Your life in the metaverse

PLUS: Gaming's blockchain moment

October 02, 2023

Good morning. Here’s what’s leading each section today ✨

  • Headlines: Mark Zuckerberg and Lex Fridman record first podcast in the metaverse

  • Spotlight: Sony's digital asset patents & microsoft’s crypto wallet integration

  • Startups & Fund Raising: Transfr, a VR platform for workforce training, announced that it raised $40 million in a Series C round

  • Research: Generating Visual Scenes from Touch

  • Quick Bytes: Opinion: The Metaverse Is Not Going Away

Quote of the Day 🔊

❝

This technology is incredible, and I think it's the future of how human beings connect to each other, in a deeply meaningful way on the internet.

Source: Mark Zuckerberg: First Interview in the Metaverse | Lex Fridman Podcast #398

Must-reads 📰

  1. Mark Zuckerberg and Lex Fridman record first podcast in the metaverse: Mark Zuckerberg made another appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast, but with a twist—they engaged in dialogue as lifelike avatars within the metaverse, utilizing cutting-edge “codec avatars” and the Meta Quest Pro headset. The experience is a fascinating glimpse into the potential of a fully immersive future. (YouTube) 1-hour listen time

  2. How Intel's AI Innovations are Shaping the Metaverse: Sandra Rivera, Intel's EVP and GM of the Data Center and AI Group, delved into the practical applications of generative AI and the metaverse at Intel Innovation 2023, emphasizing their potential to boost efficiency in various industries. Discussions included the increasing demand for immersive experiences and the role of advanced technologies in shaping developments in sectors like healthcare and entertainment. (VentureBeat) 15-minute read

  3. Immersive reality’s next phase will be a long game: Immersive reality’s next phase appears gradual, with innovations from Apple, Sony, and Meta offering new experiences but facing challenges in price and usability, slowing mainstream adoption. The industry’s transition to more user-friendly, everyday applications will be crucial in defining the trajectory of extended reality (XR). (Variety) 7-minute read

  4. Arizona State University's Herberger Institute introduces XR based graduate programs: Arizona State University's Herberger Institute is leading the way in immersive media and extended reality arts, a field they've coined as "XRts". These XRts are reshaping storytelling and imagination, integrating a blend of technology and arts to create immersive experiences. (ASU) 3-minute read

  5. The Sphere’s first show looks like it was a mind-blowing spectacle: The Sphere is a groundbreaking venture, a step towards what experts are calling Metaverse 2.0, focusing heavily on the Holodeck concept. This immersive venue has debuted with U2’s Achtung Baby Live, elevating the concert experience to a blend of extravagant visuals and musical mastery. It’s not just a concert, it's a vivid, multisensory journey, setting a new benchmark in live entertainment. (The Verge) 2-minute read

Spotlight 💡

Sony's digital asset patents & microsoft’s crypto wallet integration

Summary: Sony and Microsoft are seemingly steering towards blockchain integration, with Sony patenting a framework for cross-platform digital asset transfers and Microsoft hinting at crypto wallet integration in the upcoming Xbox Series X.

Why it Matters: This potential integration could revolutionize in-game economies and gameplay, allowing for tokenization and trading of in-game assets, transforming how players interact with games and each other.

Details: Sony's patent reveals plans for digital asset-locked gameplay and progress transfers across platforms on PlayStation, allowing for the exclusive use and transfer of assets via NFTs between games and platforms. Leaked documents from Microsoft suggest the incorporation of a crypto wallet in Xbox, hinting at the transformation of in-game economies through trading of in-game assets.

The Big Picture: The envisioned advancements by both tech giants highlight the broader movement in the gaming industry towards embracing blockchain technologies. This evolution hints at a future where gaming assets transcend console boundaries, fostering a more interconnected and dynamic gaming ecosystem.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sony and Microsoft are exploring blockchain technologies, hinting at a transformative future for in-game economies.

  • Sony's patent outlines a mechanism for cross-platform digital asset transfers, allowing tokenization of in-game assets on PlayStation.

  • Leaked Microsoft documents suggest the integration of a crypto wallet in the next Xbox, enabling trading of in-game assets.

Startups & Fund Raises 🦄 

  1. Pudgy Penguins’ approach may be the answer to fixing NFTs’ revenue problems: Pudgy Penguins is making a strategic expansion into physical toys and is available in major retailers like Walmart. The deal is anticipated to accrue around $10 million in sales by year-end, netting approximately $1.5 to $2 million in profits. (TechCrunch) 7-minute read

  2. Prompt AI, a startup harnessing the power of large language models to democratize access to computer vision, raised $5 million in seed funding, led by prominent investors AIX Ventures and Abstract Ventures. (Yahoo Finance) 3-minute read

  3. Transfr, a VR platform for workforce training, announced that it raised $40 million in a Series C round led by ABS Capital with participation from JPMorgan Chase Impact Finance, Advisory, Lumos Capital Group, Akkadian Ventures, Spring Tide Capital, Firework Ventures and Album. (TechCrunch) 5-minute read

  4. Polycam3D introduces its Gaussian Splatting feature. Processing is free, and splats render fast in the browser and supports export .ply file. Checkout an example of the new feature here. (Twitter)

Research 🔬

Overview: A groundbreaking new paper has pushed the boundaries of visuo-tactile synthesis, achieving the synthesis of visual images purely from tactile signals, utilizing the advances in latent diffusion models. This research stands out as it successfully generates more plausible imagery from touch than previous attempts, and it addresses new synthesis problems, creating images without the need for additional scene information, and producing images that do not include the touch sensor or the hand holding it.

How it works: By employing advanced latent diffusion models, this approach synthesizes images from tactile signals and vice versa. It significantly surpasses previous methods in the tactile-driven stylization problem, where the goal is to manipulate an image to align with a touch signal. The model has proven effective in generating images solely from touch without relying on extra information about the scene, creating images without displaying the touch sensor or the hand, and predicting an image’s shading based on its reflectance and touch.

Between the lines: The existing methodologies before this had limitations in quality and capability and only addressed narrow aspects of the visuo-tactile synthesis problem. This study not only overcomes the quality barrier but also pioneers in solving novel synthesis issues, like omitting the touch sensor or hand in the synthesized images, and determining an image's shading from its reflectance and touch, marking a notable progression in the field of cross-modal synthesis.

Why it matters: This research is pivotal as it opens up new possibilities in the field of visuo-tactile synthesis, presenting potential advancements in areas such as virtual reality, prosthetics, and human-computer interaction. The ability to generate accurate and detailed images from touch alone could revolutionize interfaces and experiences, allowing for more immersive and intuitive interactions, especially in applications where visual information is limited or not available.

Quick Bytes ⚡️

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