Welcome to Episode 3 of Reality Recap! Our video series where I run through some of the top stories in AR and VR and share some insider insight from our experts here at CrossComm — Don Shin and Yash Bangera. Watch the episode, or use the show notes below for a snapshot of the episode.
Reality Recap: Episode 3
Show Notes
Facebook goes Meta (:21 - 4:20)
Facebook announced a rebrand to Meta at the back end of 2021. This comes as what once was just a social media platform continues a massive shift to tech behemoth, especially in the AR/VR world. The name Meta is in line with their bid to “build a metaverse” essentially a worldwide web for the XR world. There is a TON to unpack here, but the guys start with some broad thoughts on what this means for the industry and potentially for one of the most affordable hardware providers in the game. Read the original article from The Verge.
Meta buys Within (4:20 - 5:45)
Staying in the same vein, Meta also made an interesting purchase around the time of their rebrand. The company acquired Within, the makers of the popular Oculus Quest fitness app Supernatural. I viewed this as the set up for a gateway by Meta. No one had spin bikes in their homes before Peloton. If Meta can get lots of people to get Oculus headsets for Supernatural, they then can sell them on using the headset for other entertainment, games and productivity. Our experts weren't totally sold on my theory though. Read the original article on CNET.
CREAL Working Towards Light-field Headset (5:45 - 7:12)
Swiss company CREAL is working on super slick technology to use high resolution light-fields in headsets for AR/XR. This is a bit above my understanding, but essentially light-fields fire thousands of light rays back at the eye at different angles and powers to create 3D images that show depth better than a simple fixed screen in front of the eyes. This allows users to shift their focus from near to far objects within VR and AR...which is insane. Lightfield tech isn't new, but according to some hands-on-tests, this is a promising delivery of it. CREAL says they hope to move from a tabletop unit to something that could fit in a headset or glasses by the end of 2022. Wouldn't that change the game? Read the original article from Skarredghost.
Major Companies Move Towards VR Training (7:12 - 8:46)
Major companies are rolling out VR training programs en masse, including Bank of America, Walmart and Accenture. This shift lines up with the affordability of Oculus headsets, the pandemic, and a general shift to remote work. IT company Accenture purchased and distributed 60k+ headsets, the largest of any so far. That’s a big lift, but I think it’s a bit of a bigger statement for Walmart and Bank of America to also roll out a few thousand units for training. This falls in line with Don’s messaging that training is the application of VR. Read the original article from Gadgets360.
