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| Hello Insiders, 🗞️ In this edition, we delve into Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's upcoming discussion on AR/VR at the annual Connect conference. We also spotlight 2023's top-earning mobile games and examine how VR startup Improbable slashed its 2022 losses by 85% by pivoting to the metaverse. ⏬ Dive into our Quick Hits ⚡ and Upcoming Events 📅 sections below. 💬 Your insights matter! Click reply to share your thoughts with us. 👥 Enjoying our content? Spread the word and share this newsletter with colleagues and friends. Thank you for being an integral part of our Insider community! Vildana
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| 1 | | Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is set to discuss the company's future in AR/VR at the company's annual Connect conference. This is its first in-person event since the pandemic began. More: - Zuckerberg will provide updates on building the immersive metaverse, which he envisions as the future of computing.
- The Meta Connect event will shed light on the company's shift from AR/VR technologies to AI.
- Developers are keen to see potential applications for Meta's upcoming hardware, including a new Quest VR headset releasing this fall.
- AI-powered virtual assistants with unique personalities are expected to be integrated into Meta's apps.
- Prior to the conference, Meta announced updates to its social VR platform, Horizon Worlds, and introduced leg features to its VR avatars.
Zoom Out: - Meta's Reality Labs division has faced financial challenges, with losses exceeding $21B since the start of 2022.
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What the numbers say: Recently, there's been a surge in mobile game downloads and usage among both children and adults, boosting mobile gaming revenue. In 2023, PUBG Mobile was among the top earners; however, the top earner for the year has been the Chinese MOBA game Honor of Kings. Relevance: Since its global debut in March 2018, PUBG Mobile has seen player expenditures exceed $10B, as reported by Sensor Tower. Most of the game's earnings came from China at 60.3%, with the U.S. contributing 10.7%, Japan 3.7%, and South Korea 1.6%. Impact: In March 2023, mobile gamers worldwide spent nearly $6.5B on the App Store and Google Play, a 6.5% increase from the previous month. The U.S. leads in mobile game earnings, contributing more than $1.8B or 29.2% of global income. China's iOS market follows at 18.4%, with Japan close at 18.2%. | | | |
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| 3 | | SoftBank-backed Improbable reduced its losses by 85% in 2022, pivoting to the metaverse and doubling its revenues to £78M ($95M). The company's shift to metaverse experiences significantly boosted its financial performance. More: - Improbable's losses decreased by £131M, resulting in a total loss of £19M for the fiscal year 2022.
- CEO Herman Narula described 2022 as the company's "best financial year" due to its metaverse focus.
- The cost of hosting large-scale virtual events has dropped from millions to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
- The company divested two game studios and a defense-focused business unit during the year.
- The firm's backers include notable names like SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, and Temasek.
Zoom Out: - Experts predict that daily internet activities will increasingly involve the metaverse through AR and MR.
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| 4 | | PETA has introduced "Abduction," a unique VR experience at Pennsylvania State University, aiming to foster empathy for animals subjected to lab experiments. This VR experience, which has toured numerous college campuses, places students in scenarios mirroring the distressing conditions animals face in research labs. More: - "Abduction" takes participants on a journey where they are seemingly abducted by aliens and exposed to experiences akin to what animals undergo in labs.
- The VR event was held on Sept. 25 at the Hetzel Union Building lawn, Penn State.
- Penn State researchers have previously subjected rabbits to virus strains, leading to severe swelling, deformities, and death.
- Ferrets were infected with avian influenza viruses to study transmission, even though the data might not apply to humans.
- Studies indicate that 90% of basic research, often involving animals, doesn't result in human treatments, prompting PETA's push for non-animal research methods.
Zoom Out: - PETA's efforts align with a broader movement to reduce and replace animal testing with more humane and often more effective methods. Source.
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| 5 | | Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have unveiled a VR headset integrated with an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor. This innovative device can measure brain activity during immersive virtual reality experiences, potentially revolutionizing medical VR interventions. More: - The EEG technology aims to enhance medical VR treatments for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias.
- By monitoring brain activity during specific tasks or experiences, clinicians can customize treatment plans for greater effectiveness.
- The headset's electrodes are soft and spongy, ensuring comfort and practical readings even with hair interference.
- Traditional VR/EEG systems have been expensive and uncomfortable, often using rigid electrodes.
- Preliminary tests measured participants' brain activity while playing a driving simulator.
Zoom Out: - VR is gaining traction as a diagnostic and neurorehabilitation tool, with its effects being monitored through both clinical and EEG means.
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| 6 | | Mercedes-Benz has partnered with NVIDIA to utilize NVIDIA Omniverse's digital twin capability for next-generation vehicle production. This collaboration aims to introduce innovative production techniques across Mercedes-Benz's manufacturing facilities, providing a model for its 30+ factories globally. More: - NVIDIA's Omniverse is a platform designed for Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) applications, facilitating the design, collaboration, planning, and operation of manufacturing and assembly facilities.
- Mercedes-Benz has adopted the Omniverse platform, especially its digital twin features, as an integral part of its production process.
- Omniverse allows plant suppliers and planners to collaborate virtually, validating layout options and automation changes in real time.
- The Kecskemét plant boasts a complete digital twin, encompassing the entire infrastructure, including employee break areas and changing rooms.
- Utilizing digital twins in automotive production ensures assembly lines can be retooled, configured, and optimized through physically accurate simulations.
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