5 Oct 2021
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Ori Inbar
Monthly Spatial: September 2021
Monthly Spatial
Monthly Spatial
The AWE Weekly Spatial is a newsletter that curates the most exciting news within the XR industry each week. If you are not yet subscribed or wish to stay up to date with the VR/AR/MR happenings make sure to subscribe to the Weekly Spatial for the most relevant news delivered to your inbox every Friday.
The Monthly blog post below highlights
the news we captured in the previous month.
September 2021 Highlights
Platforms & Tools
- Facebook Investing $50 Million To Responsibly Build 'Metaverse'
- Microsoft Announces New features and UI Updates to its Mesh App
- Voices Of VR Podcast Reaches 1000th Episode
Hardware
- Ray Ban and Facebook Introduce Ray-Ban Stories, First-Generation Smart Glasses
- Nreal Presents Lightweight Nreal AIR AR Glasses for Entertainment
- Xiaomi Teases Smart Glasses Concept with MicroLED Display & 5MP Camera
- HTC VIVE Announces Availability of Its ‘VIVE Pro 2 Full Kit’ VR Headset
- Apple AR/VR Headset is Rumored to Need an Iphone Connection to Run
- Lenovo Certifies RealWear HMT-1 Assisted Reality Devices for Enterprise XR Platform
Enterprise
- Chinese AR Glasses Firm Nreal Raises $100 Million in New Funding
- Qualcomm Confirms Acquisition of Wikitude
Events
- AWE Asia Happening September 27-28, in Chengdu, China
- AWE Asia Global 3D Virtual Expo Goes Live October 7-8
- 9/11 Memorial Uses Augmented Reality to Mark 20th Anniversary
- AWE NITE PAST EVENTS
XR Market
Enterprise
- Xerox-Backed Field Service Startup CareAR Raises $10M. (VentureBeat)
- AR Navigation Solutions Provider Phiar Technologies Announce $12M Series A Funding. (Auganix)
- Fantasy 360 to Acquire Location-Based Company Synthesis VR. (Auganix)
- PlayStation Studios Acquires The Persistence Studio Firesprite. (VRFocus)
Platforms & Tools
- Pico Interactive Acquired by TikTok Owner ByteDance. (VRFocus)
- Rooom Raises $7M for Multifaceted 3D Virtual Events Platform. (VentureBeat)
Training, Gaming & Entertainment
- Fast Travel Games Expands with VR Publishing Arm. (VentureBeat)
- Supersocial Raises $5.2M to Make Games for The Roblox Metaverse. (VentureBeat)
- New Google Stadia Job Listings Suggest VR Cloud-Gaming Ambitions. (Road to VR)
- Oculus & Steam Beat Saber Crossplay Goes Live. (VRFocus)
- 'I Expect You To Die 2' Hits $1M In Sales In Under a Week. (VRScout)
Healthcare
- NEX raises $25M, Launches Active Arcade to Get People Moving. (TechCrunch)
Launches & Announcements
Enterprise
- Rokid Launches Indiegogo Campaign for Its ‘Rokid Air’ Tethered Augmented Reality Glasses For Multimedia Viewing. (Auganix)
- Pixo And Energy Worldnet Announced Partnership To Provide Extended Reality Solutions To The Energy Industry. (Auganix)
- The Glimpse Group Launches Enterprise Focused Virtual NFT and Crypto VR & AR Software Product Development Effort. (ar.rocks)
- Facebook's AR/VR Chief Andrew Bosworth Tapped as New CTO. (Next Reality)
- Chinese Star Turns to Cambridge’s VividQ to Propel AR Devices. (Business Weekly)
- Geenee Partners with NFT Marketplace Mintable to Enable Monetization of AR Creations, Starting with 10 New NFTs from Jaylen Clark. (Auganix)
- WPP and Snap Partner on Augmented Reality. (adweek)
Hardware
- China-based Online Entertainment Platform Iqiyi Launches New ‘qiyu 3’ Virtual Reality Headset. (Auganix)
- HoloPlayer One Achieves Holograms Sans Glasses Within Reasonable Price Range. (Next Reality)
- Report: Valve 'Deckard' Standalone VR Headset In The Works. (UploadVR)
- Vuzix Smartglasses Factory Reveal Gives Another Glimpse of Next-Gen AR Wearable. (Next Reality)
- AXIS Full-Body Controller Makes Motion Capture Easy. (VRScout)
Software
- Oculus Quest Pro Mentioned in Latest Software, Face & Eye Tracking Included. (Road to VR)
- ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator’ is Finally Getting VR Controller Support, Coming in Mid-November. (Road to VR)
- Ubisoft's Rabbids Invade The Palace Of Versailles In New Augmented Reality App. (Nintendo Life)
- GigXR and Elsevier Unveil Expanded Remote Features for Their HoloHuman 3D Immersive Anatomy App. (Auganix)
- iOS 15 Brings Immersive Augmented Reality Navigation Instructions to Newly Updated Apple Maps. (Auganix)
Platforms & Tools
- Shariiing VR Adds an Incredibly Useful Annotation Tool to SteamVR. (Road to VR)
- Arthur’s ‘Professional Edition’ Virtual Reality Office Space and Collaboration Platform Comes Out of Beta And Enters Stable Release. (Auganix)
- Snapchat Launches Birthdays Mini Feature to Let Users Celebrate with Friends via AR Lenses. (Next Reality)
- Snobal Launches Enterprise Virtual Reality Collaboration and Presentation App ‘Snobal Sphere’. (Auganix)
- CLEVR Launches Augmented Reality Field Service Management Solution. (Auganix)
- Volograms Debuted Public Version of its 3D Content Creation App, Volu. It's Using Advanced Deep Learning And Computer Vision Technologies and It's Available on the AppStore. (AppStore)
- Vobling Partners with TG Products on UK Licence And Distribution of its VR Fire Trainer Solution. (Auganix)
- Reality Faucet App, Created by Pantomime Corp., Lets Users Play in Physically Realistic Augmented Reality Using LiDAR on iPhone Pros and iPad Pros. (einnews)
- Nextech AR Launches Tool for Turning 3D CAD Designs Into CGI-Ready 3D Meshes for AR. (Auganix)
- VRM Switzerland’s Virtual Reality Helicopter Simulation Solution Selected for Use by Zurich University of Applied Sciences. (Auganix)
- ISS Astronauts Use Augmented Reality Apps To Assist With Repairs. (ar.rocks)
- Bell 5G And TikTok Create Paint Portal Augmented Reality Effect. (ar.rocks)
- Google Adds Famous Monuments & Iconic Buildings to Augmented Reality Search Feature. (Next Reality)
- DPVR Announces its Free Enterprise Group Training Solution for Virtual Reality-Based Education of Large Groups. (Auganix)
- RealWear and Autodesk Collaborate to Offer Assisted Reality Solution for Construction Project Management. (Auganix)
- Leia’s Holographic 3D Lume Pad Launches. (Medium)
- BrandStar Studios Invests in Technology and Equipment to Provide Real-Time Virtual Production, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality Capabilities. (ar.rocks)
- Etsy Debuts 'The Etsy House', an Immersive Virtual Shopping Experience Demonstration. (eseller365)
Education
- Snobal and University of Arizona Partner to Research the Impact of Virtual Avatar Preference in Immersive Learning Experiences. (Auganix)
- SAP Partners with Nonprofits for VR Effort to Address Student Learning Gaps. (ZDNet)
- Rendever Partners with North Carolina Library to Offer Virtual Reality to Members. (Auganix)
Training, Gaming & Entertainment
- Google's VR Studio Reveals Bright & Bubbly Game Coming to Quest & PC VR in 2022. (Road to VR)
- 'Beat Saber' Launches Skrillex Music Pack And It’s Full Of Absolute Bangers. (VRScout)
- Facebook's Oculus Quest Turned into Augmented Reality Guitar Hero Experience via This Developer App. (Next Reality)
- Garry's Mod Sequel s&box Gets VR Full Body Tracking & More. (Road to VR)
- 'Sniper Elite VR' Update Brings Custom Difficulty, New Comfort Options & More. (Road to VR)
- Netflix Just Launched Its Own VR Game On Oculus Quest 2. (VRScout)
- ABBA Enters the Digital Realm With 3D 'ABBAtars'. (VRScout)
- The 2021 Venice Film Festival Invades 'VRChat'. (VRScout)
- BFI Reveals Programme for London Film Festival Expanded with A Mixture of XR Works From Artists Across The World. (VRFocus)
- Snap Teams with Sotheby's to Launch Historic AR Lens Hailing the Art of Christo & the Arc De Triomphe in Paris. (Next Reality)
- Assemblr Web-Based AR Player Brings New Technologies Closer To All Users. (ARPost)
- Carolina Panthers Took On the New York Jets in Their First Competitive Game of the 2021 Season and Debuted Their New Mixed-reality Panther. (Twitter)
- Sandbox VR is Coming to the UK in 2022, Robotic Bartenders & HoloDecks Included. (VRFocus)
- Dreamscape Debuts Men In Black: First Assignment VR Experience at Flagship Location. (VentureBeat)
- Stageverse Social VR Platform Debuts with Immersive Muse Concert. (Road to VR)
- VR Film 'Space Explorers' Just Won A Primetime Emmy. (VRScout)
- 'Rec Room' Introduces VR Rally Racing Game. (VRScout)
- The Immersive DreamCube is Like Walking Into a Video Game. (fastcompany)
- Coty and Perfect Corp Partner on AR and AI Beauty Technology Offering. (ar.rocks)
Marketing & Advertising
- Tokyo Games Show 2021 to Have Dedicated Oculus Quest & PC VR Experience. (VRFocus)
- There's An AR Easter Egg Found in Hidden Apple New Event Invite. (VRScout)
- INDE Announces Partnership with Celebrity Cruises for Placement of Its Augmented Reality Kiosks Onboard Cruise Ships. (Auganix)
- Flex NBA Interview: Merging Board Games with AR Hoops. (VentureBeat)
- Aircards Create Dell Technologies Virtual Stand Experience. (ar.rocks)
- This Billie Eilish Oculus Quest 2 Video Inadvertently Offers a Peek at AR Gaming on the VR Headset. (Next Reality)
Healthcare
- Ohio State University Offers Augmented Reality Spine Surgery. (ar.rocks)
- 'PowerBeatsVR' Brings High-intensity Musical Workouts to Oculus Quest in October. (Road to VR)
Social Impact
- Work Life In Times Of Coronavirus: Utilizing XR As Workforce Goes Remote. (ARPost)
- Nexar and Las Vegas Tackle Traffic with Digital Twins. (VentureBeat)
- NASA Launches First Woman to Moon via AR App and Delivers Interactive Visit to New Space Telescope. (Next Reality)
Events
- Registration Open for 2021 Facebook Connect AR & VR Conference, Speakers Include Mark Zuckerberg & John Carmack. (Next Reality)
- 5th Annual Virtual Reality Day Announces Call For Speakers. (virtualrealityday)
- HTC is Holding a Vive Product Event. (Road to VR)
