13 Aug 2019
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Emily Friedman
AR+VR Weekly: VR for Vets, Headset Numbers, and The Matrix at 20
AR/VR Weekly
Catch up on the latest AR+VR highlights, funding news & launch announcements: Week of August 5
Image Source: Road to VR
Highlights
Welcome to another busy week in AR/VR! In addition to keeping you up-to-date on the biggest news, funding activity, and launch announcements in immersive tech, here are three stories that caught our eye:
According to recent reports, Sony is leading strong demand for tethered VR headsets, with 30% market share; while the Oculus Rift and new Rift S make up half of the headsets used on Steam.
Meanwhile, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies has developed virtual humans to help veterans re-enter the job market. Vets can practice standard and even uncomfortable interview questions in hyper realistic VR.
Finally, iconic VR film The Matrix will return to select U.S. theaters later this month in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its release.
Funding News
Snap to raise $1 billion to invest in AR, possible acquisitions (euronews)
Launch Announcements
Valve Cancels VirtualLink Adapter Accessory for Index, Cites Technical Issues & Laptop Adoption (Road to VR)
Applications for Oculus Launch Pad Developer Program Now Open (Road to VR)
Natuzzi launches Augmented Store for VR furniture shopping (de zeen)
Point & Place AR Shopping Platform Adds WebAR Syndication to Expand the Retail Network to Over 600 Retailers Across 70 Countries (Yahoo! Finance)
BBC Studios & Preloaded to Launch Micro-Habitat Experience on Magic Leap One This Fall (Road to VR)
Sandbox VR teams with CBS Interactive to launch new "Star Trek" VR experience (Variety)
Fable Studio Reveals New Grant Dedicated Towards The Development Of Virtual Beings (VR Scout)
Samsung granted patent for contact lenses that beam images straight into your eyes (Daily Mail)
Event Listings
Tech Inclusion 2019: September 11-12 (San Francisco, CA)
European Women in Games Conference: September 11-12 (London, UK)
EWTS 2019: September 17-19 (Dallas, TX)
AWE EU 2019: October 17-18 (Munich, Germany) EARLY BIRD SALE IS NOW
