👀 You can now shoot people in the Metaverse

Good morning everyone!

If you've ever had the urge to shoot at people within Meta's metaverse, well, now is your time to shine! The catch? You might not encounter many participants, given the platform's noticeable decline in popularity. In brighter news, we have exciting updates from Apple, Pixar, and Immersed. Let's dive in!

Today’s Topics:

• 🌐 Apple to lead the way for the metaverse growth

• 🔥 Productivity with no limits, with the new Immerse ‘Visor’

• 👀 You can now shoot people in Meta’s Metaverse

Reading time: 4min

🌐 Apple to lead the way for the metaverse growth

Apple is assembling the tech-Avengers (Pixar, Adobe, Autodesk, and Nvidia) to form the Alliance for OpenUSD, aiming to standardize Universal Scene Description (USD) technology for seamless 3D content creation across various applications.

Details:

• USD facilitates the movement of 3D work between various tools, offering a unified approach for creating 3D content for applications like VFX, animation, gaming, VR, and metaverse experiences.

• USD serves as a file format 📁 for encoding 3D scenes, enabling communication and collaboration across the development pipeline, allowing changes to propagate throughout a project.

• Apple's participation is particularly strategic, as it aligns with the company's efforts to enhance 3D content creation for its Vision Pro headset and potential future devices like AR glasses 💡.

• Other industry players, including Autodesk's Maya, Adobe's Substance 3D, and Nvidia's Omniverse platform, already support USD, bolstering its position as a leading standard.

Why it matters: The Alliance's work to standardize USD technology can significantly contribute to the development and growth of the metaverse by fostering easier creation, sharing, and integration of immersive 3D experiences 🎨, ultimately shaping the way users interact and engage within the metaverse.

🔥 Productivity with no limits, with the new Immerse ‘Visor’

Immersed, known for its virtual monitors app, introduces 'Visor,' a high-end productivity headset featuring 4K OLED microdisplays and tailored for immersive work experiences.

Details:

• Immersed's free app currently allows users to view PC monitors in VR and create virtual extra monitors within VR environments 🖥️.

• Recognizing the limitations of existing standalone headsets like Meta Quest and Pico, Immersed collaborates with Qualcomm, Intel, and an undisclosed AR/VR tech giant to develop 'Visor'.

• 'Visor' boasts "4K" OLED microdisplays per eye, onboard chipset, battery, and integrated inside-out tracking from Qualcomm 👁️.

• It prioritizes work-related tasks and virtual workspace efficiency ⚙️, ensuring swift access upon PC booting.

• The headset is anticipated to launch in 2024 📅, with pre-order invitations forthcoming, and its price is expected to be lower than Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro.

Why it matters: Immersed's 'Visor' represents a step towards optimizing virtual productivity, providing an ultra-compact headset with advanced features for seamless work integration. Why buy 5 monitors if with just one visor you can have as many as you can?

👀 You can now shoot people in Meta’s Metaverse

Meta has launched a new expansion to its metaverse called 'Super Rumble,' a first-person shooter game within Horizon Worlds, showcasing improved graphics and interactive elements on its social VR platform.

Details:

• 'Super Rumble' is a fast-paced free-for-all first-person shooter game within Horizon Worlds, accommodating two to six players per match, each lasting five minutes 🎮.

• Meta's strategic move into full-featured mini-games enhances user engagement and competition within Horizon Worlds, following the platform's launch in late 2021 🚀.

• This release coincides with Meta's recent opening of Quest to the popular online game Roblox, showcasing the company's efforts to expand and diversify its VR offerings.

Why it matters: The introduction of 'Super Rumble' reflects Meta's strategic push to revitalize its metaverse, Horizon Worlds. The platform has faced challenges in gaining prominence 🏗️, often overshadowed by more established counterparts like Roblox, Rec Room, and VRChat. It is to see if this will be enough to regain traction within the social VR landscape.