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All of Facebook's services went down in Monday's outage, including its VR meeting app Workrooms. Credit: Facebook

Facebook’s Disappearance Illustrated Its Metaverse Achilles Heel

By Mathew Olson · Oct 5, 2021 11:00am PDT

If Mark Zuckerberg really wants to turn Facebook into a metaverse company, he needs to learn a lesson from Monday’s outage of Facebook services. Most obviously, Facebook should rethink its current approach of using Facebook accounts as a point-of-entry to all sorts of products—both internal and external.That arrangement is fundamentally at odds... If Mark Zuckerberg really wants to turn Facebook into a metaverse company, he needs to learn a...

A VR design meeting in Project Hubble. Each room is a virtual testing space for AR apps. Credit: Unity

Inside Unity’s Project Hubble, a Different Spin on VR For Work

By Mathew Olson · Oct 4, 2021 11:00am PDT

If you want to get a sense of how digital design work could be transformed by AR and VR, look to Unity’s Project Hubble. The gaming engine’s XR design team, which has long been spread across several time zones, started using Hubble in VR for its weekly design review meetings when Covid hit. Hubble is a curious thing to experience as an... If you want to get a sense of how digital design work could be transformed by AR and VR, look to...

A close-up look at Nreal's new Air glasses. Credit: Nreal

Nreal’s Newest AR Glasses Go One Step Forward, One Step Back

By Mathew Olson · Sep 30, 2021 11:00am PDT

Of all the upstarts seeking to carve out a space in the AR glasses market before heavy hitters like Apple come to town, Nreal stands out. The reason? It’s already shipped one model of AR glasses. Today it announced a second, simpler model, demonstrating that the company is determined to get more people using its glasses before it focuses on... Of all the upstarts seeking to carve out a space in the AR glasses market before heavy hitters...

The lead characters of Facebook's Lone Echo VR games. Credit: Oculus Studios/Ready At Dawn

Oculus’ Overstuffed October; Shopify Flicks at Virtual Meetings

By Mathew Olson · Sep 29, 2021 11:10am PDT

The lead characters of Facebook's Lone Echo VR games. Credit: Oculus Studios/Ready At Dawn

Oculus’ Overstuffed October; Shopify Flicks at Virtual Meetings

By Mathew Olson · Sep 29, 2021 11:10am PDT

For a moment, let’s forget about the metaverse and focus on something simpler that Facebook is still trying to get a handle on: games.Yesterday, Facebook announced that Lone Echo 2, developed by its Ready At Dawn team, will launch on Oct. 12. In July, I pointed out that Lone Echo 2 will likely be the last title that a Facebook-owned studio... For a moment, let’s forget about the metaverse and focus on something simpler that Facebook is...

New Phiar CEO Gene Karshenboym and co-founder/CTO Chen-Ping Yu. Photo: Phiar

Ex-Android Automotive Head Jumps Over to AR Navigation Startup

By Mathew Olson · Sep 28, 2021 11:00am PDT

Several leading automakers have partnered to use Google’s Android operating system in their new cars, including Honda, which announced its plans last week. So, when one of the Google higher-ups behind Android Automotive leaves to join a startup working on AR navigation for cars, it’s worth taking note.Yesterday, Phiar Technologies announced that... Several leading automakers have partnered to use Google’s Android operating system in their new...

A scenic vista in Zenith: The Last City. Credit: Ramen VR

Zenith VR MMO Team Raises $10 Million; New Oculus Hardware Leaks

By Mathew Olson · Sep 27, 2021 11:00am PDT

Ramen VR, a small game studio based in the Bay Area, has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Makers Fund, with participation from Dune Ventures and Anthos Capital. The funding round comes as the small (12 full-timers) studio prepares to launch Zenith: The Last City, a VR title that follows in the footsteps of massively multiplayer... Ramen VR, a small game studio based in the Bay Area, has raised $10 million in a Series A round...

Fortnite characters sporting Balenciaga outfits, a recent metaverse-forward partnership. Credit: Epic Games

Epic’s Metaverse Needs Mobile Eventually

By Mathew Olson · Sep 23, 2021 11:00am PDT

Fortnite won’t be coming back to iOS any time soon, and the outcome of Epic v. Apple doesn’t exactly augur well for Epic’s prospects of prevailing in its pending lawsuit with Google either. For now, as has been for over a year, Fortnite remains unavailable on either app store and without updates for those who already had it installed.“So what?”... Fortnite won’t be coming back to iOS any time soon, and the outcome of Epic v. Apple doesn’t...

Roblox CEO David Baszucki. Photo: Roblox

Roblox Grows Up; AR Puts Exposure Therapy in Your Pocket

By Mathew Olson · Sep 22, 2021 11:00am PDT

Roblox CEO David Baszucki. Photo: Roblox

Roblox Grows Up; AR Puts Exposure Therapy in Your Pocket

By Mathew Olson · Sep 22, 2021 11:00am PDT

Roblox is largely the company to thank for the metaverse craze that has spread throughout tech, gaming, VR and AR in 2021. It also wants to be a pioneer and leader in terms of digital safety for these kinds of immersive worlds, an ambition that’s only going to become more challenging as its millions-strong user base grows.On Tuesday, Roblox... Roblox is largely the company to thank for the metaverse craze that has spread throughout tech,...

The main characters of "Eden," a Netflix-produced anime. Credit: Netflix

What to Make of Netflix’s New VR Game

By Mathew Olson · Sep 21, 2021 11:00am PDT

Netflix quietly released a VR game on Oculus Quest—so quietly, in fact, that it may well have been sitting under people’s noses for a while. We know the streaming behemoth is keen on getting into videogames, but the closer you look at this VR surprise, the less it looks like something that’s part of Netflix’s new gaming strategy.Anyone with a... Netflix quietly released a VR game on Oculus Quest—so quietly, in fact, that it may well have...

Sweden's Hallwyl Museum, digitized as a 3D puzzle made for VR. Credit: Realities.io

How VR Puzzle Makers Realities.io Pieced Together a Hit Game

By Mathew Olson · Sep 16, 2021 11:01am PDT · 1 comment

The origin story behind the VR game Puzzling Places is a fun one. Realities.io, the game’s creators, experienced a bug that jumbled the various parts of a 3D photogrammetry scan like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Looking at the results, one team member joked it could be a game.That epiphany was just the start of a larger puzzle for the team. Even... The origin story behind the VR game Puzzling Places is a fun one. Realities.io, the game’s...

A tester wearing the Project Aria research glasses. Photo: Facebook

Facebook Expands Its AR Research, Tiptoes Into Ray-Ban Marketing

By Mathew Olson · Sep 15, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment

Facebook’s new smart glasses have been out for less than a week, but it seems work on the company’s greater goal—AR glasses—isn’t slowing down.On Tuesday, Facebook took a step forward with Project Aria, its AR glasses research program, announcing that Singapore would be the first location outside of the U.S. for public Aria testing, following... Facebook’s new smart glasses have been out for less than a week, but it seems work on the company...

The new camera array on the iPhone 13 Pro models. Photo: Apple

Apple Keeps Quiet on AR; Facebook’s Workrooms Expansion Strategy

By Mathew Olson · Sep 14, 2021 12:15pm PDT · 1 comment

The new camera array on the iPhone 13 Pro models. Photo: Apple

Apple Keeps Quiet on AR; Facebook’s Workrooms Expansion Strategy

By Mathew Olson · Sep 14, 2021 12:15pm PDT · 1 comment

Apple’s latest launch event, unveiling this year’s new iPhone 13 product line, marked this year as a transitional period between more sweeping iPhone redesigns. That was largely expected. Perhaps more surprising is that AR was barely mentioned during the event, with Apple instead focusing on improvements to other aspects of its mobile camera... Apple’s latest launch event, unveiling this year’s new iPhone 13 product line, marked this year...

"Skyland," a world built with Fortnite's metaverse-esque creative tools. Credit: Epic Games

What the Epic v. Apple Ruling Means for AR, VR and the Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Sep 13, 2021 11:00am PDT · 2 comments

Despite winning a key count in its lawsuit against Apple, Epic’s appeal of the ruling on Sunday made clear that it didn’t view the decision as much of a victory. For Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, winning wasn’t just about extracting a concession from Apple on purchase fees or even about being allowed to launch a competing mobile app store. It was about... Despite winning a key count in its lawsuit against Apple, Epic’s appeal of the ruling on Sunday...

Photo of Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories glasses (with Wayfarer frames). Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Facebook’s Smart Glasses—A Fashion Statement Raising Tech Questions

By Mathew Olson · Sep 9, 2021 9:00am PDT · 1 comment

They’ve arrived: today, Facebook and EssilorLuxottica are releasing Ray-Ban Stories, a line of smart glasses that let users take pictures, record video, listen to audio and take phone calls. They aren’t lacking in features for a $299 pair of smart glasses, but they’re not really on the bleeding edge in wearable tech either.Facebook and... They’ve arrived: today, Facebook and EssilorLuxottica are releasing Ray-Ban Stories, a line of...

The invite image for Apple's next event, which has also been incorporated into an AR teaser. Image: Apple

Apple’s AR Hype for New iPhones; Facebook Readies its Ray-Bans

By Mathew Olson · Sep 8, 2021 11:00am PDT

Today marks a small anniversary for Apple: it’s been one year since the company started hiding augmented reality teasers in the invites for its events. Monday brought yet another one of those simple, lightly interactive AR experiences inviting people to next Tuesday’s event, which will probably focus on the next version of the iPhone.Facebook... Today marks a small anniversary for Apple: it’s been one year since the company started hiding...

Zach Lieberman, a developer, wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo by Snap

Snap’s Newest AR Hire; The Questions Raised by Police VR Training

By Mathew Olson · Sep 7, 2021 11:01am PDT

Zach Lieberman, a developer, wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo by Snap

Snap’s Newest AR Hire; The Questions Raised by Police VR Training

By Mathew Olson · Sep 7, 2021 11:01am PDT

Snap is continuing its AR hiring spree—helping bring a clearer picture of its AR strategy into focus. What we’re learning is that Snap wants its camera and AR tech to be spread widely across the hardware ecosystem.Nishad Pai, most recently a business development and partnerships executive at Adobe, is joining as Snap’s Global Head of Platform... Snap is continuing its AR hiring spree—helping bring a clearer picture of its AR strategy into...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Apple Could Get an Edge in AR/VR with a Tethered Headset

By Mathew Olson · Sep 2, 2021 11:00am PDT · 2 comments

News reported earlier today by my colleague Wayne Ma that Apple’s forthcoming mixed reality headset won’t be a purely standalone device is a big deal. It might not be obvious, but this implicitly gives Apple an edge over rivals like Facebook, allowing Apple to offer a more capable headset.As Wayne’s story says, the headset’s main chip will be... News reported earlier today by my colleague Wayne Ma that Apple’s forthcoming mixed reality...

A screenshot from Beat Saber, the popular Facebook-owned VR rhythm game. Credit: Beat Games.

Examining Facebook’s Big Beat Saber Business

By Mathew Olson · Sep 1, 2021 11:00am PDT

In late 2019, Facebook made its first VR studio acquisition by snapping up the Prague-based team Beat Games, makers of the rhythm game Beat Saber. Of all the VR game makers Facebook has acquired, this likely was the best deal: in February, Facebook announced that Beat Saber has sold over 4 million copies across all platforms and also generated... In late 2019, Facebook made its first VR studio acquisition by snapping up the Prague-based team...

ByteDance's founder Zhang Yiming, who is stepping down as CEO this later year. Photo by Bloomberg.

Where ByteDance Might Go Next in VR and AR

By Mathew Olson · Aug 31, 2021 11:00am PDT

ByteDance’s acquisition of headset maker Pico Interactive, confirmed Monday, is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing acquisitions in the VR space since Facebook’s purchase of Oculus in 2014. Arriving hot on the heels of news around AR creator tools for TikTok, the deal suggests ByteDance aims to compete with Facebook not just in social media,... ByteDance’s acquisition of headset maker Pico Interactive, confirmed Monday, is undoubtedly one...

A vistor to the DuSable Museum watches the "I Have a Dream" speech presented in VR. Photo by AP.

The Growing Pains of Exploring History Using VR and the Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Aug 30, 2021 11:00am PDT

A vistor to the DuSable Museum watches the "I Have a Dream" speech presented in VR. Photo by AP.

The Growing Pains of Exploring History Using VR and the Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Aug 30, 2021 11:00am PDT

However well-meaning, a new attempt by Time magazine and Epic Games to teach history through Epic’s Fortnite has sparked debate around how videogames, VR and the metaverse should handle historical subjects.Launched late last week, the “March Through Time” experience in Fortnite is a digital exhibit based on 1963’s March on Washington, including... However well-meaning, a new attempt by Time magazine and Epic Games to teach history through Epic...