NEWS
► Quest 3 unboxing leaked. Meta’s upcoming Quest 3 headset is slated for an autumn 2023 launch, possibly even at the company’s Connect developer conference coming September 27th. It seems Meta has suffered yet another unauthorised pre-launch unboxing of their hardware, echoing the Quest Pro leak from last year. The unboxing shows that the device has simple packaging that includes both the headset and the controllers. This confirms that the headset is going to ship with controllers and that there is no charging station in the original box. The other thing confirmed from the video is that Quest 3 will offer an “eye relief” dial, which will let the user move the headset lenses closer or further from the eyes. This has the double advantage of being able to support better people with glasses, and also maximise the FOV for people without glasses that can put the lenses very close to their eyes. Read it here and here.
► Google’s watermark for AI images. Google made a watermark for AI images that you can’t edit out. The SynthID watermark is meant to be impossible for you to see in an image but easy for the detection tool to spot. The watermark is embedded in the pixels of the image, but it doesn’t alter the image itself in any noticeable way. With SynthID, you are able to edit a photo all you want without destroying the AI watermark. Read it here.
► ChatGPT Enterprise. OpenAI is launching ChatGPT Enterprise, which offers enterprise-grade security and privacy, unlimited higher-speed GPT-4 access, longer context windows for processing longer inputs, advanced data analysis capabilities, customisation options, and much more. Read it here.
► Meta launches Horizon Worlds beta test on mobile devices. Horizon Worlds on mobile will function much like gaming apps, with users able to control their avatar on-screen, and interact with VR players. Read it here.
► Refik Anadol, world-renowned media artist, first to transform Sphere's exterior into immersive canvas. Refik Anadol has become the first artist to utilise the Exosphere, the fully programmable LED exterior of Sphere in Las Vegas, as an immersive canvas, debuting an AI Data Sculpture created exclusively for Sphere called Machine Hallucinations: Sphere. Read it here.
PERSPECTIVE
► This expert says VR's biggest problem is how we're using it. ZDNET spoke with Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab and a pioneer in the field of AR/VR. Here, Bailenson discusses why VR companies might be chasing a flawed strategy of positioning AR/VR for entertainment and communication versus building unique experiences that tackle society's intractable problems. Read it here.
► How Virtual Reality Is Revolutionising Police Training. VR has the potential to transform police training, allowing police officers to improve their skills and arrive at more positive outcomes through immersive experiences. As a police training tool, VR can be used to enhance existing aspects of training, according to a study by Laura Giessing of Heidelberg University. Police officers face complex and potentially dangerous scenarios in their line of work; using VR for police training allows immersion into scenarios without the risk of physical harm. Furthermore, the VR in police training offers access to realistic simulations, customisable scenarios, enhances their decision-making capabilities, and help them focus on evaluation and debriefing. Read it here.
► Exploring the world of Live XR theatre. “Immersive theatre” is a term from the live entertainment world that far predates XR and XR theatre. In this form of immersive theatre, participants converse with actors, manipulate props, and physically move through sets that might take up an entire building. While the pandemic played a part in the growth of XR theatre, its roots are immersive. Read it here.
