Title: The Latest XR News: OpenAI Drama, Unity 6 Announced, Meta Quest for Business, and More
Introduction:
Last week was full of exciting news in the tech world, including updates from Microsoft Ignite, Unity Unite, and the OpenAI drama. In this newsletter, we’ll summarize the key announcements related to the XR space and also share some cool freebies and discounts.
Top News of the Week:
1. OpenAI Drama Shakes the AI Ecosystem:
While not directly related to XR, the OpenAI drama is a significant event due to its impact on the tech industry. OpenAI, a hot tech startup known for its generative AI products, experienced a series of events that captured the attention of the community. The drama involved the firing of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, board resignations, and the subsequent appointment of the previous CEO of Twitch as the new CEO. The situation is still evolving, and many speculate on the reasons behind these changes.
2. Unity Announces Unity 6 and Unlocks Vision Pro Development:
Unity, one of the leading game development engines, announced the release of Unity 6. This update brings major performance enhancements, accelerated multiplayer game creation, early access WebGPU support, and deeper XR device support. Unity’s focus on XR support highlights its importance in the development of immersive experiences. Additionally, Unity also released the Unity beta package for developing for VisionOS, which enables developers to create content specifically for the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Other Relevant News:
– Meta Announces Business Offering for Quest: Meta launched its Quest For Business program, providing enterprises with a clearer understanding of the licenses required to use Meta Quest for various purposes. While the hardware pricing remains the same as the consumer counterpart, companies will need to pay a monthly subscription for using the device in individual or shared mode.
– Varjo Teases XR-4 Headset: Finnish company Varjo is teasing the launch of its upcoming XR-4 mixed-reality headset. The company shared several images with the number 4 printed on them, hinting at the device’s imminent release. The online event to unveil the XR-4 headset will take place on November 27th.
– Vuzix INCOGNITO Hides Smartglasses: Vuzix has developed INCOGNITO technology, which hides the fact that the wearer is using AR glasses. The optical waveguide design ensures that no reflections of AR content appear on the lenses, making the glasses look like standard transparent lenses. This technology enhances privacy and reduces the social stigma associated with wearing AR glasses.
– Microsoft Brings Mesh to Teams: Microsoft announced the integration of Mesh, their framework for creating immersive XR experiences, into Microsoft Teams. This integration allows users to have immersive meetings within the Teams platform, bringing remote collaboration to a more realistic level. Microsoft is also focusing on creating AI assistants, called “copilots,” for various applications, including frontline worker assistance.
Conclusion:
The tech world experienced a week filled with exciting news in the XR space. The OpenAI drama, Unity’s announcement of Unity 6, Meta’s launch of the Quest For Business program, Varjo’s teases of the XR-4 headset, and Vuzix’s INCOGNITO technology for hiding AR glasses were the highlights of the week. Additionally, Microsoft showcased Mesh integration in Teams and their focus on developing AI assistants. Stay tuned for more updates in the XR world.
(Note: This rewrite provides a summary of the original article and paraphrases the information while maintaining the key points and structure of the content.)