Zuckerberg Showcases Wrist-Worn XR Controller Prototype to Ray-Ban Parent CEO; Appotronics Unveils Two Diffractive Waveguide AR Modules with Up to 720P Resolution and 10,000 PPI

Zuckerberg Shows EssilorLuxottica President Prototype of Wrist-Worn XR Controller

This week, Meta CEO Zuckerberg posted on Instagram, attaching a photo of Meta showcasing a wrist-worn XR controller prototype to Leonardo Del Vecchio, President and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, the Italian parent company of Ray-Ban Stories.

In the photo, Leonardo is wearing the XR controller on his right wrist, while pinching with his middle finger and thumb, seemingly in the middle of an operation. In terms of appearance, this XR controller is quite similar to the one Meta showcased in March 2021, though it appears slightly rougher.

Image source: roadtovr

Zuckerberg said: "I'm glad to be back in Milan to discuss plans for new smart glasses with Leonardo Del Vecchio and the EssilorLuxottica team. This is Leonardo using our neural interface EMG wristband prototype, which will eventually control your glasses and other devices."

Ray-Ban Stories, jointly released by Meta and Ray-Ban, is the first pair of glasses launched by Meta that pave the way for future intelligent and fashionable AR glasses. Ray-Ban Stories sits between Bose Frames (smart audio glasses) and Snap glasses, and is showcased as a featured product in Meta’s newly opened retail stores alongside Meta Quest 2 and Portal.

Zuckerberg said the company is still planning new smart glasses, so considering the future, it's beneficial to have close hardware cooperation with a prestigious company like EssilorLuxottica.CooperationPartners are indeed impressive. Meanwhile, Meta stated that it would release four new VR headset devices by 2024.

Appotronics Layouts AR Industry, Announces Two Diffractive Optical Waveguide Modules with up to 720P Resolution and 10,000 PPI

Gyro Technology, May 7th, by reporter — Shenzhen-listed Appotronics (Stock Code: 688007.SH) held an AR phased achievements media exchange meeting in Shenzhen, announcing the progress of its AR diffraction grating waveguide module's phased achievements. Two versions of the module products were revealed this time.

It is reported that the company started the layout of AR technology quite early and has already established a dedicated AR R&D team. The first product is a full-color diffractive waveguide module, featuring high resolution, miniaturization, high transmittance, and suitability for various scenarios, as shown in the video above.

The second product showcased is a monochromatic diffractive light waveguide module (full-color capability to be achieved later). It features an ultra-small volume of 0.5cc, 720P display resolution, a 40-degree field of view, and a transmittance of over 85%, with power consumption less than 200 milliwatts and PPI exceeding 10,000.

Image source: VR陀螺

Appotronics also stated that the second optical engine module, based on its exclusive SPD (Super Pixel Density) technology, can significantly enhance the fineness of image display and achieve double the resolution in products of the same volume.

In fact, Appotronics' layout in the AR industry is not a sudden idea but rather a natural fit from a technical perspective. On one hand, Appotronics' main business is laser display, where it has accumulated significant research and development as well as technical expertise in the new display field. In the company’s 2019 IPO prospectus, AR display was already listed as one of the future development directions. After years of continuous investment and R&D, the company has now achieved some results, fulfilling its promise made in the prospectus.

On the other hand, the AR technology leader of Appotronics Corporation stated at the conference: "AR display is widely regarded as the mainstream solution for the next generation of display technology. We are very optimistic about the future of AR display, but currently, AR display is still immature and there are many technical issues that need to be resolved. Therefore, this aligns with the ethos of a company like ours that has deep expertise in foundational technologies. This is the original intention behind our entry into the AR industry. We hope to use technology to drive development and jointly welcome the arrival of the AR era."

"In terms of display effect, AR display is different from the conventional displays that everyone is familiar with, such as mobile phones, TVs, and tablets. It is a display method that can simultaneously show virtual images and real-world scenes together, which is a typical non-contact display. From the perspective of technical architecture, this display method is closer to projection-based display since projection itself is also a form of non-contact display. Therefore, a large number of imaging optics, lighting optics, display chips, and other technologies and industry chain resources used in AR displays are actually closely related to the main business of Guangfeng—laser display," the person in charge added.

It is reported that Appotronics Corporation Limited, established on October 24, 2006, and listed on the STAR Market in 2019, is a laser display technology enterprise with original technology, core patents, and the capability to research and manufacture core devices. It now has a market value of 7.3 billion yuan. The ALPD laser display technology invented by Appotronics has gone through four generations of upgrades. Based on the continuously upgraded ALPD® laser display technology architecture, the company has developed the core device for laser display – the laser optical engine – and combined this core device with various display scenarios such as engineering, home use, cinema, education, and exhibition, creating multiple laser display products and system solutions.

Appotronics' recently released financial report shows that the revenue for the fiscal year 2021 reached 2.498 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 28.19%. Its self-owned brand, Fengmi, achieved nearly 50% year-on-year growth in 2021, with a significant improvement in gross margin. According to an IDC report, Fengmi ranked third in market share for overall home projector shipments in China in 2021. Additionally, the financial report mentioned that the company is accelerating its business layout in the automotive display sector and has successfully partnered with several automakers and Tier 1 suppliers.Cooperation。

Meta's app Horizon Ventues to be integrated into Horizon Worlds

Horizon Venues is a viewing app by Meta where you can watch concerts, martial arts, comedy shows, and more. Meta recently announced that this app will shut down on June 6 this year, and it will instead appear in Horizon Worlds.

Image source: Meta

Currently, in the United States and Canada, only users aged 18 and above can use Horizon Worlds, while the age limit for Horizon Venues is 12. This means that in the future, some users may not be able to access this software service.

Meta has been vigorously developing Horizon Worlds, such as launching creator testing monetization tools not long ago, allowing them to sell virtual items within it; considering user safety and privacy, Meta launched the Personal Boundary feature.

Meta says Horizon Worlds will launch in more countries this summer, but the specific timing and location details have not been announced yet.

M Social Opens Hotel on Metaverse Platform Decentraland

M Social is a well-known hotel brand that was launched in Singapore in 2016. It currently operates hotels in countries such as New York, Singapore, Auckland, and Paris. Recently, M Social announced that it has opened a virtual hotel in Decentraland, becoming the first hotel to launch such a service.

Currently, visitors can tour the virtual lobby of the hotel in Decentraland, where there are virtual assistants inside. Additionally, users who visit have the chance to win gifts at the physical hotel.

Image source: Decentraland

The company said in a statement that it would launch several competitions on the platform in the future, and events might be introduced during holidays such as New Year's Day and Valentine's Day.

Kwek Leng Beng, Executive Chairman of the hotel group, stated that looking ahead, it is necessary to go beyond traditional hospitality models and attract guests through entirely new immersive experiences. They hope to redefine hotel services by creating online adventures linked to real-life events through this metaverse hotel.

Currently, many hotel groups have launched metaverse businesses. One of the world's top hotels, Marriott, initiated an NFT art project with three artists last December; the Xiaomi Mei Resort has adopted VR technology to address new employee onboarding and training issues; DAMAC Properties, headquartered in the UAE, revealed that it will develop a metaverse platform in The Sandbox, which will include NFTs and virtual land.

Following Jay Chou, Zhang Liangying's VR Album Released on QQ Music

VR GYROSCOPE NEWS, May 7th – Following the launch of the VR album feature by QQ Music last month, Jay Chou became the first artist to release a VR album. Yesterday, QQ Music officially announced that Jane Zhang's new album will also incorporate this feature. Users who are already QQ Music members can experience this feature on Jane Zhang’s artist page.

Image source: QQ Music

In the VR album room, members can preview albums on the walls, and choose their favorite MVs to play. The room also has social functions, allowing friends to be invited for shared experiences and interactions with others present in the room.

Source: QQ Music

Digital music copyright is the most important means for major music platforms to attract members and users, and the competition for music copyright has recently been announced to be coming to an end. After losing the exclusive rights to many of the most popular songs, these platforms will need to find new breakthroughs in their marketing strategies. Clearly, with "Seeing Music" as its main feature, QQ Music hopes to explore ways to retain users by emphasizing visual and social elements. Whether users will buy into this remains to be verified by the market.

Google's New Research PHORHUM: Quickly Render 3D Models from Photos

Researchers Thiemo Alldieck, Mihai Zanfir, and Cristian Sminchisescu from Google Research are developing PHORHUM, an end-to-end trainable deep neural network that converts 2D human RGB photos into realistic 3D models and appearances. This technology may be applied in virtual try-ons, gaming, and other fields in the future.

The paper points out: "Influenced by transformative, immersive 3D applications, our 3D model construction technology can enhance communication, special effects, human-computer interaction, or gaming fields through virtual try-ons, immersive photo visualization, AR, VR, and more."

Image source: Google Research

The project, called PHORHUM, uses an AI system that can create usable 3D models by scanning human body images taken from the front. It works well even in areas not visible in the image (non-visible regions), such as the back of the person, with the AI automatically filling in the data to generate a complete 3D model. The technology is said to be suitable for various types of clothing as well as different body shapes and skin tones, capturing most of the details present in the input images.

Kadokawa Senior Advisor Koichi Hamamura: Games and the Metaverse Share the Same Bed but Have Different Dreams

In late April, Koichi Hamamura held an online seminar titled "The Current State and Future of the Gaming Industry in Spring 2022 — Games and the Metaverse: Strange Bedfellows." Hamamura, 61, has previously served as the editor-in-chief of the well-known Japanese gaming magazine *Famitsu*, as president and CEO of Enterbrain, and as a managing director of Kadokawa Corporation. He is currently a senior advisor at Kadokawa Digital Entertainment. In his report on the metaverse, Hamamura presented the following viewpoints:

Koichi Hamamura (Source: Famitsu)

Metaverse: The Compound Word and Its EvolutionThe compound word Metaverse currently refers to "providing services through avatars in the virtual space of the Internet." Tracing its origins, it has long been associated with gaming and IT companies. At present, the Metaverse is developing along two parallel axes—IT and gaming—with gaming taking the lead. Although nearly all companies aim for a VR- and 2D-based Metaverse, Niantic, known for developing *Pokémon Go*, is forging its own path. Niantic remains skeptical about the VR-based Metaverse and plans to build its version by merging augmented reality (AR) technology with the real world.

By observing various burgeoning metaverses, the following three conditions for their existence can be summarized: ① There needs to be a virtual space (as the basic premise); ② People must be able to freely live and communicate within it (something gaming companies excel at); ③ It should allow activities that correspond with the real world.ContactFree economic activities (what SNS and IT service companies excel at).

3D models created by companies or individuals are provided in the metaverse, and in contrast, people living in this virtual space pay corresponding prices for them. When commercial transactions are freely conducted, and the currency within the virtual space can be exchanged with real-world currency, the metaverse is formed. Hamamura also gave examples of real-world fashion brands entering the metaverse, such as Nike, Adidas, Gucci, and many other companies offering 3D models of their brands.

Metaverse App for Members of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp Baseball Team Fan Club

(Image source: Prtimes)

Epic, which holds a positive attitude towards the metaverse, has clearly expressed its stance on NFTs: the Epic Games Store welcomes games that utilize blockchain technology. Hamamura stated that the key term to understanding the metaverse and NFTs is "Play to Earn" (PtE, earning real-world profits through gameplay). These elements include earning in-game rewards (narrowly defined PtE), making money by creating new gaming content (UGC), and profiting by attracting people to play (esports/streaming).

He also used "Axie Infinity" as an example of PtE. In this game, players can sell the monsters they breed and strengthen in exchange for cash. The game is regarded as a metaverse, where free commercial flow is created: companies can open stores for sales, game providers can profit from the space, and players can not only spend time and money but also make money. Many game developers are planning to enter this market, including Square Enix, Ubisoft, and Take-Two Interactive.

However, NFT projects often receive little popularity among users, which contrasts sharply with the companies' enthusiasm for entering the space. Including Team17 and GSC Game World, many companies faced strong user backlash when attempting to introduce NFTs, ultimately forcing them to cancel related plans. Additionally, at the GDC2022 held in March this year, over 70% of developers expressed that they were "not interested in bringing NFTs and cryptocurrencies into games." This negative response has also brought uncertainty to the future of the metaverse.

Earning Real Money in 'Axie Infinity'

(Image source: Sky Mavis)

The main reason for this negative reaction is the concern over market risks. For instance, equipment normally priced at 10,000 yen in regular commercial transactions could see its value inflated to 1 million or even 10 million yen due to an influx of speculative funds. For users who enjoy life within the game, this might lead to a collapse in game balance. Therefore, once NFTs are introduced, it's hard not to feel some level of concern.

The aforementioned issue could also occur in the world of the metaverse. No one wants to live in a virtual space where hyperinflation might happen. Hamamura stated that this is an urgent and crucial issue for the metaverse because if the security and stability of free economic activities cannot be guaranteed, fewer companies will be willing to open stores or provide products within the metaverse.

Hamamura mentioned in the final report summary that due to the global pandemic, the positioning of games is gradually changing. It has shifted from "playing because it's fun" to "playing to communicate with others," and the scale of the gaming industry has also expanded. Games growing in this way are no longer limited to "playing for fun." In the future, the comfort, topicality, and community support of games will become more important. In addition to "playing for fun" and "playing to make money," the concept of "playing to contribute" will also be integrated.

Epic Games and LEGO Join Hands to Build a Metaverse for All Ages

(Image source: Internet)

Regarding the current state of the metaverse and the shift of games towards becoming communication tools, Hamamura pointed out that while the increase in metaverse demand is welcome, it is also necessary to understand the reactions it provokes. The relationship between gaming and the metaverse is indeed very close, but in reality, they are "strange bedfellows." Both gamers and industry professionals should closely watch what path the world they love will take in the future.