The concept of the Metaverse has been around since the 1980s, but it has only been in recent years that we’ve seen hundreds of projects popping up on the scene. What we are currently experiencing are gamified worlds with limited integration and engagement abilities. Right now, the Metaverse is still a blank canvas for early adopters to test and entertain the concept. When looking at the future of engagement in the Metaverse and bridging the gaps between the physical and digital worlds, however, we need to push the boundaries and go beyond what is currently seen as a metaverse. Let …

Multinational software and microchip giant Qualcomm Incorporated has launched a $100 million Metaverse fund to back extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR) tech companies. Extended reality, or XR, refers to the combination of smartphones along with AR and VR technology such as headsets and glasses. The investment project is dubbed the “SnapDragon Metaverse Fund” in reference to the firm’s Snapdragon chips that are designed for a long list of devices including smartphones, tablets, computers, smartwatches, and smartbooks. According to a March 21 announcement, the funding will also go towards a grant program for developers building XR-focused …

Will the Metaverse(s) change humanity as we know it? Will the Metaverse(s) be the ultimate augmentation of human perception? Will it become an agora for our dreams (and, of course, nightmares), able to transform human perception entirely? Has it already started? To start with the latter question: Yes, the groundwork has already been laid. Sensors from our smartphones, social media, digital devices, and the digital data-driven companies that top the Fortune 500 comprise the new cathedrals, religions and tribal spaces for humanity. These technologies and the onset of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, or 4IR, and the AI-driven Society 5.0 …

Solana-based augmented reality and NFT platform Dropp GG is developing geographical-based NFT minting and “mixed reality events” tied to the Metaverse. The firm was founded in early 2021 and is progressively rolling out several initiatives over this year including partnered NFT drops, geo-minting events, virtual land plots with AR support, and a metaverse platform that maps to the physical world. Dropp recently closed an $8 million funding round that was backed by top crypto and NFT firms such as Animoca Brands, Alameda Research DeFiance Capital and Three Arrows Capital. The funding will go towards IP accumulation, partnerships and metaverse/AR tech …

Employees from Microsoft and Apple are jumping ship to join Meta Platforms as the company sets its sights on creating the Metaverse. According to former employees of Microsoft quoted by the Wall Street Journal, around 100 people have ditched the tech giant’s augmented reality team over the past year to join Meta Platforms. They claim that Meta has been particularly focused on snapping up people who have worked on Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality (AR) headsets. According to the WSJ, Linkedin profiles show that more than 70 people who were part of Microsoft’s HoloLens team have left the project over the …

Disney has been approved for a patent that would create personalized interactive attractions for theme park visitors. The technology would facilitate headset-free augmented reality (AR) attractions at Disney theme parks. The tech would work by tracking visitors using their mobile phones, and generating and projecting personalized 3D effects onto nearby physical spaces, walls, and objects in the park. The entertainment giant was approved for a “virtual-world simulator in a real-world venue,” patent on Dec. 28, 2021. It was originally filed to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in July 2020. The “Metaverse” has largely been imagined as existing on …

Niantic, the popular augmented reality (AR) mobile game Pokemon Go developer, is planning to build a “real-world” metaverse with newly raised funding. The company officially announced Monday the completion of a $300 million raise from the technology-focused investment manager Coatue, bringing the company’s valuation to $9 billion. Coatue is known as a major investor in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry, backing companies like blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, cryptocurrency startup Fireblocks, blockchain security firm CertiK and others. The firm has also recently participated in a $555 million funding round for cryptocurrency fintech startup MoonPay. “Niantic is building a platform for AR …

Galaxy Interactive, a venture capital firm focused on next-generation interactive technology, has announced it has raised $325 million for its second fund from 70 different investors. The fund is focused on virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and blockchain-based games. In a Tuesday announcement, Galaxy Digital, the majority owner of Galaxy Interactive, stated that $150 million from the fund has already been allocated to new portfolio companies, including Republic, 1047 Games, Elodie, Roar, Art Blocks and Masterworks, with other additional investments to be announced in coming months. Established in 2018 by general partners Sam Englebardt and Richard Kim, the company …

A decentralized platform on a quest to merge the physical and virtual world through augmented reality has unveiled a live, ongoing integration with Chainlink. OVR’s collaboration with the decentralized oracle network is already being put through its paces. Chainlink’s infrastructure is being used to fairly and transparently select a grant fund winner from a list of competitors taking part in the OVRLand Treasure Hunt. Looking ahead, OVR intends to ensure that Chainlink’s oracles are used throughout its platform as it builds a virtual experience that is influenced by the real world. Through this platform, augmented reality and virtual reality can …

OVRLand is having a virtual party on May 30 to celebrate the sixth-month anniversary of the earth-size augmented reality metaverse’s launch, and they’ll be lighting a million-dollar bonfire to celebrate. A 1.6-trillion hexagon digital overlay of the earth’s surface, OVRLand is a shared augmented reality where anyone can buy a plot of “land” to host any kind of digital content they want, from 3D art and games to buildings and pretty much anything they can dream up. The highlight of the OVRLand project will be a live “burn” of one million OVR Tokens worth about $1,000,000 at this writing. The …