GTA San Andreas Enters The Metaverse, Via Oculus Quest 2

During a Facebook Meta keynote event dedicated to its future VR projects and plans, the social media giant revealed that PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is currently in development for the Oculus Quest 2. Read more…

Facebook changes its corporate branding to Meta

Well, it’s official. After 17 years of being called Facebook, the social networking parent company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus has a new name. Facebook’s corporate entity is now Meta. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg announced the change at the company’s AR/VR-focused Connect event, sharing that the new title captured more of the company’s core […]

Core might be the Vegas of the metaverse

A self-described “endless arcade,” Core feels like a 90s cyberpunk fever dream come to life. Half playable game library, half no-code game creator, all neon lights, the new platform is a surprisingly well-realized vision of this metaverse thing everyone sure seems to be talking about lately. Billing itself as your “portal to the multiverse,” Core […]

Roblox pushes toward avatar realism, plans to add NFT-like limited-edition items

At its annual developer conference Thursday, Roblox painted a picture of what’s next for the fast-growing online multiplayer portal that’s like catnip for kids and teens. In his keynote, Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki outlined plans to spruce up player avatars, introduce new in-game monetization streams and streamline the experience for developers dreaming up […]

Twitter invests in avatar startup Facemoji

Avatar startups have come and gone over the past few years, but the future that many of the entrepreneurs behind them originally imagined has proven more or less accurate. Apple is increasingly interested in avatar representations through Memoji, Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be a metaverse company and platforms like Roblox, where users enter a […]

求めよ、さらば与えられん──来たる「開かれた」仮想世界のために

さあ、メタヴァース時代がやって来る。プラットフォームを独占するテック企業たちが犯した数多の過ちを知るわたしたちは、その二の舞を演じることなく「オープンメタヴァース」を目指す絶好のチャンスを手にしている。仮想空間に拡がる新世界を「真の共有材」とするために、いま何を心得、いかなる行動を起こすべきなのか(雑誌『 WIRED』日本版VOL.42より転載)。

ミラーワールドはデジタルコモンズの夢を見るか〜ケヴィン・ケリーに訊くコモンズの過去・現在・未来:特集「NEW COMMONS」

インターネットカルチャーの黎明期からその思想の根底にあった「コモンズ」の実践は、いまや目の前に拡がる巨大なネクストフロンティアである〈ミラーワールド〉へと受け継がれている。『WIRED』創刊エグゼクティヴエディターのケヴィン・ケリーが語るこれまでの歴史と、30年後の未来のコモンズ(雑誌『WIRED』日本版Vol.42より転載)。

Epic Games to shut down Houseparty in October, including the video chat ‘Fortnite Mode’ feature

Houseparty, the social video chat app acquired by Fortnite maker Epic Games for a reported $35 million back in 2019, is shutting down. The company says Houseparty will be discontinued in October when the app will stop functioning for its existing users; it will be pulled from the app stores today, however. Related to this […]

Korean 3D spatial data tool startup Urbanbase closes $11.1M Series B+ round

Urbanbase, a Seoul-based company that develops a 3D spatial data platform for interior planning and design, announced today it has raised $11.1 million (13 billion won) in a Series B+ round as it scales up. This round of funding was led by Hanwha Hotel & Resort, which is a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Hanwha […]