Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, many of those in the technology community have imagined a future state of, if not quasi-successor to, the Internet – called the “Metaverse”. Metverse is a vision of the future networking that sounds fantastical. The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space[1] including the sum of all virtual worlds and the Internet. The idea is to create a space similar to the internet, but one that users (via digital avatars) can walk around inside of and where they can interact with one another in real time. Keeping it simple, the metaverse is a potentially vast three-dimensional online world where people can meet up and interact virtually.
The metaverse was originally conceived as the setting for dystopian science fiction novels, where virtual universes provide an escape from crumbling societies. Now, the idea has transformed into a moonshot goal for Silicon Valley, and become a favorite talking point among startups, venture capitalists and tech giants. Imagine a world where you could sit on the same couch as a friend who lives thousands of miles away, or conjure up a virtual version of your workplace while at the beach.
Tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet. Although the full vision for the Metaverse remains hard to define, seemingly fantastical, and decades away, the pieces have started to feel very real. Metaverse has become the newest macro-goal for many of the world’s tech giants. Big companies joining the discussion now may simply want to reassure investors that they won’t miss out on what could be the next big thing, or that their investments in VR, which has yet to gain broad commercial appeal, will eventually pay off.
‘Metaverse’: the next internet revolution? article tells that metaverse is the stuff of science-fiction: the term was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash”, in which people don virtual reality headsets to interact inside a game-like digital world.
Facebook Wants Us to Live in the Metaverse. According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg “What is the metaverse? It’s a virtual environment where you can be present with people in digital spaces. You can kind of think of this as an embodied internet that you’re inside of rather than just looking at.” Metaverse vision was the driver behind Facebook’s purchase of Oculus VR and its newly announced Horizon virtual world/meeting space, among many, many other projects, such as AR glasses and brain-to-machine communications. In a high-tech plan to Facebookify the world advertisements will likely be a key source of revenue in the metaverse, just as they are for the company today.
Term Metaverse was created by sci-fi author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 dystopian novel “Snow Crash” to describe a virtual space where people interact with one another through user-controlled avatars. That “Snow Crash” novel coined the terms “Metaverse” and “Avatar”.
Venture capitalist Matthew Ball has also written extensively on what he believes are the main attributes of a metaverse: a full-functioning economy, real-time persistence (no pausing), and interoperability of digital “belongings” such as clothing across multiple platforms. Experts working in the space tend to agree on a few key aspects of the metaverse, including the idea that users will experience a sense of “embodiment” or “presence.”. Read more at The Metaverse: What It Is, Where to Find it, Who Will Build It, and Fortnite and Big Tech has its eyes set on the metaverse. Here’s what that means
Proponents of the metaverse say there could eventually be huge business potential — a whole new platform on which to sell digital goods and services. If metaverse could be properly realized and catches on some future year, it is believed that metaverse would revolutionize not just the infrastructure layer of the digital world, but also much of the physical one, as well as all the services and platforms atop them, how they work, and what they sell. It is believed that verifiable, immutable ownership of digital goods and currency will be an essential component of the metaverse.
Did you hear? Facebook Inc. is going to become a metaverse company. At least that’s the story its management wants everyone to believe after a flurry of interviews and announcements over the past couple of weeks. Zuckerberg is turning trillion-dollar Facebook into a ‘metaverse’ company, he tells investors article tells that after release of Facebook’s earnings CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a moment to zoom out and wax on the company’s future goals, specifically calling out his ambitions to turn Facebook into “a metaverse company.”
Some pieces of the metaverse already exist. Services like Fortnite, an online game in which users can compete, socialize and build virtual worlds with millions of other players, can give users an early sense of how it will work. And some people have already spent thousands of dollars on virtual homes, staking out their piece of metaverse real estate.
Who will be big if metaverse catches on. Bloomberg article Who Will Win the Metaverse? Not Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook article claims the social networking giant and its CEO have vast ambitions to dominate the next big thing in computing, but other tech giants are in a better position to turn the hype into reality. Facebook’s actual track record on VR tells a story that has not been very promising. The two critical components needed for companies to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise from any potential metaverse are advanced semiconductors and software tools. Facebook is not strong on either front.
There are many other companies with Metaverse visions. For example Oculus’s technology has been surpassed by smaller competitors such as Valve Index, which offers better fidelity. Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella said last week that his company is working on building the “enterprise metaverse.” Epic Games announced a $1 billion funding round in April to support its metaverse ambitions. Companies like graphics chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) and gaming platform Roblox (RBLX) are also playing Metaverse game.
Despite the current hype cycle, the idea is still amorphous, and a fully functioning metaverse is probably years and billions of dollars away — if it happens at all. Another question is are we emotionally evolved enough for it? There is a host of concerns about how the metaverse could be used or exploited. “Are we safe to start interacting at a more person-to-person level, or are the a**holes still going to ruin it for everybody?” “If you can now replace somebody’s entire reality with an alternate reality, you can make them believe almost anything,”
Keep in mind that the metaverse is a relatively old idea that seems to gain momentum every few years, only to fade from the conversation in lieu of more immediate opportunities. Though “Fortnite” and “Roblox” are often described as precursors to the Metaverse, the most significant precursor to the Metaverse is the internet itself.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/meta-ar-glasses-expense
Tomi Engdahl says:
Michael Burkhardt / 9to5Mac:
Gurman: the second generation Apple Vision Pro may arrive between the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026 and could feature an M5 around when the first Macs get it — In the latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported that the 2nd generation of Apple Vision Pro is expected …
Gurman: Apple Vision Pro 2 on track for release between Fall 2025 and Spring 2026
https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/10/apple-vision-pro-2-fall-2025-spring-2026/
In the latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported that the 2nd generation of Apple Vision Pro is expected to hit the market between fall of 2025 and spring of 2026. This mostly aligns with previous reports, although slightly less optimistic.
As a refresher, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last week that Apple had seriously delayed its plans for a cheaper Apple Vision headset, and would instead be focusing on a second generation Apple Vision Pro to release next year.
Kuo: Cheaper ‘Apple Vision’ headset delayed beyond 2027
https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/03/cheaper-apple-vision-delayed/
According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has delayed its plans to release a more affordable Apple Vision headset in 2025. It’ll take a couple extra years now.
Previous rumors indicated that Apple intended to ship a cheaper Apple Vision headset next year, with cheaper materials, lower resolution displays, and no support for EyeSight. That way, spatial computing could be accessible to more users. However, according to Kuo, that’ll no longer be the case.
Kuo still says that Apple will ship a new version of Apple Vision Pro next year, with the M5 chip and support for Apple Intelligence. It’s unclear if there’ll be any additional hardware upgrades.
Seemingly, Apple believes that a $2000 headset wouldn’t necessarily expand the reach of visionOS.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Greg Bensinger / Reuters:
Sources: Amazon is developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers to guide them to, around, and within buildings, but the tech may take years to perfect
Amazon developing driver eyeglasses to shave seconds off deliveries, sources say
https://www.reuters.com/technology/amazon-developing-driver-eyeglasses-shave-seconds-off-deliveries-sources-say-2024-11-11/
Glasses could be shelved if they do not work as envisioned
Amazon faces challenges with battery life and data gathering
Convincing thousands of drivers to use glasses may be difficult
Tomi Engdahl says:
A drug-free prescription for pain
Non-invasive, non-pharmacological approaches such as virtual-reality therapy and yoga can help to relieve chronic pain.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03007-y?utm_medium=paid_social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=null&utm_term=null&utm_campaign=MLSR_OUTLK_ATT1_GL_PCFU_04EX9_PAIN-924&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMABhZGlkAasWLMcFhpcBHVqiePSTzvTIpe2_MKOzBL8wiftqIvb9mjZBkEpud7-DySMNm_j6QTz4Wg_aem_Ad5UO2yrnP9U9EyWuwXi6A
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Microsoft plans to bring the “full capabilities” of Windows 11 to Meta’s Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December in public preview, promising only “seconds” to connect
Windows comes to the Meta Quest
https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/19/microsoft-is-bringing-windows-11-to-the-meta-quest/
If Windows in mixed reality sounds like your idea of a good time, rejoice. Microsoft said on Tuesday at Microsoft Ignite 2024 it’s bringing the “full capabilities” of Windows 11 to the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December as part of a public preview.
“Full capabilities,” in this context, means that you’ll be able to access a local Windows PC or cloud instance of Windows (via Windows 365) from a Quest headset. Microsoft says it only takes “seconds” to connect, and likens the experience to a “private, high-quality, large, multi-monitor workstation.” We’ll be the judge of that.
Supported apps in this new Windows modality extend into 3D space — a capability enabled by what Microsoft is calling Volumetric Apps. During a demo in May, Microsoft showed off a digital exploded view of an Xbox controller from the perspective of a Quest 3 wearer — an object that the wearer could manipulate with their hands.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomi jatkaa panostuksia metaversiumiin – Nokia mukana
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/11/27/suomi-jatkaa-panostuksia-metaversiumiin-nokia-mukana/
Suomi oli yksi ensimmäisistä maailmassa, joka julkisti metaversumistasta oman strategian. Nyt metaversiumin kehitys jatkuu uudessa Metaverse Finland -ekosysteemissä, jossa mukana on omalla panoksellaan myös tietoliikenneyritys Nokia. Metaverse Finlandin lanseerattiin viikko sitten Helsingissä järjestetyssä MatchXR2024-tapahtumassa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://news.cision.com/fi/summa-defence-oy/r/summa-defence-ostaa-lisatyn-todellisuuden-ja-tekoalyn-yhdistavan-yhdysvaltalaisen-lightspace-syvatek,c4074652
Summa Defence ostaa lisätyn todellisuuden ja tekoälyn yhdistävän yhdysvaltalaisen Lightspace-syväteknologiayhtiön
Suomalainen puolustus- ja turvallisuusteknologiakonserni Summa Defence Oy ostaa yhdysvaltalaisen Lightspace-syväteknologiayhtiön. Yhtiöt ovat sopineet yritysjärjestelystä, jossa Summa Defence Oy hankkii Lightspace Group Inc:n koko osakekannan osakevaihdolla. Myyjinä toimivat kaikki nykyiset osakkeenomistajat.
Lightspace on XR-teknologiaan eli lisättyyn todellisuuteen (augmented reality, AR) ja virtuaalitodellisuuteen (virtual reality, VR) keskittyvä syväteknologiayhtiö, joka kehittää ratkaisuja puolustusteollisuudelle ja terveydenhoitoalalle. Vuonna 2014 perustetun Lightspace Technologiesin tuotekehitys ja tuotanto ovat Latviassa. Kesäkuussa 2024 Lightspace ja Euroopan johtava aseteknologiayhtiö Rheinmetall Electronics UK ilmoittivat solmineensa kumppanuussopimuksen, jonka puitteissa yhtiöt kehittävät yhdessä uusia, puolustus- ja turvallisuusteollisuudelle räätälöityjä lisätyn todellisuuden ratkaisuja.
Lightspace on globaali teknologiajohtaja monitehoisissa AR-lähinäytöissä, joissa lisättyyn todellisuuteen yhdistetään tekoälyliittymä. Yhtiöllä on tällä hetkellä tuotannossa panssaroitujen taisteluajoneuvojen miehistön kypäriin integroitavat AR-lasit, joilla käyttäjä saa 360 asteen näkymän esimerkiksi taisteluvaunun sisältä sen ulkopuolelle sekä taistelun tai tehtävän johtamiseen tarvittavat lisätiedot tekoälyliittymän kautta. Lightspace kehittää myös maatukiaseman ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaisance, ISR) AR-laseja, joita käytetään sotilaslennokkien eli droonien operoinnissa. Tämä tuo merkittävän lisän Summa Defencen droonijärjestelmän kokonaisuuteen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Summa Defence ostaa lisätyn todellisuuden ja tekoälyn yhdistävän yhdysvaltalaisen Lightspace-syväteknologiayhtiön
https://news.cision.com/fi/summa-defence-oy/r/summa-defence-ostaa-lisatyn-todellisuuden-ja-tekoalyn-yhdistavan-yhdysvaltalaisen-lightspace-syvatek,c4074652
Suomalainen puolustus- ja turvallisuusteknologiakonserni Summa Defence Oy ostaa yhdysvaltalaisen Lightspace-syväteknologiayhtiön. Yhtiöt ovat sopineet yritysjärjestelystä, jossa Summa Defence Oy hankkii Lightspace Group Inc:n koko osakekannan osakevaihdolla. Myyjinä toimivat kaikki nykyiset osakkeenomistajat.
Lightspace on XR-teknologiaan eli lisättyyn todellisuuteen (augmented reality, AR) ja virtuaalitodellisuuteen (virtual reality, VR) keskittyvä syväteknologiayhtiö, joka kehittää ratkaisuja puolustusteollisuudelle ja terveydenhoitoalalle. Vuonna 2014 perustetun Lightspace Technologiesin tuotekehitys ja tuotanto ovat Latviassa. Kesäkuussa 2024 Lightspace ja Euroopan johtava aseteknologiayhtiö Rheinmetall Electronics UK ilmoittivat solmineensa kumppanuussopimuksen, jonka puitteissa yhtiöt kehittävät yhdessä uusia, puolustus- ja turvallisuusteollisuudelle räätälöityjä lisätyn todellisuuden ratkaisuja.
Lightspace on globaali teknologiajohtaja monitehoisissa AR-lähinäytöissä, joissa lisättyyn todellisuuteen yhdistetään tekoälyliittymä. Yhtiöllä on tällä hetkellä tuotannossa panssaroitujen taisteluajoneuvojen miehistön kypäriin integroitavat AR-lasit, joilla käyttäjä saa 360 asteen näkymän esimerkiksi taisteluvaunun sisältä sen ulkopuolelle sekä taistelun tai tehtävän johtamiseen tarvittavat lisätiedot tekoälyliittymän kautta. Lightspace kehittää myös maatukiaseman ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaisance, ISR) AR-laseja, joita käytetään sotilaslennokkien eli droonien operoinnissa. Tämä tuo merkittävän lisän Summa Defencen droonijärjestelmän kokonaisuuteen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/12/10/nokialta-5g-verkkoon-360-asteen-videokamera/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google wants to inject artificial intelligence into your glasses. On Wednesday, the tech giant showed off prototype eyeglasses powered by the next generation of the company’s marquee AI model, Gemini, aimed at giving wearers information about their environment in real time. https://trib.al/RzwJDQb
Tomi Engdahl says:
Victoria Song / The Verge:
Google unveils Android XR, a mixed reality OS for headsets and smart glasses, with Gemini built in, and plans a 2025 debut with Samsung’s Project Moohan headset — I demoed Google’s new Android XR platform, Samsung’s Project Moohan, and prototype smart glasses. I felt as close to Tony Stark in a controlled demo as I’ll ever be.
I saw Google’s plan to put Android on your face
I demoed Google’s new Android XR platform, Samsung’s Project Moohan, and prototype smart glasses. I felt as close to Tony Stark in a controlled demo as I’ll ever be.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/12/24319528/google-android-xr-samsung-project-moohan-smart-glasses
This is my first experience with Android XR — a new mixed reality OS designed for headsets and smart glasses, like the prototypes I’m wearing. It’s Google’s big bet to power a new generation of augmented reality devices that embody all our wildest dreams of what smart glasses can be.
Google is no stranger to augmented reality. Google Glass crashed and burned with the public more than 10 years ago before being repurposed for enterprise users and eventually discontinued. But things are different now. Apple has the Vision Pro. Meta has the Ray-Ban smart glasses, and their AI features have garnered positive buzz. That’s why Google is jumping back into the fray with Android XR.
Google wants everyone to know the time is finally right for XR, and it’s pointing to Gemini as its north star. Adding Gemini enables multimodal AI and natural language — things it says will make interactions with your environment richer. In a demo, Google had me prompt Gemini to name the title of a yellow book sitting behind me on a shelf. I’d briefly glanced at it earlier but hadn’t taken a photo. Gemini took a second, and then offered up an answer. I whipped around to check — it was correct.
On top of that, the platform will work with any mobile and tablet app from the Play Store out of the box. Today’s launch is aimed at developers so they can start building out experiences. The average person won’t be able to buy anything running Android XR right now, but in 2025, Samsung will be launching its long-rumored XR headset. Dubbed Project Moohan (Korean for infinity), the headset will be the first consumer product to ship with Android XR. Technically, it’s running the same software as the glasses I tried, but Project Moohan will also be capable of VR and immersive content — stuff that wouldn’t be suited to a pair of smart glasses. It’s essentially a showcase for everything that could be possible. Hence why Google is going with XR — a catch-all term that stands for “extended reality” and encompasses AR, VR, and mixed reality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Hands-on with Samsung’s Project Moohan headset: lighter and more comfortable than Apple’s Vision Pro, Android XR is highly reminiscent of visionOS, and more — – Google aims to mimic phone success with Android XR software — Samsung headset coming next year with Vision Pro-like features
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-12/hands-on-test-of-new-android-headset-from-samsung-and-google
CNET:
An interview with Google Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat on Android XR, why AI can finally make MR go mainstream, Gemini, privacy concerns, and more
Smart Glasses Are Going to Work This Time, Google’s Android President Tells CNET
CNET sat down with Google’s Sameer Samat to talk about Android XR and why now is the right time for mixed reality to go mainstream.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/smart-glasses-are-going-to-work-this-time-google-android-president-tells-cnet/
In a rare one-on-one conversation with CNET, Sameer Samat, Google’s president of the Android ecosystem, made it clear that he thinks exchanges like these will increasingly become the norm thanks to the arrival of Android XR, a collaborative effort between Google, Samsung and Qualcomm, unveiled on Thursday. The three tech behemoths, which together form the backbone of the Android smartphone landscape, are hoping to push Android into its next era with a new software platform designed to power mixed reality headsets, smart glasses and everything in between.
Samsung is developing the first device — a headset codenamed Project Moohan — which will be available next year as a precursor to smart glasses that the company is also working on. It comes after Google announced on Wednesday that it’s releasing prototype smart glasses to testers to gather feedback. Google and Samsung also hosted developer demos in New York this week in hopes of convincing app creators to build custom experiences for the new software.
The smartphone has defined the last 15 years of our lives, and tech giants have failed to create a device as impactful since. Google, among others, has certainly tried. First there was Google Glass, the augmented-reality eyewear that ultimately flopped because of its high price, privacy concerns and technical limitations. Then came Google Daydream, a virtual reality platform that turned smartphones into VR machines, which the company discontinued in 2019 after slow adoption.
The AR/VR market is still struggling five years later, with virtual and augmented reality shipments dropping 28.1% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2024, according to The International Data Corporation. Apple also reportedly cut its Vision Pro orders, according to The Information and TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which some have interpreted as a signal of weak demand. It’s perhaps a sign that even a company credited with inventing the modern smartphone may be struggling to make mixed reality succeed.
But Samat is certain that things will be different this time. The virtual assistant we’ve been waiting for, one that’s worth donning a pair of glasses or a visor for because it’s that helpful, is finally here, he says. And of course, it’s all because of advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, which has upended the technology industry since its arrival in OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022.
“We have had attempts here before, but one thing that was clear was that the technology wasn’t quite ready,” Samat said. “The other thing, though, is we never stopped believing in the vision around all this, and we actually never stopped working on it either.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Apple is selling a $120 Vision Pro comfort strap with modular counterweights, made by sleep apnea device maker ResMed, to address complaints about extended use — Aside from the $3500 starting price, there’s one common complaint about Apple Vision Pro that most customers experience.
Apple now selling medical expert-designed Vision Pro accessory that solves top user complaint
https://9to5mac.com/2024/12/12/apple-now-selling-medical-expert-designed-vision-pro-accessory-that-solves-top-user-complaint/
Aside from the $3500 starting price, there’s one common complaint about Apple Vision Pro that most customers experience. Apple has worked with an unlikely partner to provide a solution that the Cupertino firm will sell directly.
An Apple-approved comfort strap
ResMed, a medical solutions company with over three decades of experience designing anthropometric accessories, is announcing a new Apple Vision Pro strap specifically designed for extended use.
Apple includes two straps with Apple Vision Pro: the Solo Knit Band and the Dual Loop Band. While the Solo Knit Band has a cleaner look, Apple shifted to offering AVP demos in stores using the Dual Loop Band to address comfort and fit concerns.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reuters:
Meta unveils Meta Motivo, an AI model for controlling the movements of a human-like digital agent, hoping to offer lifelike NPCs and more in the metaverse
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/meta-releases-ai-model-enhance-metaverse-experience-2024-12-13/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blackmagic’s new camera for Apple Vision Pro content has a hefty $29,995 price tag
https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/12/16/blackmagics-new-camera-for-apple-vision-pro-content-has-a-hefty-29995-price-tag
The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera for Apple Vision Pro content was made available for pre-order, with shipments to customers expected in early 2025. Here’s what it can do, and who it’s for.
Originally announced in June 2024, the device was hailed as an end-to-end workflow for the Apple Immersive Video format used by the Apple Vision Pro headset. Apple Immersive Video combines 8K 3D video with a 180-degree field of view and Spatial Audio support.
The Apple Vision Pro, announced during WWDC 2023, is Apple’s first attempt at a virtual reality headset, with the company’s CEO Tim Cook referring to it as an “early adopter product.” Priced at $3500, the headset is powered by Apple’s M2 chip and runs a unique operating system known as visionOS.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google haastaa Applen älylasit takavasemmalta – tietenkin tekoälyllä
Petri Ranta13.12.202418:11Lisätty todellisuusPuettava teknologiaTekoälyAndroidVr
Tulevaisuudessa monien älylasien sisältä saattaa löytyä yhteinen käyttöjärjestelmä.
https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/google-haastaa-applen-alylasit-takavasemmalta-tietenkin-tekoalylla/6912168a-2a30-48bf-a826-74a3ea3bb518