Amimoca Brands' co-founder and CEO Yat Siu announced the company would open a $1B-$2B fund to invest in metaverse businesses. Amimoca, which is best known for the Sandbox, a place where people and brands can buy, build, and design virtual worlds, is currently valued at over $5B. More: - Siu announced that Animoca's investment arm, known as "Animoca Capital," plans to make its first investment in 2023.
- They have not raised the money yet.
- The group has already invested in several Web3 businesses, including OpenSea and Dapper Labs. However, as Siu explains, these investments were not made to reap returns but rather to develop a Web3 ecosystem.
- Animoca Capital investments will focus on mid to late-stage companies, especially those specializing in "digital property rights."
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 Sony's latest virtual reality (VR) venture includes a set of lightweight motion capture wearables called "Mocopi." The pack of six wearables — for the head, hips, wrists, and ankles — allows users to control the movement of their avatars in real time. More: - The wireless wearables connect to Android or iOS smartphones via Bluetooth without a base station.
- It is unclear how the devices connect to headsets or PCs.
- The 32-millimeter bands weigh 8 grams and are charged in a USB-C case.
- The Mocopi takes 90 minutes to charge and includes 10 hours of battery life.
- Mocopi will debut in Japan in January 2023 for ~$360.
- On Dec. 15, Sony will release a software development kit for the wearables.
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On Dec. 15, "Gorilla Tag" will move from Meta's App Lab to its official Quest Store. "Gorilla Tag" is one of the most popular and most-reviewed apps on either store. More: - Meta's App Lab is an alternative "unlisted" app store that allows developers to share VR programs that the company hasn't officially approved.
- "Gorilla Tag" debuted on App Lab in March 2021 and has since amassed 46,000 reviews, making it one of the most popular apps.
- For comparison, "Beat Saber," largely considered VR's most recognizable game, has 45,000 reviews, and Rec Room, a popular free app, has just 22,000.
- The multiplayer tag game is also available on PC VR.
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 Several European business schools are building virtual campuses in the metaverse and plan to host courses or other events there. Despite shortcomings such as the metaverse's high energy use, privacy concerns, motion sickness, lack of interoperability, and the high cost of teaching staff, business schools are eager to introduce their students to what McKinsey estimates will soon be a $5T industry. More: - One professor at the Neoma Business School in France claims it's "educating future managers about the metaverse."
- Neoma students attend classes as 3D avatars.
- The Polimi Graduate School of Management in Milan also plans on hosting seminars in the metaverse.
- The university will use VR headsets with software designed by Fadpero, a university-owned edtech startup.
- WU Executive Academic in Vienna has parted with edtech startup Tomorrow's Education to host its Professional Master of Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program.
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Analysts at the International Data Corporation (IDC) predict the augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology market will experience a compound growth rate of 32.3%. According to the IDC, worldwide spending will reach $13.8B this year and $50.9B in 2026. More: - The IDC's predictions are based on market trends, including more significant companies developing AR/VR technologies and improvements to first-gen devices.
- 70% of spending is expected to be on VR.
- VR spending will be split between consumer and commercial uses.
- 44% of the VR market will be for training and collaboration purposes.
- A third of AR spending will be focused on industrial maintenance and training.
- AR/VR gaming is expected to balloon by 25%.
- Other fast-growing use cases will be emergency response growing by 82.8%, AR games by 57.8%, and internal videography by 47.8%.
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 The cannabis brand Highsman is opening Highsman House in the metaverse. The virtual community lounge will feature the company's merchandise, a football field, a swimming pool, and games. More: - The lounge is designed to look like a weed dispensary and community space, where the company can host smoking events and visitors can watch sporting events together, play games, and socialize.
- The Highsman House is accessible via Meta's Quest headsets or online.
- Highsman partnered with Rocket City, a metaverse and NFT company, to design the virtual space.
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Quick Hits: - HubSpot and Brandwatch partnered this year to survey over 1,000 individuals across the U.S. to better understand consumer purchasing habits, thoughts, and behaviors.*
- Lockerverse has officially launched. The metaverse space is an "e-hub" for up-and-coming athletes, entertainers, designers, brands, and artists. Lockerverse users can build and share exclusive content with fans.
- Varjo has updated its XR passthrough technology with its XR-3 Focal Edition, which includes 12-megapixel high-resolution cameras for "improved image clarity." The tool is ideal for training programs and immersive simulations.
- A modder named Ifansnek is transforming "Star Wars Battlefront 2" to make it playable on a VR headset.
- Red 6's Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality Systems (ATARS) will now be integrated into BAE's Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer system.
- Tech innovation is surging in education, finance, health care, and other industries. See what your competitors are building with Crowdbotics.*
*This is a sponsored post.
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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 and 1972 Fords. | |
Segment is an API-first analytics solution that empowers 15,000+ startups to scale their data infrastructure. | |
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