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A weekly summary of all things XR & spatial computing
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Good morning!

This week, Facebook's F8 and GDC 2020 were both cancelled amid Coronavirus outbreak concerns, and organizers resort to local events and video to connect participants. In our first must-read, Kara Swisher looks at the potential opportunities as well as the opportunistic pitfalls in the growing interest in virtual meeting tech in a time of crisis.


SXSW is a few weeks away, and currently proceeding as planned. We're hoping to have an opportunity to connect with many of you there. I'm moderating a panel on Dealing with Real-World Problems in XR to explore issues at the intersection of XR and social work, Todd Bryant is bringing NYC volumetric creators together for the panel Get Ready for the Volumetric Revolution, and Adaora Udoji is joining a panel called The Future of Exhibiting Mixed Realities to discuss creating new exhibition spaces for immersive work.

What should we be sure to see at SXSW? Let us know by reply to this email and we'll be sure to include it in a round up in our next newsletter.

Have a great weekend.

- Justin
MUST-READS
How Will Tech Help in a Time of Pandemic?
When SARS hit nearly two decades ago, social media was in its infancy. Video conferencing software didn't have the reach it does today. Now, we have an abundance of tools to remain connected during the COVID-19 outbreak - and the market has reacted accordingly. While FAMGA's stocks have been falling, Zoom's shares "have risen more than 60 percent over the last month, to $114 a share, or close to a $30 billion valuation," writes Kara Swisher in a NY Times Opinion piece.

When Facebook cancelled F8 due to outbreak concerns, they noted other ways the company will connect with developers - notably, via live stream. As people lean on tech to connect in a time of crisis, the hype around increased investment in technologies like virtual reality and holographic telepresence raises concerns about opportunism. (Unity's head of XR Ad Innovation Tony Parisi tweeted the rising number of times he's seen people say the new Coronavirus is VR's "killer app.") It's important to take a step back and learn from how business and social activities operate in the digital world during this crisis.


5 min read
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Hulu Follows Instagram's Viral Sensation With Branded 'What Should I Watch' Lens on Snapchat
"It's a peculiar quirk of creativity in the digital age, when viral humor is often repurposed by brands."

"What X are you" AR filters - there's Disney character, wizard house, ¿Qué Gato Eres? and so on - have been exploding in popularity on Instagram. Leveraging the buzz, Hulu released a What Should I Watch Snapchat Lens that predicts what shows you might want to see.

Hulu isn't disclosing the factors going into who gets to see the lens (just that it will be based on usage patterns), but you can see a preview here:



2 min read
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How Virtual Reality Is Benefiting Seniors
Forbes shows us how VR is helping seniors fight loneliness, feel more comfortable moving to a new home, travel around the world, and build social connections:
  • Tokyo researcher Kenta Toshima captured seniors' favorite places in 8K 360 video to help them relive memories.
  • A senior living company partnered with Arnold Imaging to help senior residents envision their new homes.
  • The AARP Innovation Labs built Alcove, which "bridges the physical distance between family members and empowers people to experience new places and things."
4 min read
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COMMUNITY NEWS


Maria Mishurenko and Gordey Chernyy (RLab Bootcamp, Fall 2019) released Bizarre Barber, a surreal, fun, and fast-moving haircutting VR game set on a subway platform. The  game is available on Steam, Viveport, and Oculus, with a special Steam launch discount for one week only. Bizarre Barber development was supported by Oculus and NYU Game Center Incubator. Learn more about Maria and Gordey's work, including their RLab Bootcamp project Action Spectra - accessible, social, bite-sized VR fitness adventures set up in a unique and ever-changing universe.

Ashley Abid and Thandiwe-Kesi Robins (RLab Bootcamp, Fall 2019) were among 10 founders selected for cela's Office Hours for Black History Month with Samsung NEXT. The program hand-matches founders with black investors and accelerators, and results in real investments, hires, and partnerships. Ashley and Thandi are developing Aplum, a digital health platform that helps manage the burden of care for people with chronic skin conditions.
EVENTS & CLASSES
UPCOMING CLASSES AT RLAB

Online Course: UX Design & Strategy for Emerging Technologies
Starts March 25
This 2-month online course gives product designers and managers a solid understanding of considerations for a new era of interfaces and UX. Provided in partnership with Emeritus and NYU Tandon. Register Here

Intensive: Motion Capture
April 3-4 @ RLab
Get hands-on experience with motion capture hardware and software used to develop avatars and create realistic movement in this 2-day master class. Register Here

Intensive: UX Design for AR/VR
May 1-2 @ RLab
Learn and develop your skills for creating experiences across the mixed reality spectrum in this 2-day interactive workshop. Register Here

Online Course: UX Design Principles for AR & VR 
Starts May 19
This 2-month online course gives UX designers an understanding of how to design UX for AR & VR technologies. Provided in partnership with Emeritus and NYU Tandon. Register Here
 

Event: VR and Healthcare Global Symposium
March 2-3 @ Vanderbilt University, Nashville 

The largest conference in the world dedicated to the development of virtual reality in healthcare. RLab community members receive a 30% discount with promo code: rlab. Register Here

Event: Female Founders Forum
March 6, 12PM-7PM @ Foursquare

About 250 female founders and investors come together for a half day of inspiration, conversation and networking to expand opportunity and community building.
Register Here

Event: NYVR Meetup
March 19, 6PM-9PM @ NYU MakerSpace 

Monthly VR meetup. This month's theme is VR for video production, featuring Elvis Au with Blue Sky Studios and Lewis Smithingham with MediaMonks.
Register Here

Event: XR Europe 2020
April 28-29 @ London 

Join thought leaders from major growth verticals to discuss how VR & AR/MR can bring ROI and propel your business forward. Discount code: 5099RLAB100 for a discount.. Register Here

Event: XR Immersive Enterprise 2020
May 5-6 @ Boston 

A look at how virtual, augmented & mixed reality are transforming training, collaboration, design, manufacturing and marketing across industry. Discount code: 5107RLAB100.
Register Here

Event: LDV Vision Summit
May 13-14 @ New Lab 

The premier global gathering in visual tech. 20% off tickets with discount code: RLAB. Early bird tickets available through April 24.
Register Here

Event: The Art of Immersive Storytelling
June 29 - July 3 @ Anderson Ranch Arts Center Registration Deadline: March 4

Join Maya Georgieva, Director XReality Center at The New School for an intensive storytelling workshop at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center this summer.
Register Here


OPPORTUNITIES & JOBS

Competition: LDV Vision Summit Startup Competition
Deadline: March 24 

Visual tech startups with <$2M in funding are invited to apply to showcase your technology to leading investors, technologists and operators.
Apply Here

Competition: Games for Change Student Challenge
Deadline: March 31 

All middle and high school students nationwide can enter their original social impact games for the chance to win awesome prizes and national recognition.
Learn More


Job: Producer, Scatter
Scatter is looking for a Producer to work across original XR productions and internal projects such as website redesign and go to market content.
Apply Here

Job: CG Generalist, RYOT
RYOT is looking for a professionally experienced cg artist to create Augmented Reality content, with a special emphasis on photo realism and real-time.
Apply Here

Job: Interactive Software Engineer, MSG Ventures
Interactive Engineers develop client and server code for MSG Ventures projects, including both rapid-iteration tests and polished software releases.
Apply Here
INDUSTRY NEWS
Chrome 81 Is Shaping Up to Be an AR-packed Release
We first saw WebXR - the rising industry standard for browser XR experiences - in Chrome 79. Now, Chrome 81 is getting two new XR features: WebXR Device API how supports AR, and developers will be able to employ the Hit Test API to "use a device's camera view to correctly place virtual objects on surfaces both horizontal and vertical." You can see more details on the Chromium blog.



2 min read
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Facebook Cancels F8 Due to Coronavirus Concerns
Due to concerns around COVID-19, Facebook cancelled their developer conference, stating that they "need to prioritize the health and safety of our developer partners." As a workaround, the company will host local events and stream videos. Unity also made the decision to withdraw from a live event (GDC 2020), noting that COVID-19 "presents too much risk."



Epic initially announced they would be present at this year's GDC, but changed their decision soon after. The next day, it was announced that GDC itself was cancelled. As with F8, organizers noted that planned presentations would be "submitted via video and made available for free viewing online."




1 min read
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More Than 100 VR Games Have Exceeded $1M in Revenue
VR Fund investor Tipatat Chennavasin gathered data from major VR storefronts and developers and estimated 106 VR games have made $1M+ in revenue - "and nearly half of that has come in the last 12 months alone." More great news: the top seven have exceeded $10M.

"The number of titles reaching $1 million or more is a key data point, Chennavasin said, as it demonstrates that success in the VR space is repeatable; VR is no longer a developer's playground, it's a platform offering real opportunity."



2 min read
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TRANSACTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
MAD Gaze AR Glasses Closes $18.6M in Series A Funding
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