6 Jun 2019
|
Emily Friedman
AR+VR Weekly: Black Mirror, ARKit 3, Avicii and Pride
AR/VR Weekly
Catch up on the latest AR+VR highlights, funding news & launch announcements: Week of June 3
Image Source: Snap
Highlights
It’s been another busy week in AR+VR! In addition to keeping you up-to-date on the biggest AR+VR news, funding activity, and launch announcements, here are four stories you need to know: Black Mirror, ARKit 3, Avicii, and Pride.
In Black Mirror's Season 5 episode "Striking Vipers," two men carry on an affair in VR, flirting with sexual orientation and gender fluidity. But is it really cheating if it happens in virtual reality? What does sexual attraction in VR mean for the real world?
Meanwhile at WWDC, Apple announced ARKit 3 with new features like People Occlusion and Motion Capture. Apple also unveiled Reality Composer and RealityKit to make it easier for developers to create AR experiences.
Finally, the late EDM artist Avicii's first posthumous release went down in VR (in Oculus Venues) and Snapchat launched Landmarker AR Lenses to celebrate Pride Month at the TLC Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, with more to come throughout the month. In other news, Snap's stock is up.
Funding News
Google invests in augmented reality tech startup Hello TeamSolar (VentureBeat)
Launch Announcements
Amazon Adding Virtual Try-On from L'Oréal's Modiface to its Beauty Products (Next Reality)
Google puts augmented reality animals in its Search app (Engadget)
Firefox Reality VR Browder Is Coming to Oculus Quest (Variety)
Microsoft unveils Minecraft AR at Apple's WWDC (VentureBeat)
Pointing Google Lens at NBA logos reveals AR stats experience (9to5google)
HTC releases Vive Pro Eye in North America for $1,599 (VentureBeat)
Magic Leap Achieves Full Hand Tracking & Lays Foundation for Magicverse with Latest Lumin Update (Next Reality)
Magic Leap Adds Sketchfab Support to Its Native Helio Browser (Next Reality)
Epson to Launch Moverio Assist as Easier to Deploy Smartglasses Remote Assistant Tool (Next Reality)
Event Listings
ACT-W: Achieving Equity: June 26-27 (Portland, OR) Use code AWEUSA20 for 20% off tickets
ACT-W: Conference: June 28-29 (Portland, OR) Use code AWEUSA20 for 20% off tickets
SIGGRAPH 2019: July 28-August 1 (Los Angeles, CA)
Tech Inclusion 2019: September 11-12 (San Francisco, CA)
EWTS 2019: September 17-19 (Dallas, TX)
AWE EU 2019: October 18-19 (Munich, Germany)
