Daily Metaverse #9: February 22, 2022
Thinking about how we can use AR and VR to democratize education through the metaverse.
Not huge day in metaverse news coming out of the new weekend, but our top story is an interesting one - a metaverse-first university raising money. It’s not that tough to imagine a lecture hall with some people physically present and others at home wearing VR headsets, perhaps each occupying an individual desk by way of a 360 degree camera for each person who’s attending remotely. If the people physically present have AR glasses, they can see and interact with the remote participants as though they were there, and suddenly you have a mixed AR/VR environment that democratizes education access by eliminating the need to physically be at a lecture.
Exciting to think about!
Education in the Metaverse
“Metaverse is a concept that stands at a cusp where it will be the lead factor in transforming the educational landscape”: A $5M investment in Invact Metaversity, a metaverse university - an early sign of the metaverse’s potential to democratize education.
Events in the Metaverse
Is the Metaverse the Future of Live Music?: A look at how the metaverse can expand the audiences for festivals and concerts while still providing an immersive experience to remote participants.
Metaverse Platforms
Apple Reportedly Completes Production Tests for AR/VR Headset: These could really be the thing that brings the metaverse mainstream. Apple doesn’t want to make niche products for hardcore users - they want massive adoption, and they know how to design products that get it. Add to that the fact that this is rumored to have both AR and VR, and you’ve got something really big.
Defining the Metaverse
The Important Difference Between Web3 And The Metaverse: If you didn’t check out our newsletter yesterday, I wrote about how I define the metaverse, and this is a good take from Forbes that definitely lines up with my view. The Web3 is the technical pieces, and the metaverse is the user experience.
Business in the Metaverse
Benetton to Step Into the Metaverse With Retail Project: Another major fashion house enters the metaverse, though this is a more interesting take - they’re bringing the digital world into their physical store.
Funding in the Metaverse
Soul Machines Raises US$70Million Series B1 to Advance the Way Digital People Deliver Interactive Experiences in the Metaverse: SoftBank leads a round in the digital animation company.
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