in the ‘metaverse’,…
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Welcome to Startups Weekly. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. It seems like the fizzle has gone out of the VR conversation altogether, as every manufacturer and conversation is refocusing its attention on AR. That wasn’t particularly new, but Apple’s flagship headset is a huge leap away from virtual reality,…
It’s hard to believe that it was only 11 years ago that VR captured the zeitgeist. In April 2012, Oculus hit Kickstarter with the Oculus Rift developer kit, and the tech world whipped itself into a “this is the future” frenzy. Facebook slapped a $2 billion check on the table and acquired the company in…
Google and TAITO partner to release SPACE INVADERS: World Defense, a new immersive AR game that turns the world into a playground.