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This Week In XR: Microsoft Build, Google I/O Offer A Glimpse Of The Future

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Microsoft

This week saw two major developer conferences, Microsoft Build and Google I/O. These follow Facebook's F8. Apple's WDC (World Developer Conference), June 3rd - 7th immediately follows AWE (Augmented World Expo), which attracts over 6,000 attendees to the Santa Clara Convention Center. Notable XR news from the respective conferences was the introduction of the HoloLens 2 developer edition and the absence of Google's Daydream VR platform, touted with pride in previous years. This is not to say Google doesn't have big plans for XR, including the integration of AR into search, and the public release of the long-anticipated AR-enhanced Google Maps, now available for Pixel owners.

Googlie I/O

Google announces AR features for Lens and Search at I/O conference. From translation, to calculating tips on a receipt, to expanded information on popular restaurant menu items, the new AR features for Google’s Lens aim to make AR practical. Search users will find animated 3D models relevant to their queries popping into existence through their screens. Other notable announcementsnew low-cost Pixel models, live caption, which create subtitles of videos and phone conversations instantly. 

On Monday, Microsoft’s Build Conference kicked off in Seattle, WA, with over 6,000 developers, press and Microsofties in attendance. CEO Satya Nadella; Scott Guthrie, EVP of Microsoft Cloud + AI Group; and Rajesh Jha, EVP of Experiences and Devices Group, took the stage to share how Azure, Microsoft 365 and gaming cloud platforms enable developers of all kinds to reach new audiences, innovate and create people-centered experiences to an audience of over 5,000. The dev version of the HoloLens 2 was introduced, with the company touting its Azure cloud integration. According to the press release, "Microsoft 365 puts people at the center of collaboration, web browsing and conversational AI to help you and your teams be more productive." While the HoloLens was merely a supporting player to Azure (MS emphasized their integration), there were dozens of demos of AR enterprise applications, including an epic demo of telepresence from our friends at Spatial.

Magic Leap raises $280M from Japan’s largest telecom. The new round of funding from Japanese Telecom NTT DOCOMO brings the total funding for Magic Leap to $2.6 Billion so far. DOCOMO will be the exclusive telecommunications partner for Magic Leap in Japan, similar to AT&T in the US, with an emphasis on upcoming 5G infrastructure. The investment will aid Magic Leap in customizing their OS and development tools for the Japanese market.

HOLOGATE

HOLOGATE’s location based VR platform reaches 2 Million players. After almost two years in operation, with 250+ locations around the globe, HOLOGATE is reporting an increase of ~200,000 players per month. In addition to experiences created by their internal studio, HOLOGATE has partnered with groups like Sony Pictures VR and Rovio Entertainment Corp. to release an ‘Angry Birds’ VR game alongside “The Angry Birds Movie 2” this summer.

Tribeca's Immersive Arcade, part of the world famous New York film festival, wrapped last Sunday. The Key, an artistic, abstract allegory about middle eastern war refugees forced to flee their countries won the prestigious Storyscapes Award, presented by festival sponsor AT&T.  The rave reviews attracted thousands and the event was oversold. Patrons paying $40 for three hours of admission reported only being able to sign up for one or two experiences. We love this event, and have written about it extensively, but it is tarnished by the management of throughput. When you admit hundreds of people to sign up all at once for 22 experiences, there is going to be anger - yes, anger - and disappointment. XR consultant, blogger and author Robert Scoble of Infinite Retina was so angry he tweeted he's never going back. This same problem hurts commercial location-based VR as well. Too few seats on Saturday night, too many seats the rest of the time. In this case, too few seats all of the time. The managers of Tribeca Immersive are among the best in the business, so you'd think they could figure this out.

Tribeca has taken exception to this description of the visitor experience. Loren Hammonds, programmer of the Immersive Arcade, sent us the following response: "The process of exhibiting this type of immersive work can be challenging. In programming the Virtual Arcade, we take many factors into account including the length of the pieces, the number of headsets available, and the amount of people allowed into the space at any given time. Sometimes there are unexpected factors that pop-up onsite, particularly when dealing with potentially unpredictable technology and live actors, but we do make sure to communicate in advance that access to individual projects are subject to availability. We will continue to learn from the ever-evolving VR landscape in hopes to improve the onsite experience for attendees."

General Magic, the hit documentary from Tribeca 2018, gets its theatrical release today. The movie is about "the greatest startup you've never heard of" but it surprisingly touching and accessible. Even my non-techie friends loved it. We got to sit down with co-founder and former CEO Marc Porat to get his take on the movie, leadership, and tech today. 

"This Week In XR" is written and edited with Michael Eichenseer.