Today’s hot spots: Saudi Arabia has controlling American AR company Magic Leap; Sony is researching wireless VR solutions; Meta has launched a 2023 VR game sale; the arcade-style VR real-time strategy game "Gods of Gravity" will soon be launched on Meta Quest, etc.
Industry
Saudi Arabia has taken a controlling stake in U.S. AR company Magic Leap
According to The Telegraph, Saudi Arabia has taken a controlling stake in U.S. AR company Magic Leap as the company seeks $450 million in financing from investors in 2022.
Now, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) already holds more than 50% of Magic Leap’s equity .
Financing
VR wearable device developer Dolami has completed 100 million yen in financing
According to foreign media reports, VR wearable device developer Dolami, Inc. has completed 100 million yen in financing. Investors include CyberAgent Capital, East Ventures, F Ventures, NOW, Yoshitsune Ido, Yusuke Harima, Yuji Wakabayashi, Hiroaki Watanabe (Executive Vice President of Photosynth Corporation). The new funds will be used to recruit core members and focus on product development.
Dolami was founded in June 2022 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. Since October 2021, the team has been collaborating with Osaka University in Japan to develop the facial expression tracking wearable device "X MASK" for VR. "X MASK" captures the user's facial expressions and mouth movements in the shape of a mask, and reproduces the facial expressions through a virtual avatar. In May 2022, Dolami applied for an international patent for the purpose of selling in the United States. In June of the same year, Dolami Company was officially established.
Brain-computer interface startup NeuroXess completed hundreds of millions of yuan in Series A financing
On December 28, NeuroXess, a brain-computer interface company, announced the completion of hundreds of millions of yuan in Series A financing. This round of financing was led by Zhongping Capital, with participation from Qingzhou Capital, Guosheng Capital (Chengdu Biocity), Shanghai Sailing, and Evolution Game. Existing investors Shanda, Lianxin Capital, and Sequoia China continued to invest. Huaxing Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor for this round of transactions.
Brain Tiger Technology founder and CEO Peng Lei said: "Since its establishment one year ago, Brain Tiger Technology has made some achievements and progress in the fields of technical capacity building, business path planning, organizational talent development and other fields. I would like to express special thanks to the country for Brain Science Frontier Technology We firmly attach importance to the long-term strategy, thank the relevant scientific researchers of China Brain Project for their recognition, and thank all new and old shareholders for their trust and support. We will continue to work hard and go all out to realize our mission and vision, and let the brain connect the future! Product
Sony is studying wireless VR solutions
In an interview with foreign media, Hideaki Nishino, Sony’s senior vice president of platform experience, said that although PSVR 2 went against the trend of recent years and used cables, Sony is studying wireless VR.
When asked why Sony chose a wired solution, Nishino explained that only wired ones can unlock the full potential of PS5 and PSVR 2, but added that the company is also considering other options. "We also understand that going wireless will bring another experience to users, so we have been looking at all possibilities and conducting technical research. However, the extent to which wireless solutions can replace wired solutions in terms of performance remains a question," Nishino said.
MAXST will showcase new AR technology and AR glasses at CES 2023
MAXST, which focuses on the Metaverse platform, announced that it will showcase the updated version of the Metaverse development platform MAXVERSE, the AR development platform MAXST AR SDK, and AR glasses at CES 2023.
According to reports, MAXST AR glasses are a tethered product with the industry’s smallest lens thickness, 40° field of view (FOV) and a weight of less than 100g. Users can enjoy reality-related AR experiences through onboard MAXST’s sensor fusion SLAM.
Games
To welcome the New Year, Meta has launched a 2023 VR game sale
To celebrate the upcoming 2023, Meta has opened a new sale. From now until January 2 at 23:59 Pacific Time, more than a dozen VR games are offering significant discounts.
There are also many bundles to choose from, including the Survival Mode Pack with Green Hell VR, Into the Radius, and Red Matter 2. Fight strange monsters, explore unknown worlds, and face your fears. Use the Sports Central Pack of "The Climb 2", "GOLF+" and "The Thrill of the Fight" to play boxing , golf and other sports to exercise at home. There's also the Fight and Flight Pack with After the Fall, GORN and Warplanes: Battles over Pacific, the Vader Immortal Pack with Vader Immortal Episodes 1, 2 and 3, the Chart Toppers Pack with Contractors, SUPERHOT VR and Vacation Simulator, and the Virtual Surreality Pack with Arizona Sunshine, Job Simulator and Walkabout Mini Golf. Pack et al.
The arcade-style VR real-time strategy game "Gods of Gravity" will soon be launched on Meta Quest
"Gods of Gravity" is an arcade-style real-time strategy game developed by Trass Games. The game will soon be launched on the Meta Quest platform and supports Quest 1, Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets.
In the game, you can have an epic showdown with the gods. Scoop up ships and drop them on nearby planets, or open wormholes to teleport them into the solar system. If you're brave, you can also capture the sun to gain buffs. The game supports 2 to 8 players to play together, and you need to destroy your opponents to control the solar system. You can command your own fleet or team up with friends to take on the robots. With built-in voice chat, you can also communicate in real time.
