Inside Metaverse

For May 19, 2023

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eMagin has entered into a merger agreement with Samsung Display, with the transaction valued at $218M. The partnership with Samsung Display will help eMagin scale production and improve yield, efficiency, and quality control.

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eMagin recently demonstrated an OLED microdisplay with a brightness of 15,000 nits, enabling VR headsets to reach around 1,500 nits with a pancake lens.
OLED microdisplays have the potential to replace LCDs in VR headsets, offering smaller sizes, higher energy efficiency, and superior visual quality.
Samsung could integrate these advanced displays into their own mixed reality headsets or sell them to other companies like Meta and Apple.
The adoption of OLED microdisplays in VR headsets is expected to enhance the user experience, delivering higher pixel density, contrast, and color accuracy.
As the market for VR and AR continues to grow, advancements in display technology play a crucial role in driving innovation and creating immersive experiences.

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Other major players in the industry, such as Apple and Meta, are likely to explore partnerships and collaborations to leverage OLED microdisplay technology for their own products.

What the numbers say: According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult in the U.S., 36% of online adults expressed interest in using the metaverse, with 12% being very interested. Gender differences were observed, with 7% of women very interested and 50% having no interest, while 18% of men were very interested and slightly over a third showed no interest.

Relevance: According to a McKinsey study, there is a noticeable gender gap in the metaverse, mirroring the disparities seen in Fortune 500 companies and start-ups. While women actively engage in the protometaverse and lead metaverse initiatives, they still represent a minority in the metaverse economy. In organizations shaping metaverse standards, 90% of leadership roles are held by men.

Who should care: The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize the global economy and promote equitable opportunities. Addressing the gender gap in leadership roles during this formative stage is paramount. To achieve this, industry stakeholders must actively involve diverse voices and promote diverse leadership within the companies and coalitions shaping the metaverse.

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An AR laptop that offers a customizable virtual workspace and transforms the way users work and collaborate was introduced by Sightful's Spacetop. Tel Aviv-based Sightful has raised $61M in funding from global investors, including Aleph and Corner Ventures, to support the development and launch of Spacetop.

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With a virtual canvas of over 100 inches, users can design their ideal working environment, decluttered and tailored to enhance productivity.
The AR laptop allows users to focus on critical applications while remaining present in the real world, with no complicated gesture controls or external hardware required.
The Spacetop hardware combines NReal glasses with the proprietary Spacetop environment.
Sightful's Spacetop aims to bridge the gap between traditional laptops and AR.
The partnership with Wistron, a leading laptop hardware manufacturer, ensures the scalability and expertise necessary for the successful development and deployment of Spacetop.
The Spacetop Early Access program is now open for applications, inviting early adopters to experience the future of AR-powered personal computing.

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The "space" element refers to the large amount of desktop area that the Spacetop has relative to its physical size.
Spacetop marks the beginning of a significant shift in the traditional laptop experience.

Meta and BMW are partnering to integrate AR/VR headsets into cars, although the release timeline is uncertain. The research partnership aims to enhance productivity, social interaction, and entertainment during travel.

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The BMW/Meta collaboration has made progress in overcoming technical challenges and fusing the sensors of the Meta headsets and BMW cars to understand their position.
- It is not ready for public release yet.
AR and VR integration in cars is not a new concept, as Audi-backed startup Holoride has been exploring in-car VR entertainment.
- Mass adoption remains limited.
One of the primary challenges faced by both companies was finding a solution to accurately track objects while inside a moving vehicle.
Car companies are acknowledging the potential demand for XR devices in cars, envisioning immersive experiences that assist drivers, provide information about the vehicle, and offer entertainment options.

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Meta reportedly began developing car VR plans in 2021, partnering with BMW to create Project Aria, a prototype pair of all-black glasses for in-car experiences, similar to the HTC Vive Elite XR.

A message from our sponsor, WING VC.

GenAI companies dominate on best-of tech list

The Enterprise Tech 30, now in its 5th year, identifies the best companies in enterprise tech as chosen by an exclusive group of venture capitalists–96 VCs across 74 firms.

This year, GenAI dominated: more than a third of the companies are AI-native, and an additional 13 percent are AI-launch—meaning they’ve recently launched significant GenAI features or products.

Most surprising? More than two-thirds of the winning companies are entirely new to the ET30 list.

See the entire list, and read about the trends, at enterprisetech30.com.

See the list

Apple's new patent reveals plans for a camera-equipped VR headset called Reality Pro, addressing privacy concerns by integrating a recording indicator light into the device. The patent describes an external camera on the Apple VR headset that overlays AR data onto the real world, providing users with a complete experience.

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The integrated indicator lights notify people around the user that the cameras are in use.
This camera technology may have potential applications in future Apple Watches and iPhones to indicate when video recording or photography is in progress.
The integration of cameras into wearable devices has been controversial since Google Glass.
- Google Glass faced criticism for privacy concerns related to covert recording capabilities.
Apple's patent aims to address these concerns by directly incorporating a visible recording indicator light into the VR headset.
While this patent indicates Apple's plans for camera-equipped VR headsets, the timeline for the actual release of a product incorporating this technology remains uncertain.

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The Google Glass prototype was not supposed to be released to the general public, The New York Times reported.
Google Glass product was only left alive for enterprise uses with the Google Glass Enterprise Edition, which saw a revision in 2019 with the Enterprise Edition 2.

The metaverse is being transformed by AI integration, which is driving its adoption. Generative AI lowers entry barriers for emerging 3D content creators and virtual world developers.

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According to Sensorium's chief metaverse officer, several advancements in 3D graphics, VR/MR, and AI have greatly improved the metaverse experience.
Legacy tech companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise are leveraging AI and the metaverse to develop AI application tools for use within the metaverse.
Control over virtual environments enables companies to build immersive simulations, providing dynamic platforms for showcasing and testing novel projects.
The collaboration between tech giants, such as Google and Adobe, in creating digital public domains through advanced generative AI tools further promotes the practical application of AI in the metaverse.

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The combination of AI and the metaverse has unlocked a new era of business growth and innovation, and companies across industries are exploring the role that AI can play in creating more immersive and engaging virtual experiences.

QUICK HITS:

The Web3 and NFT landscape is inherently global, and featuring the accomplishments of Asian founders can help build a more interconnected and global ecosystem.
The global medical holographic imaging market is experiencing significant growth, as highlighted in the latest research and forecast conducted by Emergen Research, with projections extending until 2032.
The metaverse can improve the accessibility of scientific laboratories and meetings, aid in reproducibility efforts, and provide new opportunities for experimental design.
Apple's new AR/VR device is expected to be sold under the Reality name and will run on a new xrOS operating system and cost about $3,000.
The popular meme coin project, Shiba Inu, recently unveiled its plans to launch four captivating metaverse hubs later in 2023.