The U.S. Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 to halt Meta's acquisition of the VR fitness company Within Unlimited. The FTC believes the purchase could transform Meta into a "monopoly." FTC chairwoman Lina Khan issued the injunction and filed the antitrust lawsuit. More: - Khan's lawsuit names Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a defendant.
- The FTC seeks to suspend Meta's acquisition of Within Unlimited to prevent the company's alleged "campaign to conquer VR."
- According to the filing, the FTC believes Meta is becoming a "global technology behemoth," having already acquired multiple well-known platforms, including Whats App and Instagram.
- The company purchased the VR headset producer Oculus in 2014. It has since become the most popular HMD to date.
- Not only does the VR-focused company own the headset provider, but Meta has already acquired several popular VR gaming developers, including Beat Games, Sanzaru, and Ready at Dawn Studios.
- Acquiring Within would expand the company's holdings.
- Within developed the popular VR fitness app "Supernatural."
- Meta responded to the FTC by writing, "The FTC's case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence."
Zoom Out: - Meta is not the only technology company under investigation by the FTC.
- Amazon is also under investigation for allegedly violating antitrust laws.
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VRChat is testing its security updates that will disable all user-made modifications. The virtual reality applications provider has clashed with its social VR community since the announcement. More: - VRChat implemented a new security feature called "Easy Anti-Cheat," or EAC, a program that is commonly used in the gaming space to prevent in-game hacks and cheats.
- The EAC upgrade would stop VRChat mods despite having nothing to do with "cheating." Most believe it is almost impossible to cheat in this game anyway.
- Users on the platform say that the update will make "creativity and functionality" more difficult.
- The update means that many of the tools that users had access to, such as creating interactive avatars or accessibility features for users with disabilities, will no longer be available.
- The company's social community is not pleased with the update, and its users give "mostly negative" scores and reviews.
- One user wrote, "I love the community and opportunities this game has provided me, but this is just an awful move from the devs." The Discord channels also highlight that people with disabilities are begging VRChat not to implement the security update.
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 Endiatx, a Telerobotics company, developed a prototype of a tiny robotic drone that travels inside a patient's body. The company tested the new technology with live humans and cadavers completing the first test trial, which allows doctors to diagnose cancers and ulcers in VR. More: - Trial volunteers and patients swallow this small drone called the PillBot that is piloted remotely inside the stomach so that doctors can perform a diagnosis.
- PillBot is a small remote-controlled submarine that resembles the size and appearance of a multivitamin pill.
- Doctors control the miniature drone using an Xbox gaming controller, which will allow physicians to diagnose patients living in remote areas.
- The drone is designed to collect real-time data back and transmit information back to the doctor's computer or smartphone.
- CEO Torrey Smith was the first person to try the robotic drone; he swallowed the pill allowing doctors to collect data from his stomach.
- Others have also volunteered to swallow the PillBot, allowing doctors to screen for conditions such as stomach ulcers, gastritis, cancers, and more.
- The development cost for the drone sits at $25 each and will be sold for hundreds of dollars per unit, reducing the cost of endoscopic procedures.
- Doctors at the Mayo Clinic are collecting more data to submit for FDA approval; once and if approved, the new technology will hit the markets by 2024.
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Mark Zuckerberg says Meta and Apple are in direct competition for metaverse development. The two companies are preparing to butt heads in selling AR/VR hardware by releasing smart glasses for the upcoming metaverse. More: - Zuckerberg told Meta's employees that both companies are trying to establish the direction of the next iteration of the internet.
- Apple is rumored to launch its AR/VR headsets sometime this year, and Meta wants to position itself as the cheaper alternative.
- The social media CEO told employees to "Think this is a competition of philosophies and ideas, where they believe that by doing everything themselves and tightly integrating that they build a better consumer experience."
- Zuckerberg's primary focus is on the concept of interoperability for the metaverse. Meta recently assisted with the launch of Metaverse Open Standard Group in partnership with Microsoft, Epic Games, and 33 other companies.
- The Metaverse Standards Forum group will foster open and interoperable standards for augmented, virtual reality, geospatial, and 3D tech.
- The group will host action-based projects like hackathons and prototyping tools for supporting common standards in the metaverse.
- Apple is not participating in the forum and remains silent about its AR/VR or metaverse plans.
- Although Apple is rumored to be preparing to release a new pair of AR/VR headsets, Meta will also follow with a similar launch of its project Cambria glasses.
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Venice Immersive is the XR arm of Venice's International Film Festival. The program will include 30 XR projects such as VR experiences, 360-degree videos, XR-based art installations, and more. The competition opens to the public on Sept. 1 and ends on Sept. 10, 2022. More: - The exhibition's previous title, "Venice VR Expanded," was discarded in favor of "Venice Immersive" to include a more diverse bevy of immersive projects.
- This year's program includes 30 projects from 19 countries.
- Each submission will be entered to win one of three prizes: "best experience," "the grand jury prize," and the "special jury prize."
- One notable entry from the UK-based game developer Maze Theory is the VR game "Peaky Blinders: The King's Ransom."
- The VR action game will debut publically later this year.
- The exhibition will also include a "Worlds Gallery" highlighting virtual worlds.
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 Apple's latest storefront in London will feature an AR art installation based on the paintings and poetry of the 19th c. artist William Blake. Two Australian-born artists partnered with the hip-hop studio Just Blaze to create the immersive, multi-sensory AR experience. Initially developed for an exhibition at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the immersive AR feature signals Apple's move into extended reality. More: - The AR experience "United Visions" will debut at the Apple Store's opening reception on July 28.
- The accompanying app launched on July 26 and is available to download on Apple's App Store.
- Australian artists Ed Cutting and Tin Nguyen run the NY-based creative studio Tin & Ed.
- Together, the duo transformed William Blake's works into "animated, three-dimensional" creatures.
- The creatures fly around the room, changing in size, morphing into new creatures, all before colliding, dispersing, and eventually disappearing.
- The AR installation includes audio components.
- Just Blaze developed the soundtrack, including music and recordings of Blake's poetry.
- Apple's Brompton Road store in London was designed by the well-known architecture group Foster + Partners.
- The architects reimagined the 20,000-square-foot, 119-year-old arcade using sustainable materials.
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 |  | Courtney Rawlings is an Inside Research Analyst living in Los Angeles, California. She has returned to her hometown of LA after spending several years working at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is completing a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History. While working toward her Ph.D., Courtney has developed an interest in the language and history of the tech industry, especially regarding metaverse technologies, streaming, and podcasting. In fact, she hosted her own podcast Low Culture Boil! You can find her on Twitter: @ckayerawlings Email: courtney@inside.com |  | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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