Author name: Paul Patrick

Einstein, Newton could have been wrong about gravity, Gaia telescope data reveals

A groundbreaking study, based on observations from the European Space Agency’s billion-pixel Gaia space telescope, has revealed a “gravitational anomaly” that challenges our fundamental understanding of the universe. The anomaly occurs when loosely orbiting stars, known as wide binaries, seem to move in ways that defy standard models of gravity established by Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton.

Astronomer Kyu-Hyun Chae from Sejong University in South Korea made the discovery while studying binary star systems, which refer to two stars that orbit each other. At accelerations of lower than 0.1 nanometres per second squared, the orbit of the two stars deviated from Newton’s universal law of gravitation and Einstein’s general relativity.

The discovery puts into question the existence of ‘dark matter’ which was often used to explain such anomalies. “Testing gravity with wide binaries is interesting because dark matter can play no role in their internal dynamics,” Chae said.

Professor Chae theorised that a model known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) could explain why these previous theoretical frameworks were unable to explain the stars’ movements. MOND was first conceptualised by Israeli physicist Mordehai Milgrom, who proposed a modification to the laws of gravity at low accelerations to explain observed irregularities in galactic rotation without the need for dark matter.

“Chae’s finding is a result of a very involved analysis of cutting-edge data, which, as far as I can judge, he has performed very meticulously and carefully,” said Milgrom, from the Weizmann Institute in Israel. “But for such a far-reaching finding – and it is indeed very far-reaching – we require confirmation by independent analyses, preferably with better future data.

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“If this anomaly is confirmed as a breakdown of Newtonian dynamics, and especially if it indeed agrees with the most straightforward predictions of MOND, it will have enormous implications for astrophysics, cosmology, and for fundamental physics at large,” he added.

Professor Chae commented on the implications, asserting that potential systemic errors were rigorously examined and the results appeared to be genuine. He anticipates that the results will undergo further scrutiny and refinement as more data becomes available.

Nevertheless, these findings could have a profound effect on our conception of the universe. “Because the standard cosmology is based on general relativity, cosmology needs a major revision now,” Chae said. “I think we are now entering an extremely exciting period of time.”

Einstein, Newton could have been wrong about gravity, Gaia telescope data reveals Read More »

Composition co-written by AI performed by choir and published as sheet music

Artificial Intelligence, Corporates and innovation, Creativity, Deep tech, Next Featured / Paul Patrick / August 14, 2023

Ed Newton-Rex, a creative AI pioneer and VP Audio at Stability AI, says that he’s become the first author to publish a piece of classical music that uses generative AI. The musician and entrepreneur wrote his “I stand in the library,” a piece for the choir and piano, to a poem produced by OpenAI‘s generative AI model GPT3.

Written back in 2022, the 15-minute composition has been premiered at the Live from London online classical music festival, performed by a choral group VOCES8. The full version of the performance is available (behind paywall) on the festival’s website, but here’s an exclusive preview to give you a general idea:

<a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/composition-co-written-by-ai-performed-by-choir-and-published-as-sheet-music/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Composition co-written by AI performed by choir and published as sheet music</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79858 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-ar-games category-augmented-reality category-featured category-review category-reviews tag-ar-games tag-augmented-reality tag-featured tag-review tag-reviews ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79858" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/alien-invasion-ar-fps-review/" aria-label="Read: Alien Invasion AR FPS Review" ><img width="1024" height="478" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79858-alien-invasion-ar-fps-review-1024x478.webp" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="alien-invasion-ar-fps-review" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79858-alien-invasion-ar-fps-review-1024x478.webp 1024w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79858-alien-invasion-ar-fps-review-300x140.webp 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79858-alien-invasion-ar-fps-review-768x358.webp 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79858-alien-invasion-ar-fps-review-260x121.webp 260w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79858-alien-invasion-ar-fps-review.webp 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/alien-invasion-ar-fps-review/" rel="bookmark">Alien Invasion AR FPS Review</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/ar-games/" rel="category tag">AR games</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/augmented-reality/" rel="category tag">augmented reality</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/featured/" rel="category tag">featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/review/" rel="category tag">Review</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/reviews/" rel="category tag">Reviews</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> August 7, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div> <p>What better place to play a game about an alien invasion in your backyard than in your backyard? When a game studio offered to stage an alien invasion right here in my neck of the woods, I shelved my concerns about violent video games and picked up my mobile phone to see what <i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i> is all about.</p> <h2>Resisting an Alien Invasion in Augmented Reality</h2> <p>Set in the not-too-distant future, <a href="https://www.stary.app/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i></a> by Stary, tells the story of an insidious and subtle alien foe. The aliens, nicknamed “Jackers” came in peace and even brought gifts. However, the gifts were sabotaged and the aliens quickly showed their true colors and effectively took over the planet.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" alt="Alien Invasion AR FPS ipad" data-dominant-color="616767" data-has-transparency="false" decoding="async" height="768" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.arpost.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/27025914/Alien-Invasion-AR-FPS-ipad-jpg.webp" title="Alien Invasion AR FPS Review" width="1024"></img></p> <p>In <i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i>, you play the part of a resistance fighter in this sort of Sci-Fi “Red Dawn” situation. Use limited resources and unlimited resourcefulness to take back your home from the Jackers. But, how does it all play out?</p> <h3>Narrative and Gameplay</h3> <p><i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i> unlocks level-by-level in an unfolding linear narrative starring you and your “commanding officer” in the resistance. The introductory video as well as your mission brief at the beginning of each stage involves some compelling art but some humdrum voicework.</p> <p>As you are a resistance fighter, most of the early missions involve tasks like planting explosives or setting up defensive positions. The mission brief at the beginning of each mission starts out by explaining how the success of the previous mission shifted the balance of the overarching conflict, which helps to give a sense of purpose to the gameplay, which can feel repetitive.</p> <p>As the game progresses, your victories unlock more resources for the resistance, including new weapons. The beginning of many of the early levels has a brief tutorial on how to use any new equipment that you have unlocked. You have unlimited ammunition, but health and grenades are limited and need to be sourced from throughout the levels.</p> <p>The game currently consists of four levels of four stages each plus the intro video. I haven’t beaten the whole game yet, but the names of the levels and material provided by the game’s publisher suggest that the resistance does eventually succeed in driving the Jackers from Earth.</p> <h2>Playing Alien Invasion AR FPS</h2> <p><i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i> is a free app download for <a href="https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/alien-invasion-ar-fps/id6447612727" rel="noopener" target="_blank">iOS</a> 12 and newer, and for <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stary.alieninvasionarfps" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Android</a> 8.0 and newer, and it’s surprisingly agile. The app is still in its early days – maybe one day it will have a marketplace for buying extra supplies, or maybe it will use the <a href="https://arpost.co/2023/07/05/niantic-8th-wall-new-monetization-strategies/">AR ad formats Niantic is exploring</a>. But for now, it’s really just free.</p> <p>From the technical perspective, the game plays out in a series of digital sets that you place in your physical environment. The game recommends a play area of almost 50 square feet, so it recommends playing outside. Even outside, I don’t think that I ever played in an area that big, but my backyard was big enough.</p> <p>Once your mobile device recognizes that you’re in a large enough space, you tap the ground to place the virtual elements. Getting the angle exactly right is tricky and if you don’t figure it out pretty well, those virtual elements can be too high or too low, which kind of ruins the effect and impacts playability.</p> <p>Once the stage is set, you navigate through the space by physically moving through your environment. If the area isn’t large enough, you can pause the game, move to a new position, and resume the game. Typically, you perform some initial task, move to cover, and confirm that you’re in place. Then, the wave of Jackers comes for you.</p> <p>Buttons on the screen manage your various healing kits, your weapons and firing, and additional equipment that you gradually unlock and use, like hand grenades.</p> <h3>Letdowns and Triumphs</h3> <p>Unfortunately, what the stage looks like doesn’t change based on your physical environment. My backyard has a shed and some stone retaining walls, so it would have been cool if the game had recognized these and incorporated them into the stage design – but I understand that that’s a huge ask for a free mobile app.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" alt="AR game Alien Invasion AR FPS" data-dominant-color="6b6b65" data-has-transparency="false" decoding="async" height="461" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.arpost.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/27025850/AR-game-Alien-Invasion-AR-FPS.jpg" title="Alien Invasion AR FPS Review" width="1024"></img></p> <p>Ducking and moving from cover to cover is effective and feels right. You also have to explore each stage a little if you want to collect resources like health kits. And your health kits don’t replenish at the beginning of each stage, so at least taking a good look around before the first wave comes is highly recommended.</p> <p>My general strategy was to hunker down wherever I started the level and fight in place. Although, at one point, the last Jacker in a stage refused to leave his cover, so I got up and charged through the map firing my SMG. There was definitely a moment of thinking “This is exactly the way that an AR FPS is supposed to feel.”</p> <p>Speaking of “feel,” <i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i> doesn’t have haptic support – the phone doesn’t vibrate when I fire a gun or get shot. This feels like a huge missed opportunity, but it can’t just be something that the developers never thought of, so I’m confident that it will come in an update at some point.</p> <h3>Compromises Paid Off Overall</h3> <p>We’ve already seen one area where the choice to make the AR FPS affordable and accessible might have meant going without some potentially more immersive features. There’s one more big thing about this app that I didn’t mention that likely fits in the same camp: it doesn’t require data or Wi-Fi. At least, not yet. The game’s roadmap includes multiplayer that probably will.</p> <p>For me, this is a huge win – and it makes a lot of sense for a game that was designed to be played outdoors. As someone who’s seen too many Pokèmon trainers throwing balls into their bathtubs because they didn’t have connections outside of their homes, an AR game that doesn’t require connectivity feels like a breath of fresh air.</p> <p>Again, that’s with the understanding that other AR games can do things that this one can’t. As a technical showpiece for AR, this game might not blow picky critics out of the water. But, as an artistic showcase for AR, this game elevates an enjoyable and well-executed first-person shooter onto a new level of play.</p> <h3>But How Did it Make Me Feel?</h3> <p>I mentioned at the top of this piece that I’m historically not a fan of violence in video games – particularly XR video games. It was something that I struggled with as I approached <a href="https://arpost.co/2023/04/21/peaky-blinders-the-kings-ransom-vr-game/"><i>Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom</i></a>. In my playthrough, I found that that game managed graphic content in such a way that it was able to be a part of the story without overwhelming the player.</p> <p>I feel similarly about AR use in <i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i>. It also helps that in <i>Alien Invasion</i> I’m killing aliens instead of Englishmen – that sits better with me. But, the aliens aren’t rendered in such quality that I have to intimately consider their death – they don’t even bleed like the gang members and political agitators that I virtually shot down in London and Birmingham.</p> <p>Returning to <i>Alien Invasion</i>’s use of AR as an artistic medium rather than strictly as a game development tool, there’s a lot to be said for the way that AR tells this story about, well, an alien invasion.</p> <p>Early in the game, I load an anti-aircraft gun that shoots down an alien ship – and it happens over my backyard. As I watched the airship go down behind my laundry line, I imagined it crashing down the road from my house and blocking traffic. It was another one of those moments that felt like a win for the development studio: this is what an AR FPS can do.</p> <h2>It’s Free</h2> <p>Are there things that I would like to see in updates to <i>Alien Invasion AR FPS</i>? Yes. Are there things that I can complain about from the game? Not really. As a lightweight, connection-optional mobile-based AR FPS that you can download and play for free, I really can’t think of any reason not to recommend that you at least give the game a try.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/alien-invasion-ar-fps-review/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Alien Invasion AR FPS Review</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79856 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-ecosystems category-europe category-fintech-and-ecommerce category-investors-and-funding category-next-featured tag-ecosystems tag-europe tag-fintech-and-ecommerce tag-investors-and-funding tag-next-featured ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79856" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation/" aria-label="Read: European fintech players are bracing for market consolidation" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79856-european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D1bac2d7a83d8e3cff785693054315cd3" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79856-european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D1bac2d7a83d8e3cff785693054315cd3 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79856-european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d1bac2d7a83d8e3cff785693054315cd3 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79856-european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d1bac2d7a83d8e3cff785693054315cd3 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79856-european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d1bac2d7a83d8e3cff785693054315cd3 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation/" rel="bookmark">European fintech players are bracing for market consolidation</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/ecosystems/" rel="category tag">Ecosystems</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/europe/" rel="category tag">Europe</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/fintech-and-ecommerce/" rel="category tag">Fintech and ecommerce</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/investors-and-funding/" rel="category tag">Investors and funding</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> August 7, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p><span>When Monzo published its latest annual revenue figures in February, it provided a flicker of light after months of headlines about fintech down rounds and job cuts.</span></p> <p><span>The accounts showed that the UK digital bank was now profitable with a net operating income of £214.5 million (€249mn). The news will cheer up Monzo after seeing its valuation cut during the pandemic but for some of its peers in Europe the challenges of the macroeconomic environment still loom large. </span></p> <p><span>A rumoured acquisition by Monzo of Nordic rival Lunar, the neobank backed by Will Ferrell and last valued at over $2 billion (€1.83bn), could shake up the <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/europe" rel="noopener" target="_blank">European</a> fintech landscape.</span></p> <p><span>Elsewhere, European <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/fintech" rel="noopener" target="_blank">fintech</a> is seeing other small to midsize acquisitions, like open banking startup Snoop being picked up by Vanquis. So what is driving this increased talk around fintech M&A?</span></p> <div> <div id="hs-embed-tnw"> <p><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/events.tnw/hardfork-2018/uploads/visuals/tnw-newsletter.png"></img></p> <div> <p>The <3 of EU tech</p> <p>The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!</p> </div> </div> </div> <p><span>The sector has spent the better part of the last decade in growth mode, typified by meaty funding rounds and equally lofty valuations, but fintech in Europe is facing its own set of challenges in the broader <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/tech" rel="noopener" target="_blank">tech</a> downturn.</span></p> <p><span>Inflation and higher interest rates mean VCs may be distributing their funds with a little more caution than before.</span></p> <p><span>Figures released by KPMG at the tail end of July showed a drop in funding for fintech in the first half of the year. The EMEA region saw funding drop from $27.3 billion (€25bn) to $11.2 billion (€10.2bn) while the UK saw a drop from $13.8 billion (€12.6bn) to $5.9 billion (€5.4bn).</span></p> <p><span>It is amid this backdrop that some companies will start thinking about being acquired rather than seeking more investor money, according to Philip Benton, an analyst at research firm Omdia.</span></p> <p><span>“It’s created more of an appetite for acquisitions because those companies that had high valuations a few years ago are at the end of their runway. It makes sense to look at being acquired,” Benton said.</span></p> <p><span>“It’s harder to raise money at a later stage because of the current macroeconomic situation. VCs are still looking heavily at seed funds and maybe Series A, but the SeriesC onwards, they are the ones they’re less interested in.”</span></p> <p><span>Kaushik Subramanian, partner at EQT Ventures, expects to see more exit activity in the remaining months of 2023. </span></p> <p><span>“I think a lot of it is probably going to be companies that have not found product-market fit yet but are amazing teams and are ending their runway, and they get acqui-hired; or you have situations where three or four companies are playing for the same market, and they decide that going at it together makes more sense than going at it solo,” Subramanian told TNW. </span></p> <p><span>In many cases, there are too many companies vying for dominance in one particular space. “In a lot of markets, you have three or four companies doing the exact same thing,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>Early exits happen but it’s not an ideal scenario, he added, as EQT is a “patient investor” and prefers to see exits by IPO or “very large liquidation events” after a long stretch of going it alone.</span></p> <h2><b>“Knocking on doors”</b></h2> <p><span>Clevercards is an Irish fintech company that’s planning to raise funds shortly and is targeting a round of €20 million. The startup builds payments and expenses platforms for companies and their employees.</span></p> <p><span>“What I’m hearing in the marketplace is that B2B is showing way more resilience than consumer fintechs,” chief executive Kealan Lennon said.</span></p> <p><span>After the “crazy investing” and high valuations of 2020-2021, investors are taking a more guarded approach to funding deals, looking for clearer routes to profitability and sustainable growth. All of these things can make a company more attractive to a buyer too, Lennon explained. </span></p> <p><span>“There are very well capitalised financial institutions that are looking for opportunities in M&A. That’s not just banks, it’s even some of the larger fintechs,” he said. “When companies get bigger, they move slower. M&A rather than organic becomes the route that they choose.</span></p> <p><span>“There’s definitely people knocking on doors. We’ve had approaches.”</span></p> <p><span>Olga Shikhantsova, partner at Speedinvest, told TNW that in the current fundraising conditions, fintech startups need to be upfront about their timeline for generating revenue and a path to profitability.</span></p> <p><span>“The fintechs out there have to show the path to profitability and better economics. They have to show better revenues per user and that’s where consolidation naturally would be happening. Some of them would be acquiring the others. If this is an extra revenue or extra profit centre, [it’s] very much an appealing opportunity,” Shikhantsova said.</span></p> <p><span>Tony Craddock, who heads up UK industry group The Payments Association with members like Starling Bank and Tink, shares the view that investors have become more “discerning.” </span></p> <p><span>That can mean “less easy money” but a “healthier market domain now,” according to Craddock.</span></p> <p><span>“There is [now] a realistic set of pricing, the business models have to be more carefully proven, they have to be applicable across the whole of the fintech space,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>“We think that’s healthy, we think that the heyday was unsustainable two years ago, expectations and the prices of fintech investment were too high.”</span></p> <h2><b>Changing attitudes of fintech financing</b></h2> <p><span>This change in attitude can be seen in types of startups that are raising capital of late, especially at the seed and Series A stage.</span></p> <p><span>Shikhantsova believes that the era of a one-size-fits-all approach to fintech is over. She anticipates that fintech companies will now target more specific domains and verticals.</span></p> <p><span>One of Shikhantsova’s recent investments is FinRes from Paris, which is developing an <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/artificial-intelligence" rel="noopener" target="_blank">AI</a> platform that assists crop investors by measuring climate and price risks.</span></p> <p><span>“This is more about tailoring for the specific big industries which are absolutely fundamental for an economy versus going with the one-fits-all solution,” she said.</span></p> <p><span>“We do believe in tailoring the product for the industries, agriculture as mentioned, others can be logistics and construction. Many more absolutely huge and fundamental industries can get fintech applications.”</span></p> <p><span>Wealth management is another area of focus for Shikhantsova and Speedinvest as there are “no actual products tailored for the modern people” other than old school private banks.</span></p> <p><span>New consumer-facing fintech companies will face a challenging time, she added.</span></p> <p><span>Well-established players like Monzo have a deeply entrenched value proposition and solid customer bases that will help them weather storms. Also for Monzo and the likes of Starling Bank, their lending business in the current high interest rate environment will be an advantage.</span></p> <p><span>“Any consumer fintech is a very tricky opportunity because you need to hack the market to distribute it to make the economics work,” said Shikhantsova.</span></p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/european-fintech-players-are-bracing-for-market-consolidation/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">European fintech players are bracing for market consolidation</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79826 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-corporates-and-innovation category-data-and-security category-government-and-policy tag-corporates-and-innovation tag-data-and-security tag-government-and-policy ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79826" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads/" aria-label="Read: Meta succumbs to EU pressure, will seek user consent for targeted ads" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79826-meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D05bbc8282bce0b6069efe792ab1ace1e" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure,-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79826-meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D05bbc8282bce0b6069efe792ab1ace1e 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79826-meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d05bbc8282bce0b6069efe792ab1ace1e 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79826-meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d05bbc8282bce0b6069efe792ab1ace1e 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79826-meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d05bbc8282bce0b6069efe792ab1ace1e 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads/" rel="bookmark">Meta succumbs to EU pressure, will seek user consent for targeted ads</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/corporates-and-innovation/" rel="category tag">Corporates and innovation</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/data-and-security/" rel="category tag">Data and security</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/government-and-policy/" rel="category tag">Government and policy</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> August 2, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p><span><a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/meta" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Meta</a> operates a highly targeted advertising model based on the swathes of personal data you share on its platforms, and it makes tens of billions of dollars off it each year. </span></p> <p><span>While these tactics are unlikely to end altogether in the near future, the company could soon offer users in the EU the chance to “opt-in” to the ads, the </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/meta-offers-to-seek-consent-for-highly-personalized-ads-in-europe-b520cbeb" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Wall Street Journal</span></a><span> reports. </span></p> <p><span>Since April, Meta has offered users in Europe the chance to opt out from personalised ads but only if they complete a lengthy form on its help pages. That process has likely limited the number of people who have opted out. </span></p> <p><span>An opt-in option, however, would give users protection by default. That doesn’t mean you won’t be targeted by generalised ads, based on broader demographic data, such as your age, but it would prevent highly personalised ads based on, for instance, the videos you watch or the posts you share. </span><span>Under EU law, a user has to be able to access Meta’s platforms even if they opt out. </span><span> </span></p> <p><span>Meta said the change stems from an </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/irish-privacy-regulator-fines-meta-more-than-400-mln-2023-01-04/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>order in January</span></a> <span>by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) to reassess the legal basis of how it targets ads. </span><span>T</span><span>he proposal comes amid mounting pressure from EU privacy regulators.</span></p> <div> <div id="hs-embed-tnw"> <p><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/events.tnw/hardfork-2018/uploads/visuals/tnw-newsletter.png"></img></p> <div> <p>The <3 of EU tech</p> <p>The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!</p> </div> </div> </div> <p><span>In May, the DPC slapped Meta with </span><a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/eu-fines-meta-record-e1-2b-as-feud-over-data-transfers-to-the-us-escalates" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span>a record €1.2bn fine</span></a><span> over its transfer of user data to the US, which the watchdog said could violate citizens’ privacy under the GDPR. In fact, Meta has amassed </span><a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/gdpr-turns-five-half-the-fines-have-gone-to-meta-facebook" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span>half of the €5bn in fines</span></a><span> issued under the GDPR since the law came into force five years ago. A new set of privacy rules, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), also forced the tech giant to delay the release of its new social app </span><a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-threads-instagram-eu-launch-blocked" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span>Threads</span></a><span> in the EU.</span></p> <p><span>As the EU tightens its grip and the fines pile up, it seems that the social media giant might finally be buckling. The change to its ads consent policy could come into effect in just three months’ time if the EU agrees to the proposal. </span></p> <p><span>Regulations limiting the company’s use of personal data for advertising could be a significant hit to its main source of income. </span><span>The company said the Europe region generated 23% of its</span> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/meta-platforms-facebook-q2-earnings-report-2023-a0297b9c" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>$31.5 billion in advertising revenue</span></a><span> in the second quarter of this year.</span></p> <p><span>However, Max Schrems, the privacy campaigner who filed the original forced consent GDPR </span><a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/max-schrems-files-first-cases-under-gdpr-against-facebook-and-google-1.3508177" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>complaint against Meta</span></a><span> back in May 2018, says he will be closely monitoring exactly how Meta applies the new policy. </span></p> <p><span>“We will see if Meta is actually applying the consent requirement to all use of personal data for ads,” he said via his privacy rights not-for-profit </span><a href="https://noyb.eu/en/5-years-litigation-meta-apparently-switches-consent-behavioral-ads" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>noyb</span></a><span>. </span><span>“So far they talk about ‘highly personalized’ or ‘behavioural’ ads and it’s unclear what this means.</span></p> <p><span>The GDPR covered all types of personalization, also on things like your age, which is not a ‘behaviour’. We will obviously continue litigation if Meta will not apply the law fully.”</span></p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/meta-succumbs-to-eu-pressure-will-seek-user-consent-for-targeted-ads/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Meta succumbs to EU pressure, will seek user consent for targeted ads</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79822 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-apple category-apple-ar category-apple-virtual-reality category-apple-vision-pro category-apple-vr category-news category-vision-pro category-vision-pro-vr tag-apple tag-apple-ar tag-apple-virtual-reality tag-apple-vision-pro tag-apple-vr tag-news tag-vision-pro tag-vision-pro-vr ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79822" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever/" aria-label="Read: Why Apple Can’t Ignore VR Forever" ><img width="341" height="220" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79822-why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="why-apple-can’t-ignore-vr-forever" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79822-why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever.jpg 341w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79822-why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever-300x194.jpg 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79822-why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever-226x146.jpg 226w" sizes="(max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever/" rel="bookmark">Why Apple Can’t Ignore VR Forever</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/apple/" rel="category tag">Apple</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/apple-ar/" rel="category tag">Apple AR</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/apple-virtual-reality/" rel="category tag">apple virtual reality</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/apple-vision-pro/" rel="category tag">apple vision pro</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/apple-vr/" rel="category tag">Apple VR</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/news/" rel="category tag">News</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/vision-pro/" rel="category tag">vision pro</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/vision-pro-vr/" rel="category tag">vision pro vr</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> August 1, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="rtvr-article"> <p>Apple Vision Pro is coming next year, not only making for the Fruit Company’s much awaited first XR headset, but also spurring a resurgence in public interest (and likely investment) in the XR space. At $3,500, Vision Pro is undoubtedly an expensive steppingstone to the company’s future augmented reality ambitions, but even if it’s ostensibly ignoring virtual reality in the meantime, it probably won’t forever.</p> <p>Apple has a tendency to undervalue gaming initially, though perhaps reluctantly, eventually acknowledges its importance. Gaming in XR is considerably enhanced by fully immersive experiences and motion controllers, and Apple will probably start feeling the pressure of that demand from gamers and developers alike when it kicks off a consumer headset sometime down the road, causing them to relent (if only just).</p> <h3>What is Vision Pro?</h3> <p>Like many, Apple is investing in AR today because the headsets and glasses of tomorrow have a good chance of supplanting smartphones and becoming the dominant mobile computing platform of the future. Long considered the holy grail of immersive computing, all-day AR headsets represent a way of interacting with new layers of information in daily life which would span everything from turn-by-turn directions to gaming applications—like Google Maps directions floating on the street in front of your car or a city-wide version of <em>Pokémon Go</em>.</p> <p>Granted, Vision Pro isn’t yet the sort of device you’ll take out to the park to catch a random Zubat or Rattata—it’s very much an indoor device that Apple envisions you’ll use to sit down and watch a virtual TV screen or stand up in place to have an immersive chat with a work colleague. But as an opening gambit, Apple’s initial pitch of Vision Pro has been fairly telling of its strategy for XR.</p> <p>In the ‘one more thing’ bit of the WWDC keynote, Apple lauded Vision Pro’s AR capabilities thanks to its color passthrough cameras, impressively responsive UI, and, from our <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-vision-pro-xr-hands-on-preview">hands-on with the headset</a>, rock-solid hand-tracking. The company focused almost entirely on the work and lifestyle benefits of AR, and much less on the comparatively more closed-off fully immersed capabilities of virtual reality.</p> <figure id="attachment_112757"><a href="https://roadtovrlive-5ea0.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/apple-vision-pro-2.jpg"><img decoding="async" alt="" height="1080" src="https://roadtovrlive-5ea0.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/apple-vision-pro-2.jpg" width="1920"></img></a><figcaption>Image courtesy Apple</figcaption></figure> <p>Considering just how much time and effort Apple has spent talking about AR, you may be surprised to find out Vision Pro can <em>actually play VR games. </em>After all, like Meta Quest Pro or the upcoming Quest 3, it’s basically a VR headset with passthrough cameras—what we’d call a mixed reality headset. In fact, the headset is already <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-vision-pro-social-app-rec-room/">confirmed to support one of VR’s most prominent social VR games</a>.</p> <p>An important piece is intentionally missing however: Vision Pro doesn’t come with VR controllers and <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-reportedly-no-plans-make-support-vr-controllers-vision-pro/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">probably has no plans to support them</a>.</p> <p>Instead, Vision Pro is focusing on eye-tracking and hand-tracking as primary input methods, with support for traditional peripherals like keyboards and mice and gamepads filling in the gaps for work and traditional flatscreen gaming. This means many VR developers looking to target Vision Pro will need to pare down input schemes to refocus on hand-tracking, or create games from the ground-up that don’t rely on the standard triggers, grip buttons, sticks, and half-dozen buttons.</p> <p>Still, many VR games simply won’t translate without controllers, which above all provide important haptic feedback and a bevy of sticks and buttons for more complex inputs. Not only that, Vision Pro’s room-scale VR gaming chops are hobbled by a guardian limit of 10 feet by 10 feet (3m × 3m)—if the player moves any further, the VR experience will fade away, returning to the headset’s default AR view. There’s no such limit for AR apps, putting VR more or less into a virtual corner.</p> <p>Denny Unger, CEO of pioneering VR studio Cloudhead Games, nails it on the head in <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/cloudhead-games-apple-vision-pro-ar-in-vr-clothing-denny-unger/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a recent guest article</a>, saying that Vision Pro “appears to be a VR headset pretending not to be a VR headset.”</p> <h3>Apple’s Chronically Late Adoption</h3> <p>Without speculating too far about into its XR ambitions, it appears Apple is turning somewhat of a new leaf with Vision Pro. The company is reportedly departing from tradition by creating a <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-report-vision-products-group-ar-vr-mr/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">dedicated Vision Products Group (VPG)</a>, which is tasked with spearheading XR product development. Apple typically distributes its product development efforts across more general departments, such as hardware, software, design, services, etc, instead of sectionalizing hardware development into individual product teams, like Mac, Watch, iPad, iPhone, etc.</p> <p>Not only that, but the company is also publicly <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-vision-pro-dev-kit-application-2/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">accepting applications for development kits</a> of the headset and hosting a handful of ‘developer labs’ around the world so that developer can get their hands and heads into the device ahead of time. It’s a decidedly different tactic than what we usually see from Apple.</p> <p>The company’s wider strategy still seems to be in play however. Apple traditionally enters markets where it believes it can make a significant impact and actually own something, making it oftentimes not the first, but in many cases, the most important Big Tech company to validate an emerging market. The paradox here is Apple is actually <em>early</em> to AR, but <em>late</em> to VR. Deemphasizing the now fairly mature VR in favor of potentially creating a stronger foundation for its future AR devices makes a certain amount of sense coming from Apple.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly preparing a more <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-cuts-production-targets-vision-pro/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">consumer-focused follow-up to Vision Pro</a> that will hopefully cost less than a high mileage, but still serviceable 2008 Honda Civic. Whenever Apple pitches that cheaper Vision headset to everyday people, they’ll likely need more entertainment-focused experiences, including fully immersive VR experiences with VR controllers.</p> <figure id="attachment_112840"><a href="https://roadtovrlive-5ea0.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/avp-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="" height="1100" src="https://roadtovrlive-5ea0.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/avp-2.jpg" width="1800"></img></a><figcaption>Image courtesy Apple</figcaption></figure> <p>And while Apple still isn’t positioning Vision Pro as a fully-fledged VR headset, that doesn’t mean it won’t relent in the future like it does with many crowd-pleasing features on iOS that in many cases don’t appear until years after they’ve been available on Android. In classic Apple style, it could offhandedly announce a pair of slick and ergonomic VR controllers as a pricey accessory during any of its annual product updates, and of course pretend it’s some great home-grown achievement.</p> <p>Another big reason Apple may eventually decide to un-hobble a future Vision headset is its strong hold on app revenue. Apple’s XR headsets are on the same path as its iOS devices, which means the company captures a slice of revenue from every app you buy on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Unlike Mac, which by all accounts is a second-class citizen for gaming, iOS devices seem to be getting their act together. Kind of.</p> <p>In some ways the company has only just fully embraced gaming on iOS with the launch of Apple Arcade in 2019, which serves up a curated collection of high-quality games on iOS and Apple TV without any ads or in-app purchases. Still, it’s pretty clear Apple doesn’t have big gaming ambitions—it doesn’t hoover up game publishers or studios like Meta or Microsoft tend to—so if it does unharness Vision’s VR capabilities, it may do so without the same <em>raison virtuelle d’être </em>as Meta or ByteDance (the latter being the TikTok parent company that also owns the Pico XR platform).</p> <p>Provided Apple can secure the same hefty market share with future Vision headsets as it does with iPhone today though, which is around 30%, it may be more inclined to stay competitive with more VR-forward companies. But it isn’t emphasizing VR now, or even really competing against anyone, which may be a safer bet as it ventures into some truly unknown territory. Once the ball gets rolling though, the Cupertino tech giant will have less and less excuse to not toss out a pair of VR controllers and remove some of the arbitrary restrictions it’s imposed.</p> <p>When that might happen, we don’t know, but it does sound awfully Apple-like to sit on much wanted features and eventually release them with a flick of the wrist.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/why-apple-cant-ignore-vr-forever/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Why Apple Can’t Ignore VR Forever</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79808 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-corporates-and-innovation category-ecosystems category-government-and-policy tag-corporates-and-innovation tag-ecosystems tag-government-and-policy ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79808" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation/" aria-label="Read: New hope for Microsoft-Activision deal after UK regulator reopens consultation" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79808-new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Defaeb6dea4b628eacb7c8457a789f4ec" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79808-new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Defaeb6dea4b628eacb7c8457a789f4ec 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79808-new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3defaeb6dea4b628eacb7c8457a789f4ec 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79808-new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3defaeb6dea4b628eacb7c8457a789f4ec 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/79808-new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3defaeb6dea4b628eacb7c8457a789f4ec 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation/" rel="bookmark">New hope for Microsoft-Activision deal after UK regulator reopens consultation</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/corporates-and-innovation/" rel="category tag">Corporates and innovation</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/ecosystems/" rel="category tag">Ecosystems</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/government-and-policy/" rel="category tag">Government and policy</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> August 1, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div> <article id="articleOutput"> <div> <figure> <img alt="New hope for Microsoft-Activision deal after UK regulator reopens consultation" data-src="https://img-cdn.tnwcdn.com/image?fit=1280%2C720&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2023%2F07%2FUntitled-design-5-8.jpg&signature=186c2d5df40312153ffea40873ea09f6" data- ></img> </figure> </p></div> <div> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>The UK’s antitrust watchdog has called for more public input on Microsoft’s bid for Activision-Blizzard, renewing hopes that the deal will be approved.</p> <p><span>The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) originally <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/uk-competition-watchdog-blocks-microsofts-acquisition-activision" rel="noopener" target="_blank">blocked</a> the $69bn (€63bn) merger in April. At the time, the regulator cited concerns that Microsoft would gain an unfair edge in cloud <a data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-934287_1021="364024" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-934287_1021="1" data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen-934287_1021="364024" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-934287_1021="100" href="https://thenextweb.com/gaming" rel="noopener" target="_blank">gaming</a> and that consumer choice would be inhibited.</span></p> <p><span>The shock move was a potentially fatal blow to the takeover of Activision, which owns the <em>Call of Duty</em>, <em>Candy Crush</em>, and <em>Warcraft</em> franchises. Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, called the decision “bad for Britain” and his company’s “darkest day” in the country. He promised to appeal the ruling.</span></p> <p><span>As the backlash grew, the CMA increasingly became an outlier among regulators. In July, the European Commission rubber-stamped the acquisition, after Microsoft made a deal with arch-rival Sony to keep <em>Call of Duty</em> on PlayStation. Days later, the US Federal Trade Commission — another chief opponent of the bid — failed to secure an injunction against the transaction.</span></p> <p>In light of these developments, Microsoft asked the CMA to reconsider the takeover. In response, the regulator has agreed to reopen its consultation.</p> <p>Both the public and businesses have been invited to provide input on the merger. The deadline for comments is this Friday.</p> <p data-testid="paragraph-4">“Submissions of this nature are possible but are very rare,” a CMA spokesperson said on Monday. “We will consider <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c76983331a650014934e7c/A._Microsoft_submission.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Microsoft’s submissions</a> carefully, along with other responses from interested parties, ahead of the 29 August statutory deadline.”<span> </span><span> </span></p> <p data-testid="paragraph-5">If you’d like to provide comments, you can email them to <a href="http://thenextweb.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bff2d6dccdd0ccd0d9cb91fedccbd6c9d6ccd6d0d1ffdcd2de91d8d0c991cad4"><span data-cfemail="82cfebe1f0edf1ede4f6acc3e1f6ebf4ebf1ebedecc2e1efe3ace5edf4acf7e9">[email protected]</span></a>.</p> </p></div> <div id="nl-container"> <h2>Get the TNW newsletter</h2> <p>Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.</p> </p></div> <h2>Also tagged with</h2> <p></br> </div> </article></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/new-hope-for-microsoft-activision-deal-after-uk-regulator-reopens-consultation/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">New hope for Microsoft-Activision deal after UK regulator reopens consultation</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79798 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-ai category-artificial-intelligence category-business category-featured category-hr category-immersive-technology category-interview tag-ai tag-artificial-intelligence tag-business tag-featured tag-hr tag-immersive-technology tag-interview ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79798" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges/" aria-label="Read: Why Emerging Tech is Both the Cause and Solution of Tomorrow’s Labor Challenges" ><img width="1024" height="681" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79798-why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges-1024x681.webp" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrow’s-labor-challenges" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79798-why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges-1024x681.webp 1024w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79798-why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges-300x200.webp 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79798-why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges-768x511.webp 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79798-why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges-220x146.webp 220w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79798-why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges.webp 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges/" rel="bookmark">Why Emerging Tech is Both the Cause and Solution of Tomorrow’s Labor Challenges</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/ai/" rel="category tag">AI</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/artificial-intelligence/" rel="category tag">Artificial Intelligence</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/business/" rel="category tag">business</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/featured/" rel="category tag">featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/hr/" rel="category tag">HR</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/immersive-technology/" rel="category tag">Immersive Technology</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/interview/" rel="category tag">interview</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> July 31, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div> <p>The post-pandemic workforce is experiencing several significant shifts, particularly in how organizations tackle labor challenges and approach talent acquisition. One of the key factors for this disruption is the emergence of new, game-changing technologies like <a href="https://arpost.co/2022/01/04/artificial-intelligence-reshape-ar-vr-mr/">AI</a> and machine learning.</p> <p>Today’s organizations are facing staffing needs and talent shortages due to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Resignation" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Great Resignation</a>, prompting them to respond to an uncertain future by shifting how they approach the talent acquisition process.</p> <p>For this article, we interviewed Nathan Robinson, CEO of the workforce learning platform <a href="https://thegemba.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Gemba</a>, to discuss the future of work and the workplace. We’ll also shed more light on how new technologies and developments are shaping the future of talent acquisition.</p> <h2><b>Rethinking the Traditional Talent Acquisition Process</b></h2> <p>According to Robinson, today’s talent acquisition process vastly differs from what it was like a few years ago. With the emerging technologies such as AI, <a href="https://arpost.co/category/technology/virtual-reality/">VR</a>, and quantum computing, many jobs considered in demand today didn’t even exist a decade ago. He adds that this trend will only become even more pronounced as technological advancements continue to rise.</p> <p>“<i>As a result, corporations will no longer be able to rely on higher education to supply a steady stream of necessary talent. Instead, organizations will have to hire candidates based on their ability and willingness to learn and then provide the necessary training themselves</i>,” he remarked.</p> <p>He added that, up to a year ago, no one had ever heard of ChatGPT and no one even knew what “generative AI” meant. Today, you can find job listings for prompt engineers and prominent language model specialists. Robinson also shared that technological advancement isn’t linear, with each innovation advancing and accelerating the pace of development, which can potentially change how organizations approach the talent acquisition process.</p> <p>“<i>We can rightly assume that in five or ten years’ time, there will be a whole host of new positions that today we can’t reasonably predict, much less expect there to be a sufficient number of individuals already skilled or trained in that role,” </i>Robinson told us.<i> “That’s why we will almost certainly see a renewed focus on talent development, as opposed to acquisition, in the near future</i>.”</p> <h2><b>How Emerging Technologies Are Changing How Organizations Look At and Acquire Talent</b></h2> <p>According to Robinson, some of the factors that have prompted this shift include the pandemic, the rise of remote and hybrid work, the Great Resignation, and <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-quiet-quitting-6743910" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quiet Quitting</a>. He noted that because of these shifts, the “goals and psychology of the modern worker have changed dramatically.”</p> <p>“<i>This is why now, more than ever before, organizations must be clear and intentional about the culture they cultivate, the quality of life they afford, and the opportunities for learning and growth they provide their employees,” </i>Robinson said. <i>“These types of ‘non-traditional’ considerations are beginning to outweigh the cut-and-dry, compensation-focused costs associated with attracting top talent in some senses</i>.”</p> <p>He also shared that this new talent acquisition process can impact organizations over time, promoting them to shift away from recruitment and instead focus more on internal employee development. According to a <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/what-will-hr-focus-on-in-2023" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Gartner report</a>, 46% of HR leaders see recruitment as their top priority.</p> <p>However, Robinson thinks that, as new technologies offer better solutions to labor challenges, such as on-the-job training, this number will steadily decline as HR professionals gradually focus on developing existing talent.</p> <h2><b>Emerging Tech as Both the Cause and Solution of Future Labor Challenges</b></h2> <p>“<i>Advanced technologies, such as AI, XR, and quantum computing, are the driving force behind the looming skills gap in that they are leading to the development of new types of roles for which we have very few trained professionals</i>,” said Robinson.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">World Economic Forum report</a> highlights that by 2027, it’s estimated that machines will instead complete <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/infographics-2128e451e0" rel="noopener" target="_blank">43% of tasks</a> that used to be completed by humans. This is a significant shift from 2022’s 34%. Moreover, it’s estimated that <a href="https://www.weforum.org/press/2020/01/the-reskilling-revolution-better-skills-better-jobs-better-education-for-a-billion-people-by-2030/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">1.1 billion jobs</a> may potentially be transformed by technology in the next ten years.</p> <p>While emerging technologies are prompting labor challenges, they can also be seen as a solution. Robinson adds that these emerging technologies, particularly XR, can help organizations overcome the skills gap. According to him, such technologies can help organizations facilitate more efficient, cost-effective, and engaging <a href="https://arpost.co/category/application/education-training/">training</a> and development, thus allowing them to overcome such challenges.</p> <p>To help potential employees overcome the upcoming skills disconnect, Robinson notes that the training should begin with management, using top-down managerial strategies and lean and agile development methodologies.</p> <h2><b>Overcoming Today’s Labor Challenges</b></h2> <p>“<i>Today, talent acquisition is seen as a key differentiator between successful and unsuccessful companies. While I think that will continue to hold true, I also think it will soon take a backseat to employee training and development,” </i>Robinson said.<i> “The industry leader will no longer be whoever is able to poach the best talent. It will soon be whoever is able to train and develop their existing talent to keep pace with the changing technological and economic landscape</i>.”</p> <p>At the end of the day, according to Robinson, embracing the unknown future of work and the workplace is about being ready for anything.</p> <p>“<i>As the rate of technological advancement continues to accelerate, the gap between what we imagine the near future will be and what it actually looks like will only grow</i>,” Robinson remarked. He suggests that instead of trying to predict every last development, it’s better to be agile and ready for the unpredictable. This means staying on top of new technologies and investing in tools to help organizations become more agile.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/why-emerging-tech-is-both-the-cause-and-solution-of-tomorrows-labor-challenges/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Why Emerging Tech is Both the Cause and Solution of Tomorrow’s Labor Challenges</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-79774 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-among-us category-among-us-vr category-innersloth category-news category-robot-teddy category-schell-games category-vr-game tag-among-us tag-among-us-vr tag-innersloth tag-news tag-robot-teddy tag-schell-games tag-vr-game ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-79774" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/among-us-vr-gets-new-polus-point-map-trailer-here/" aria-label="Read: ‘Among Us VR’ Gets New Polus Point Map, Trailer Here" ><img width="341" height="220" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79774-among-us-vr-gets-new-polus-point-map-trailer-here.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="‘among-us-vr’-gets-new-polus-point-map,-trailer-here" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79774-among-us-vr-gets-new-polus-point-map-trailer-here.jpg 341w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79774-among-us-vr-gets-new-polus-point-map-trailer-here-300x194.jpg 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/79774-among-us-vr-gets-new-polus-point-map-trailer-here-226x146.jpg 226w" sizes="(max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/among-us-vr-gets-new-polus-point-map-trailer-here/" rel="bookmark">‘Among Us VR’ Gets New Polus Point Map, Trailer Here</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/among-us/" rel="category tag">among us</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/among-us-vr/" rel="category tag">among us vr</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/innersloth/" rel="category tag">innersloth</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/news/" rel="category tag">News</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/robot-teddy/" rel="category tag">robot teddy</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/schell-games/" rel="category tag">schell games</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/vr-game/" rel="category tag">VR Game</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> July 28, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="rtvr-article"> <p><em>Among Us VR (2022), </em>the standalone VR version of the hit party game, just got a new map called Polus Point.</p> <p>Just in time for mass heat waves comes Polus Point, a decidedly chilly (and sometimes hot) addition to<em> Among Us VR</em>.</p> <p>The studios say the new map includes over 50% more tasks, including a contraption called ‘THE CLAW’, nine new rooms for hidden objects, new kill and ejection animations, and snowstorms. And lava?</p> <p><em>Among Us VR</em> is also getting exclusive hat releases, with five free hats launching with the Polus Point map alongside a new ‘Polus Point Picks’ hat pack DLC, which contains five paid hats.</p> <p>You’ll find the new map on all supported platforms, including <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/4948428055244413/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quest 2</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1849900/Among_Us_VR/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">SteamVR headsets</a>.</p> <p>There’s no word yet on when to expect the PSVR 2 version of the game, with creators Innersloth and Schell Games staying mum on the subject for now.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9rEUEXe3ECU?feature=oembed" title="Among Us VR 🚨 Polus Point Map || Launch Trailer" width="640">

‘Among Us VR’ Gets New Polus Point Map, Trailer Here Read More »

Meta Releases Anti-piracy Tools for Quest Devs, Including Hardware-based App Bans & More

anti-piracy, hardware app bans, Meta, meta quest, Meta Quest 2, News, piracy, quest hack, quest piracy, VR Hardware, vr piracy, vr security / Paul Patrick / July 28, 2023

Meta announced it’s introducing new anti-piracy measures for Quest developers that the company says will protect VR apps from “unauthorized modifications and potential security breaches.”

Called the Platform Integrity Attestation API (Attestation API), Meta says its new system is designed to detect whether an app’s server is interacting with an untampered VR device, thereby ensuring whether an app is authentic or not.

The Attestation API includes things like secure device authentication, hardware-based app bans, protection of financial and enterprise app data, prevention of external data misuse, and other anti-piracy measures.

In a developer blogpost, Meta calls it “increasingly important to instill a consistent method for validating the integrity of apps in order to provide a secure and safe user experience for everyone.”

It remains to be seen what effects this will have on modding communities, since modders for Quest games such as Beat Saber may inadvertently run afoul of the new token system at the core of the Attestation API.

“Once integrated, the API will provide you with an ‘attestation token,’ which you can use to determine if an app running on a Meta device has been tampered with,” Meta says. “This token is cryptographically signed by the Attestation Server to reinforce the security and reliability of the attestation process.”

At the time of this writing, we have not yet received a response for comment from Meta on what effects it may have on those communities. We’ll update this piece when/if we do.

Meta is allowing developers to opt-in now for their Quest apps, which spans Quest 2, Quest Pro, and the upcoming Quest 3, which is slated to launch in late 2023. Meta has published documentation for both Unity and Native.

Meta Releases Anti-piracy Tools for Quest Devs, Including Hardware-based App Bans & More Read More »

Sony Details PSVR 2 Prototypes from Conception to Production

News, PlayStation VR 2, ps vr 2, ps vr2, psvr 2, psvr 2 prototypes, psvr prototypes, psvr2, VR development, VR Hardware Design / Paul Patrick / July 28, 2023

Sony released a peek into the prototyping stages that led to PSVR 2, showing off a number of test units for both the headset and controllers.

In an extensive interview on the PS blog, PSVR 2’s Product Manager Yasuo Takahashi reveals the development process behind Sony’s latest VR headset.

Takahashi reveals that detailed discussions on the company’s next-gen PSVR began in earnest after the launch of the original in 2016. From there, the team started prototyping various technologies for PSVR 2 starting in early 2017.

Below is a condensed version of the interview, including all provided photos. If you want to read the full article, click here.

Challenges of Design & Optimization

Maintaining a light and compact design while implementing new features was a challenge, Takahashi says, requiring the teams to work closely to produce detailed technical estimates and optimize the design.

Prototype for testing inside-out in tracking cameras with evaluation board | Image courtesy Sony

While comfort was a significant focus during the development process, the initial prototype focused on evaluating functionality rather than weight.

All of that top bulk is dedicated to inside-out camera evaluation boards which would eventually be shrunk down to an SoC embedded within the headset.

Room-scale & Eye-tracking Tech

Various prototypes were created and tested before integration including both inside-out and outside-in tracking methods. Of course, we know inside-out tracking was eventually the winner, but it’s interesting to note the company was at one point still considering an outside-in approach, similar to the original PSVR.

Eye-tracking tech was also explored as a new UI feature in addition to foveated rendering, which allows developer to push the boundaries of PS5’s VR rendering capabilities and serve up higher-fidelity visuals in games.

Testing and optimizing eye tracking took time, considering different eye colors and accommodating players wearing glasses.

Eye-tracking evaluation prototype 2 | Image courtesy Sony

Comfort & Design

The development team assessed comfort and wearability, evaluating numerous configurations based on the headset’s expected weight. The team put a lot of thought into the materials and shape to make the headset feel lightweight while maintaining strength.

A cool ‘skeleton’ prototype shows all of the pieces of the puzzle together, also showing the headset’s halo strap, which like the original PSVR, keeps the bulk of the weight off the user’s forehead. This one should definitely get a spot on the museum shelves (or maybe a fun mid-generation release?).

The ‘skeleton’ prototype | Image courtesy Sony

Headset haptics were also added as a new feature based on the idea of using the rumble motor from the DualShock 4 wireless controller.

PSVR 2 Sense Controllers

The PSVR 2 Sense controllers were developed in parallel with the headset, starting discussions in 2016 and prototyping in 2017.

Features like haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and finger-touch detection were early additions, although the team was still sussing out tracking. Notice the Move-style tracking sphere on the tip of an early prototype.

The final shape of the Sense controller was achieved through extensive prototyping and user testing to ensure a comfortable fit and optimized center of gravity.

Here you can see a number of IR tracking marker configurations that would eventually settle on the production model’s current form.

While Sony is undoubtedly sitting on a lot more prototypes than this—they began prototype when the original PSVR had only been in the wild for less than a year—it’s an interesting look at how Takahashi’s team eventually settled on the current form and function of what will likely be PS5’s only VR headset for years to come.

If you’re interested to learn more, check out the full interview with Takahashi.

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Space Invaders Celebrates 45th Anniversary With a New AR Game

AR games, ARCore, augmented reality, featured / Paul Patrick / July 26, 2023

Space Invaders is a shooting video game created by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978 and manufactured and sold by TAITO. It was the first fixed shooter video game and is considered one of the most iconic arcade games ever. As Space Invaders turns 45, TAITO teams up with Google and UNIT9 to give its players an elevated AR gaming experience with Google’s ARCore Geospatial API.

TAITO and Google partnered with global production and innovation studio UNIT9 to transform Space Invaders into an immersive AR game in honor of its 45th anniversary. Players can defend their real-world neighborhoods from 3D invaders emerging from nearby buildings and landmarks.

Meet “SPACE INVADERS: World Defense” AR Game

The reimagined iconic video game is SPACE INVADERS: World Defense, a sequel to the original game. It gives players access to enhanced weapons so they can defend their neighborhoods more effectively. New music and sound effects were also added for a more exhilarating and immersive experience.

Space Invaders AR game gameplay

The most remarkable update, however, is the real-time response to location-specific patterns and nearby buildings. It means that the AR game adapts to the player’s real-life surroundings. For example, if it’s raining, the virtual environment may also show rain, and if there’s a tall building at the player’s location, there will also be a tall building in the AR realm where an Invader may emerge from.

SPACE INVADERS: World Defense Gameplay

The original game’s classic characters and high-score mechanics are preserved in the AR game SPACE INVADERS: World Defense. The difference is that players should explore their virtual neighborhoods to find Space Invaders and defeat them. They can unlock special power-ups, compete with their friends within their location, and take an AR selfie to post on social media.

AR game Space Invaders

Players can easily switch between the World Dimension and Invaders Dimension via a portal. The virtual, 3D Invader world changes in sync with the natural environment, allowing players to complete missions in both the virtual world and the natural world’s AR view.

Harnessing the Power of Google’s ARCore and Geospatial API

UNIT9 harnessed the power of Google’s ARCore and Geospatial API to develop the next-level AR gaming experience of SPACE INVADERS: World Defense. ARCore is a software development kit (SDK) developers use to create AR applications across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Unity, and the Web. It seamlessly merges the digital and physical worlds, allowing users to interact with virtual objects in the AR adaptation of their natural surroundings.

As one of the top AR SDKs, the other prominent capabilities of ARCore include tracking the orientation and position of the user’s device, matching the lighting of virtual objects with their surroundings, detecting the location and size of various surface types, and integrating with existing tools like Unreal and Unity.

Phone screens Space Invaders - Invader Dimension

Combined with Geospatial API, which remotely attaches content to any area Google Street View covers, ARCore integrates geometric data from Google Maps Street View into SPACE INVADERS: World Defense, displaying accurate terrain and building information within a 100-meter radius of the player’s location.

The Beginning of an Exciting New Era

According to UNIT9’s Head of Digital, Media Ridha, Google Geospatial API’s launch marks the beginning of an exciting new era for digital experiences tied to real-world locations that are not only limited to games but for any brand experience linked to a specific place. “It was an honor to work with Google and TAITO to translate one of the most famous IPs out there into the next wave of AR gaming and create an experience that fans of all ages around the world can enjoy,” Ridha said in a press release shared with ARPost.

Matthieu Lorrain, global head of creative innovation at Google Labs Partnerships, is excited to see more developers leverage their platform to push the boundaries of geolocalized experiences. “[Google’s Geospatial API] allowed us to celebrate the iconic Space Invaders game by turning the world into a global playground,” said Lorrain.

SPACE INVADERS: World Defense officially launched on July 17, 2023, and is available on iOS and Android. Players in key markets, including Europe, Japan, and the USA, can download the AR game on their mobile devices and defeat Invaders in the real world, made more immersive with augmented reality.

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