developers

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Amazon virtually kills efforts to develop Alexa Skills, disappointing dozens

alexa, Amazon, amazon alexa, developers, generative ai, Tech / /

disincentives —

Most devs would need to pay out of pocket to host Alexa apps after June.

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amazon echo dot gen 4

Enlarge / The 4th-gen Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker.

Amazon

Alexa hasn’t worked out the way Amazon originally planned.

There was a time when it thought that Alexa would yield a robust ecosystem of apps, or Alexa Skills, that would make the voice assistant an integral part of users’ lives. Amazon envisioned tens of thousands of software developers building valued abilities for Alexa that would grow the voice assistant’s popularity—and help Amazon make some money.

But about seven years after launching a rewards program to encourage developers to build Skills, Alexa’s most preferred abilities are the basic ones, like checking the weather. And on June 30, Amazon will stop giving out the monthly Amazon Web Services credits that have made it free for third-party developers to build and host Alexa Skills. The company also recently told devs that its Alexa Developer Rewards program was ending, virtually disincentivizing third-party devs to build for Alexa.

Death knell for third-party Alexa apps

The news has left dozens of Alexa Skills developers wondering if they have a future with Alexa, especially as Amazon preps a generative AI and subscription-based version of Alexa. “Dozens” may sound like a dig at Alexa’s ecosystem, but it’s an estimation based on a podcast from Skills developers Mark Tucker and Allen Firstenberg, who, in a recent podcast, agreed that “dozens” of third-party devs were contemplating if it’s still worthwhile to develop Alexa skills. The casual summary wasn’t stated as a hard fact or confirmed by Amazon but, rather, seemed like a rough and quick estimation based on the developers’ familiarity with the Skills community. But with such minimal interest and money associated with Skills, dozens isn’t an implausible figure either.

Amazon admitted that there’s little interest in its Skills incentives programs. Bloomberg reported that “fewer than 1 percent of developers were using the soon-to-end programs,” per Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild.

“Today, with over 160,000 skills available for customers and a well-established Alexa developer community, these programs have run their course, and we decided to sunset them,” she told the publication.

The writing on the wall, though, is that Amazon doesn’t have the incentive or money to grow the Alexa app ecosystem it once imagined. Voice assistants largely became money pits, and the Alexa division has endured recent layoffs as it fights for survival and relevance. Meanwhile, Google Assistant stopped using third-party apps in 2022.

“Many developers are now going to need to make some tough decisions about maintaining existing or creating future experiences on Alexa,” Tucker said via a LinkedIn post.

Alexa Skills criticized as “useless”

As of this writing, the top Alexa skills, in order, are: Jeopardy, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and Calm. That’s not exactly a futuristic list of must-have technological feats. For years, people have wondered when the “killer app” would come to catapult Alexa’s popularity. But now it seems like Alexa’s only hope at that killer use case is generative AI (a gamble filled with its own obstacles).

But like Amazon, third-party developers found it hard to make money off Skills, with a rare few pointing to making thousands of dollars at most and the vast majority not making anything.

“If you can’t make money off it, no one’s going to seriously engage,” Joseph “Jo” Jaquinta, a developer who had made over 12 Skills, told CNET in 2017.

By 2018, Amazon had paid developers millions to grow Alexa Skills. But by 2020, Amazon reduced the amount of money it paid out to third-party developers, an anonymous source told Bloomberg, The source noted that the apps made by paid developers weren’t making the company much money. Come 2024, the most desirable things you can make Alexa do remain basic tasks, like playing a song and apparently trivia games.

Amazon hasn’t said it’s ending Skills. That would seem premature considering that its Alexa chatbot isn’t expected until June. Developers can still make money off Skills with in-app purchases, but the incentive is minimal.

“Developers like you have and will play a critical role in the success of Alexa, and we appreciate your continued engagement,” Amazon’s notice to devs said, per Bloomberg.

We’ll see how “critical” Amazon treats those remaining developers once its generative AI chatbot is ready.

Amazon virtually kills efforts to develop Alexa Skills, disappointing dozens Read More »

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Treedis Transforms Physical Spaces Into Hybrid Experiences With a New Augmented Reality App

AR Apps, content creation, developers, Development, digital twin, featured, Immersive Technology, XR experiences / /

Augmented reality (AR) transforms how we view the world and do things. Since its first introduction in the 1960s, it has rapidly developed and been used extensively in fashion, marketing, the military, aviation, manufacturing, tourism, and many others.

Consumers are increasingly becoming adept at using augmented reality apps to try on products, learn new things, and discover information about their surroundings. Research shows that 56% of shoppers cite AR as giving them more confidence about a product’s quality, and 61% prefer to shop with retailers with AR experiences.

Aside from its impact on brands, AR is also transforming how companies operate internally by introducing better ways to perform jobs, train employees, and develop new designs.

No-Code Platform for Creating Your Own Immersive Experience

Creating AR experiences is no walk in the park. Firms that want to implement their own augmented reality apps require working with talented in-house app builders or purchasing from third-party app builders, with costs ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Treedis platform

Treedis makes the process simple with its Software-as-a-Service platform, which helps users create immersive experiences using a no-code drag-and-drop visual editor. Users can create digital, virtual reality, and augmented reality dimensions of their digital twin with just a single scan.

Digital twins are immersive, interactive, and accurate 3D models of physical spaces. They’re a digital replica of devices, people, processes, and systems whose purpose is to create cost-effective simulations that help decision-makers make data-driven choices.

Powered by Matterport technology, Treedis helps companies create these immersive experiences for retail, training, marketing, onboarding, games, and more.

Enhancing Digital Twins With an Augmented Reality App

According to Treedis CEO Omer Shamay, the Treedis augmented reality app helps you “view enhanced versions of your digital twins within their physical counterparts.” You can visualize any changes or modifications in real time and view all the 3D objects, tags, directions, and content in the digital twin.

“Any changes made to your digital twin will be instantly visible in AR, ensuring seamless collaboration and communication across your team,” Shamay adds.

The platform helps 3D creators and enterprises create an immersive and powerful digital experience for their users, so they can fully harness the benefits of AR solutions without huge developmental costs or challenges.

It can be used extensively for creating unique shopping experiences that incorporate elements of virtual commerce and gamification features. It’s ideal for developing immersive learning experiences to help learners grasp concepts better through physical interaction with their environment. The app can also be used to provide indoor navigation for guiding visitors to different access points and key locations within a space.

Treedis augmented reality app

The app is already available for Treedis’ enterprise users and promises to be “an accessible app with low prices and an easy-to-use AR solution,” according to Shamay.

With AR becoming more accessible, it won’t be long before more brands and firms adapt the technology and provide better and enhanced experiences to their audiences.

Treedis Transforms Physical Spaces Into Hybrid Experiences With a New Augmented Reality App Read More »

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Wonderland Engine Is Here to Make WebXR Development Faster and Easier

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WebXR development is increasingly popular. Developers want to create content that users can enjoy without having to install apps or check the compatibility of their devices.

One of the companies working for the advancement of immersive technologies, Wonderland GmbH, based in Cologne, Germany, has recently announced one giant leap forward in this process. They have recently released Wonderland Engine 1.0.0, a WebXR development platform already vouched for by top content creators.

Wonderland Engine 1.0.0 – Bringing Native XR Performance to WebXR Development

What is special about the new engine launched by Wonderland? Its first benefit is the ability to mimic native XR performance. Before its launch, Wonderland Engine 1.0.0 passed the test of content creators.

WebXR development platform Wonderland Engine editor vr website with browser

Vhite Rabbit XR and Paradowski Creative, two companies creating XR games, used the engine to develop content. The Escape Artist, an upcoming title by Paradowski Creative, is created with Wonderland Engine 1.0.p0, and its developers say that it matches native games in terms of polish and quality.

“We’re excited to announce this foundational version of Wonderland Engine, as we seek to bridge the gap between native XR app development and WebXR,” said the CEO and founder of Wonderland, Jonathan Hale, in a press release shared with ARPost. “We see a bright future for the WebXR community, for its developers, hardware, support, and content.”

Top Features of Wonderland Engine 1.0.0

The developers who choose Wonderland GmbH’s WebXR development platform to create content will be able to use the following:

  • Full 8th Wall integration – complete integration of 8th Wall AR tracking features such as face tracking, image tracking, SLAM, and VPS;
  • Runtime API rewrite – better code completion, static checks for bugs before running the code, and complete isolation for integration with other libraries;
  • Translation tools – necessary for the localization of WebXR content;
  • Benchmarking framework – to check for content performance on various devices.

Developers can find the complete list of features and bug fixes on the official release page.

According to the company, Wonderland Engine users can launch their first running app into the browser in less than two minutes. With a bit of experience, users can build a multi-user environment that supports VR, AR, and 3D in 10 minutes, as demonstrated in this video.

The XR Development Platform Is Optimized for VR Browsers

To indicate their commitment to helping content creators, Wonderland GmbH is optimizing their tool specifically for the most popular VR browsers: Meta Quest Browser, Pico Browser, and Wolvic.  

Wonderland Engine WebXR meta browser

Wonderland Engine-based apps support any headset that has a browser available. Also, any headset released in the future will automatically be supported, if it has a browser. Apps created with Wonderland Engine can also run on mobile devices through the browser, as Progressive Web Apps (PWA), which also allows them to run offline.

Apart from the two game development companies mentioned above, the company is also working with various content creators.

“It was crucial to bring the whole ecosystem with us to test and validate the changes we made. This resulted in a highly reliable base to build upon in upcoming versions,” Hale said. “By making it easier to build XR on the web we hope to attract developers and content creators to WebXR. We see WebXR truly being able to rival native apps and offer consumers a rich world of rapidly accessible content to enjoy.”

Meet the Wonderland Team at AWE USA 2023

The creators of Wonderland Engine 1.0.0 will present the WebXR development platform at AWE USA 2023 (use ARPost’s discount code 23ARPOSTD for 20% off your ticket), which is taking place in Santa Clara, CA between May 31 and June 2.

The company is one of the sponsors of the event and will also be present at the event in booth no. 605.

Wonderland Engine Is Here to Make WebXR Development Faster and Easier Read More »

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Croquet for Unity: A New Era for Multiplayer Development With “No Netcode” Solution

AR development, developers, Development, Games, News, unity, VR development, XR experience / /

Croquet, the multiplayer platform for web and gaming, which took home the WebXR Platform of the Year award at this year’s Polys WebXR Awards, recently announced Croquet for Unity.

Croquet for Unity is an innovative JavaScript multiplayer framework for Unity – a platform for creating interactive, real-time 3D content – that simplifies development by eliminating multiplayer code and server setup. It connects developers with the distinct global architecture of the Croquet Multiplayer Network. The framework was demonstrated at GDC last week, while early access beta is arriving in April 2023.

Effortless Networking for Developers

Croquet for Unity alleviates the developers’ need to generate and sustain networking code. By employing Croquet’s Synchronized Computation Architecture, server-side programming and traditional servers become unnecessary.

Users connect through the Croquet Multiplayer Network, which consists of Reflectors—stateless microservers located across four continents—that guarantee smooth and uniform experiences for gamers.

Synchronizing Computation for Flawless Multiplayer

At its essence, Croquet focuses on synchronizing not only the state but also its progression over time. By harmonizing computation, Croquet eliminates the need to transmit the outcomes of intricate computations like physics or AI.

It also eliminates the necessity for particular data structures or sync indicators for designated objects. As a result, crafting multiplayer code becomes akin to creating single-player code, with the full game simulation executing on-device.

Shared Virtual Computers for Perfect Sync

A shared virtual computer runs identically on all clients, providing perfect synchronization and giving each player a unique perspective. Lightweight reflectors can be positioned at the edge of the cloud or in a 5G network’s MEC, offering lower latency than older architectures.

In addition, synchronized calculations performed on each client will replace traditional server computations, resulting in reduced bandwidth and improved latency.

Unprecedented Shared Multiplayer Simulations

Croquet not only facilitates multiplayer development but also enables previously unfeasible shared multiplayer simulations. Examples include real-time interactive physics as a fundamental game feature, fully reproduced non-player character behaviors, and sophisticated player interactions that allow players to interact while the game is live.

Due to bandwidth limits and intrinsic complexity, traditional networks are incapable of supporting these simulations.

“Innately Multiplayer” Games With No Netcode

“Multiplayer games are the most important and fastest-growing part of the gaming market. But building and maintaining multiplayer games is still just too hard,” said David A. Smith, founder and CTO of Croquet, in a press release shared with ARPost. “Croquet takes the netcode out of creating multiplayer games. When we say, ‘innately multiplayer,’ we mean games are multiuser automatically from the first line of code and not as an afterthought writing networking code to make it multiplayer.”

Croquet’s goal is to simplify developing multiplayer games, making it as easy as building single-player games. By removing netcode creation and administration, developers can concentrate on improving player experiences while benefiting from reduced overall creation and distribution costs, a speedier time to market, and enhanced player satisfaction.

Opening Doors for Indie Developers

Croquet for Unity is created for a wide range of gaming developers, but it is highly advantageous for small, independent developers that often find it more difficult to create multiplayer games because of the absence of in-house networking and backend technical background.

Secure Your Spot on the Croquet for Unity Beta Waitlist

Developers can sign up for the Beta Waitlist to access the Croquet for Unity beta, launching in April.The Croquet for Unity Package will be available in the Unity Asset Store upon commercial release for free, requiring a Croquet gaming or enterprise subscription and developer API key for global Croquet Multiplayer Network access.

Croquet for Unity: A New Era for Multiplayer Development With “No Netcode” Solution Read More »

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NVIDIA CloudXR 4.0 Enables Developers to Customize the SDK and Scale XR Deployment

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In January, NVIDIA announced new products and innovations at CES 2023. At this year’s NVIDIA GTC, “the developer conference for the era of AI and the metaverse,” NVIDIA announced the latest release of CloudXR. Businesses can definitely look forward to boosting their AR and VR capabilities with the new NVIDIA CloudXR developments, enhanced to bring more flexibility and scalability for XR deployments.

The latest release augurs well for developers looking to improve the customer experience while using their apps whether on the cloud, through 5G Mobile Edge Computing, or corporate networks.

In CloudXR 4.0, new APIs allow flexibility in the development of client apps as well as in using various distribution points to deliver XR experiences. Scalability in multi-platform use is another plus as broader options for CloudXR interface are likewise made available. The new NVIDIA CloudXR also makes it possible for developers to create custom user interfaces through the use of Unity plug-in architecture.

Among the benefits that developers can enjoy with the new NVIDIA CloudXR 4.0 are:

  • No Need for OpenVR or OpenXR Runtime – CloudXR Server API lets developers build CloudXR directly into their applications, although OpenVR API via the SteamVR runtime continues to be fully supported by the new version.
  • More Deployment Options With the Use of the Unity Plug-in – Developers can build on the Unity engine and create a full-featured CloudXR Client using Unity APIs.

NVIDIA CloudXR 4.0 - Unity Plug-in

  • Reduced Lag and Delay Problems Through the l4s Technology – Lags on interactive cloud-based video streaming are reduced as the new NVIDIA CloudXR release makes use of a convenient “togglable” feature in the implementation of the advanced 5G packet delivery optimization.

More Immersive Experiences With the New NVIDIA CloudXR Developments

The new NVIDIA CloudXR developments now make it possible to provide more immersive high-fidelity XR experiences to the users. Developers and businesses can offer high-performance XR streaming to their customers through the most accessible platforms and devices. They can now customize their applications to give the kind of XR experiences their customers are looking for.

“At VMware we’re using NVIDIA CloudXR to enable our customers to stream high-fidelity XR experiences from platforms, like VMware Horizon, to standalone VR devices running VMware Workspace ONE XR Hub,” said VMware Director of Product Management, Matt Coppinger, in a press release shared with ARPost. “This gives our customers the power of a graphics workstation along with the mobility of a standalone VR device.” 

With CloudXR 4.0, developers are able to improve integrations and consequently the overall performance of their apps and solutions.

NVIDIA also revealed strategic partnerships with tech companies like Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom to ensure that integrations, specifically of the L4S, into the new NVIDIA CloudXR developments, are implemented seamlessly.

The availability of high bandwidth, low latency networks for optimal streaming performance are also assured through these alliances. Head of Deutsche Telecom’s Edge Computing, Dominik Schnieders, reiterates how they believe that the CloudXR and L4S optimization is a critical component of streaming XR for both enterprises and consumers in the public 5G network.

Most Requested Features on the New NVIDIA CloudXR Developments

The new version of the CloudXR puts together more “in-demand” features. Among these are: generic controller support, call back-based logging, and flexible stream creation. This demonstrates great responsiveness to the needs of the XR developer community and is perceived as a significant improvement in the distribution of enterprise XR software.

NVIDIA CloudXR 4.0 Enables Developers to Customize the SDK and Scale XR Deployment Read More »

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GDC 2023 State of the Game Industry Report Includes Insights Into VR and AR

AR development, AR games, developers, featured, Games, gaming, Industry Reports, VR development, VR games / /

Games are the largest use case for consumer VR and AR. While VR and AR remain a comparatively small segment of the games industry, the industry is taking notice as VR hardware in particular improves. This presents possibilities for new kinds of games but also promises to breathe new life into established franchises.

The GDC’s State of the Game Industry Report for this year is by no means dedicated to VR and AR. However, it does hold insights into how this segment of the industry is growing and changing. This includes insights into larger emerging technology trends like Web3 and the metaverse.

VR and AR in the Larger Games Industry

This GDC survey, the 11th in an annual series, found that “the metaverse has become more than a buzzword.” That doesn’t mean that VR and AR are now the driving force in the games industry.

In terms of which platforms developers are building for, VR headsets land in 10th place with 12% of respondents. AR landed in 14th place with 4% of respondents. When asked which platforms developers are building their next project for, VR headsets remained in 10th place with 12%, but AR moved up to 11th place with 5%.

GDC State of the Game Industry 2023 - platforms developers are building for
Source: GDC State of the Game Industry 2023

PC leads the pack, with the intervening platforms consisting of the usual suspects – legacy gaming platforms and mobile. However, this may be changing in the near future.

When asked which platforms developers are most interested in, 23% of respondents said VR, pushing the platform to 6th place, ahead of Android, Mac, and Xbox One. Similarly, 12% responded with AR, placing it in 11th place ahead of PS4 and web browsers.

GDC State of the Game Industry 2023 - which platform most interests game developers
Source: GDC State of the Game Industry 2023

So, while we might not see a boom period for VR and AR games in the immediate future, it’s increasingly on the radar of game developers. This trend looks like it could be setting up growth in this aspect of the industry within the next few years.

That said, last year’s big metaverse hype may have led to increased expectations for the cycle we’re in now. Last year, 42% of respondents said that they were actively involved in VR and AR game development. Now that number is at 38%, closer to where it was in 2021.

Platform Wars Within VR

So, of the developers that are working in VR and AR gaming, what platforms are they working on?

When asked which platform their next game will release on, 36% responded with Quest meaning Quest 2. An additional 10% responded with “Project Cambria” – the Quest Pro which had not yet been released at the time of the survey. A further 10% responded with Rift, Meta’s now discontinued line of tethered PC VR headsets.

GDC State of the Game Industry 2023 - VR and AR platforms developers are building games for
Source: GDC State of the Game Industry 2023

It is worth noting that the percentage of respondents working with Quest has gone up almost 10% since last year. That in itself is not necessarily surprising if not for the fact that the overall number of VR and AR game developers has gone down.

Interestingly, the runner-up is the as-yet-unreleased PlayStation VR 2 with 18%, followed by the HTC VIVE ecosystem at 15%. A further 12% responded with Apple’s ARKit, and another 9% responded with Android’s ARCore. There was also a potentially unexpected write-in entry.

“A handful of respondents shared that they were developing games for Pico, a platform that was not on the survey list,” the report offers. In some geographical markets, the Pico 4,  which was announced shortly before the Quest Pro, is a significant potential Quest Pro competitor. However, Pico Interactive does not currently offer consumer support in the US.

Gaming in the Metaverse?

“The concept of the metaverse continues to pick up steam in the game industry, as new and existing companies alike move to secure funding, spin up projects, and develop new technology,” reads the survey. However, like VR and AR gaming, this news comes with a grain of salt and some more sober attitudes since last year.

Nearly half of the respondents didn’t select any of the survey’s platform options. They instead said that “the metaverse concept will never deliver on its promise.” This occurred last year as well when around a third of respondents said that the metaverse will never materialize.

From a VR and AR perspective, it gets worse. More developers said that Fortnite would become the model metaverse platform than Horizon Worlds. This isn’t bad news because Horizon Worlds is better than Fortnite, it’s bad news because Horizon Worlds is VR and Fortnite isn’t. In fact, many of the more popular “metaverse” contenders are flat platforms.

GDC 2023 State of the Game Industry - Metaverse promise
Source: GDC State of the Game Industry 2023

And it gets worse. “Microsoft/Minecraft” came in a distant third place with 7% of respondents choosing them as the model metaverse. This presumably included AltspaceVR. As this article was being written, it was announced that AltspaceVR is coming to an end.

A Note on Blockchain

ARPost is not explicitly interested in blockchain but as a potential pillar of both the metaverse and the future of gaming, it shouldn’t be inappropriate to share some of the survey’s findings in this field. And, if you aren’t explicitly interested in blockchain either, the survey results should please you.

When asked about their interest in blockchain integration in games, 23% of respondents said that they were “very interested” or “somewhat interested”, with 75% saying that they were not interested at all. The remaining 2% are using blockchain in games already, with blockchain being the principal monetization strategy of around 4% of games.

Interest in blockchain is down slightly from last year, but, according to the report, most respondents were against blockchain last year as well and simply haven’t changed their minds.

GDC State of the Game Industry 2023 - blockchain in game industry
Source: GDC State of the Game Industry 2023

“Many developers said there could be a valuable place for blockchain technology in video games in the future,” the report explains. “Others said that the risks outweigh the benefits and that existing technologies serve similar purposes that negate the need for blockchain.”

A Maturing Industry

If you thought that the gaming industry was moving a little too fast last year, you were right. Metaverse hype driven by hardware expectations and blockchain buzz may have led to a brief, hard burn in the industry. It now seems that a small correction has taken place but the VR and AR games industry is settling in for longer-term development.

For the full picture of the whole gaming industry, find the complete report here.

GDC 2023 State of the Game Industry Report Includes Insights Into VR and AR Read More »

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MeetKai Launches New Building Tools

AI, augmented reality, CES, developers, featured, metaverse, News, Software, virtual reality / /

MeetKai has been around since 2018 but some of its first publicly enjoyable content hit the streets a few months ago. Now, the company is releasing a suite of software solutions and developer tools to help the rest of us build the metaverse.

From Innovation to Product

ARPost met MeetKai in July 2022, when the company was launching a limited engagement in Time Square. Since then, the company has been working with the Los Angeles Chargers.

“The purpose of the Time Square activation and campaign was really to test things out in the browser,” CEO and co-founder, James Kaplan, said in a video call. “With 3D spaces, there’s a question of whether the user views it as a game, or as something else.”

MeetKai Metaverse Editor - Los Angeles Chargers
MeetKai Metaverse Editor – Los Angeles Chargers

Those insights have informed their subsequent outward-facing work with the Chargers, but the company has also been working on some more behind-the-scenes products that were just released at CES.

“We’re moving from an innovation technology company to a product company,” co-founder and Executive Chairwoman, Weili Dai, said in the call. “Technology innovation is great, but show me the value for the end user. That’s where MeetKai is.”

Build the Metaverse With MeetKai

At CES, MeetKai announced three new product offerings: MeetKai Cloud AI, MeetKai Reality, and MeetKai Metaverse Editor. The first of those offerings is more in line with the company’s history as a conversational AI service provider. The second two offerings are tools for creating digital twins and for building and editing virtual spaces respectively.

“The biggest request that we get from people is that they want to build their own stuff, they don’t just want to see the stuff that we made,” said Kaplan. “So, we’ve been trying to say ‘how do we let people build things?’ even when they’re not engineers or artists.”

Users of the new tools can use them individually to create projects for internal or outward-facing projects. For example, a user could choose to create an exact digital twin of a physical environment with MeetKai Reality or create an entirely new virtual space with MeetKai Editor.

However, some of the most interesting projects come when the tools are used together. One example of this is an agricultural organization with early access to the products that used these two tools together to create a digital twin of real areas on their premises and then used the Editor for simulation and training use cases.

“AI as an Enabling Tool”

The formula for creating usable but robust tools was to combine conventional building tools like scanning and game engines with some help from artificial intelligence. In that way, these products look a lot less like a deviation from the company’s history and look a lot more like what the company has been doing all along.

MeetKai Cloud AI - Avatar sample
MeetKai Cloud AI – Avatar sample

“We see AI as an enabling tool. That was our premise from the beginning,” said Kaplan. “If you start a project and then add AI, it’s always going to be worse than if you say, ‘What kinds of AI do we have or what kinds of AI can we build?’ and see what kind of products can follow that.”

So the first hurdle is building the tools and the second hurdle is making the tools usable. Most companies in the space either build tools which remain forever overly complex, or they make tools that work but have limited potential because they were only designed for one specific use or for use within one specific environment.

“The core technology is AI and the capability needs to be presented in the most friendly way, and that’s what we do,” said Weili. “The AI capability, the technology, the innovation has to be leading.”

The company’s approach to software isn’t the only way they stand out. They also have a somewhat conservative approach when it comes to the hardware that they build for.

“I think 2025 is going to be the year that a lot of this hardware is going to start to level up. … Once the hardware is available, you have to let people build from day one,” said Kaplan. “Right now a lot of what’s coming out, even from these big companies, looks really silly because they’re assuming that the hardware isn’t going to improve.”

A More Mature Vision of the Metaverse

This duo has a lot to say about the competition. But, fortunately for the rest of us, it isn’t all bad. As they’ve made their way around CES, they’ve made one more observation that might be a nice closing note for this article. It has to do with how companies are approaching “the M-word.”

“Last CES, we saw a lot of things about the metaverse and I think that this year we’re really excited because a lot of the really bad ideas about the metaverse have collapsed,” said Kaplan. “Now, the focus is what brings value to the user as opposed to what brings value to some opaque idea of a conceptual user.”

Kaplan sees our augmented reality future as like a mountain, but the mountain doesn’t just go straight up. We reach apparent summits only to encounter steep valleys between us and the next summit. Where most companies climb one peak at a time, Kaplan and Weili are trying to plan a road across the whole mountain chain which means designing “in parallel.”

“The moment hardware is ready, we’re going to leapfrog … we prepare MeetKai for the long run,” said Weili. “We have partners working with us. This isn’t just a technology demonstration.”

How MeetKai Climbs the Mountain

This team’s journey along that mountain road might be more apparent than we realize. After all, when we last talked to them and “metaverse” was the word on everyone’s lips, they appeared with a ready-made solution. Now as AI developer tools are the hot thing, here they come with a ready-made solution. Wherever we go next, it’s likely MeetKai will have been there first.

MeetKai Launches New Building Tools Read More »

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NVIDIA and Autodesk Bring Collaborative XR Experiences to the Cloud

creators, designers, developers, Development, extended reality, featured, News, NVIDIA / /

 

XR technology is evolving quickly. Today, millions of people use AR and VR as they go through their daily lives. While many of the popular use cases of AR and VR are still in the realm of gaming and entertainment, other industries are finding practical use cases unique to their sectors.

Developments in extended reality are expanding from innovating hardware to elaborating experiences through advanced technologies and accessible systems. In October, tech giants NVIDIA and Autodesk announced the official launch of NVIDIA CloudXR and Autodesk VRED on Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud computing platform for users to run their choice of applications and software.

The joint NVIDIA-Autodesk release is available as a “Quick Start” deployment system on AWS. Virtually, any user has access to leverage Autodesk VRED with the powerful NVIDIA CloudXR infrastructure. Embracing a collaborative environment of manipulating and designing high-fidelity immersive XR experiences on the cloud hastens the design workflows of industry professionals. In addition, it advocates accessible extended reality environments, accelerating the adaptability of XR technologies.

Bolstering the Future of Accessible XR Technologies

The world’s first virtual reality (VR) machine was built in 1956 (and patended in 1961)—the Sensorama was a movie booth incorporating 3D, audio, and video with a vibrating seat for an immersive viewing experience.

Inspired by the Sensorama came the development of the world’s first VR headset in 1961. The Headsight headset was built for military operations, complete with motion tracking technology. By 1968, the world witnessed the creation of the first augmented reality headset. Invented by Ivan Sutherland, a Harvard professor, the Sword of Damocles set the blueprint for generating present-day immersive AR experiences.

The long and exciting evolution of XR has yet to reach its turning point: becoming accessible for mainstream use. The general public has yet to have firsthand experience of using extended reality technologies.

The World Economic Forum states that user experience is pivotal to the mainstream success of many technologies, including XR and the metaverse. For now, the target demographic is strongly engaged in 2D platforms, sharing and communicating content in 2D format. Web3 developers have yet to devise a solution for users to relay their immersive experiences to one another.

The Significance of Collaboration for Globally Immersive XR Experiences

The joint decision of NVIDIA and Autodesk to launch their technologies as a “Quick Start” option on AWS is a step forward toward closing the gap between extended reality technologies and mainstream use. Users can now execute NVIDIA CloudXR and Autodesk VRED to create high-quality and immersive XR experiences, anytime, anywhere.

NVIDIA Autodesk VRED on AWS

Autodesk VRED is a 3D visualization solution that professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries are familiar with. VRED users design dynamic presentations and interactive environments with real-time 3D assets.

NVIDIA CloudXR is based on NVIDIA RTX technology, delivering seamless streaming of extended reality experiences across various networks—on the cloud, from data centers, or mobile data networks.

Anyone can easily access these technologies via AWS Quick Start. VRED users can maximize designing and streaming immersive XR experiences with the support of NVIDIA CloudXR with dedicated NVIDIA RTX graphic cards and virtual workstation platforms.

Transformative Partnerships to Scale XR Across Industries

The collaborative effort between Autodesk and NVIDIA did not come out of the blue. In fact, NVIDIA has been sealing partnership deals with various tech and automotive firms to scale extended reality in industrial action.

For instance, NVIDIA collaborated with automaker BMW to showcase a digital twin of the brand’s car assembly system. This summer, both NVIDIA and Autodesk collaborated with Lenovo and Varjo to bring Porsche Mission R to life with AR and MR demo.

Germany-based infrastructure company Siemens engaged with NVIDIA to leverage extended reality technologies and the metaverse for the production and manufacturing industries. NVIDIA Omniverse enables digital twin design and simulation of workflows in factories.

Autodesk also collaborated with game developer Epic Games to streamline workflows and tools for AEC designers. In fact, XR headsets manufacturer Varjo worked with Autodesk VRED for AR/VR headset support and remote collaboration through its Reality Cloud platform.

The recent Autodesk University event welcomed industry professionals to discover more of the CloudXR Quick Start option. Featured courses were led by David Randle, the Global Head of GTM for Spatial Computing at AWS.

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