By Tom Ffiske // 15 April 2020
New to the newsletter? Subscribe here.
The newsletter audience grew about 25 per cent over the last week. To all the new subscribers, hello! I hope you enjoy what you read, and if you, do, I appreciate if it is forwarded to any friends or colleages. This writer would really appreciate it <3
Presented by:
No-one! At least, not yet. If you would like to sponsor the newsletter series from April onwards, please let me know. This is a great way to get your message in front of hundreds of VR and AR professionals and decision-makers. Please email
[email protected].
Listen to the audio version:
THE BIG STORY
‘Supernatural’ is a $20-per-month fitness service developed by WITHIN. The Oculus Quest title acts as a fitness partner, guiding users through various exersises to sweat away the Easter calories. The title arrives April 23.
The trailer revealed very little, but the interview unveield a fair few tidbits on the application – and it doesn’t look good. The game looks like it only shows a Beat Saber-like experience, and paying $20 each month for a similar experience feels a bit off. New content will be added, but no plans have been shown yet. I look forward to seeing the full title soon, but I can’t see it being worth the pricetag when cheaper and effective alternatives already exist in the market.
People moves
- Immerse has promoted Che Osborne to Chief Sales Officer. Immerse runs a platform that lets organisations create, integrate, and measure VR training.
- Andrew Crow is now Head of Design, Portal at Facebook. He is working closely with the team and, I quote, ‘creating the future of AR/VR in everyday life.’ Very intrigued to see what this will turn into!
If your company has a significant move, send me an email and I will add it to the next edition.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS
This can be you! Want to be seen in front of the VR and AR community? Contact me today, and we can talk through how I can best help you. Please email
[email protected].
Other stories
- Roto VR, a company that makes chairs, raises £1.5 million to, and I quote, ‘push VR games to the next level.’ That’s right, a chair raised £1.5 million. Meanwhile, I was happy to make a pasta dish that didn’t taste rubbish.
- meepl is offering free access to its smartphone-enabled, 3D body scanning technology, for fashion SME’s affected by COVID-19. Lovely!
- Adding another remote-working tool to the collection, Seymourpowell runs a system called Reality Works. It lets people collaborate from remote locations, by allowing their teams to ‘dial in’ and participate in the design process in real-time via tablets, phone, and VR headsets.
- Moving away from VR, Looking Glass Factory announced that they are releasing a free plugin that will enable any content creator using Unreal Engine 4 to design and visualise holographic 3D models, worlds, and experiences in real-time.
- PwC’s Jeremy Dalton joined Virti’s XR Training Podcast to talk about immersive training and other areas. It’s worth a listen.
- Cognitant Group, a VR/AR healthcare provider, partnered with the NHS and a number of global pharmaceutical companies to offer an immersive content platform that provides patients with verified health information. This includes COVID-19, which is neat. The platform features immersive 3D and virtual reality content to help patients visually understand their symptoms, health conditions, and treatments.
- Fancy a party? VRrOOm, together with New Technology Walkers, MID Studio, Stereopsia and Virtual Worlds Festival has launched “Break Down These Walls!”, a virtual festival that will be held on VRChat for all the duration of the lockdown. Get your jiggies on, and check it out.
- The VR/AR Global Summit will be online! With the COVID-19 situation, it will likely be the largest of its kind this year.
Jobs board
Want hundreds of viable candidates to see your job opening? Contact me today, and I will add it to this section. Please email
[email protected].
FINAL WORD
It is currently 11:30pm on 14 April. To my right is my partner, looking at funny animal videos as I edit this newsletter. To my left, a cold cup of tea.
I have no final word this week, except a quiet contentment that I am doing something that I love, in my spare time. Whatever your commitments or hobbies, I hope you also find something which brings you joy; the kind of joy similar to greeting an old friend, or lying in a cozy bed.
For Henry Cavill, that’s painting Warhammer figuries. Be like Henry Cavill.
Subscribe to Virtual Perceptions
Keep up to date with the trends and topics of the immersive reality industry, from gaming to healthcare and beyond.
Subscribe
Tom Ffiske
Editor, Virtual Perceptions
Tom Ffiske specialises in writing about VR, AR, and MR across the immersive reality industry. Tom is based in London.
The post IMMERSIVE WIRE – WEEKLY VIRTUAL PERCEPTIONS NEWSLETTER – 15.04.2020 appeared first on Virtual Perceptions.