Innovation Awards, Unity 6, AI-Generated Rejections on Gov Proposals, and Houston's Unofficial M&A cafe.

But First…Cool if Real

This is real! And we couldn't be happier about it. Julian Triveri shared this video of a custom in-app large environment mapping with Meta Quest powered by Unity. It's like a lighter-weight 3D mesh that uses less memory. Check out his post to learn more.

Updates and Wins

• Dauntless XR is a finalist for the Houston Innovation Awards.

Industry News

• XR has graduated to Phase 2 on the adoption curve according to McKinsey. Unsurprisingly this upgrade is due to advancements in generative AI, which make interconnected technologies, like AR/VR, more practical to use. Like we said earlier, even if you aren't an AI company, you're an AI company.

• Unity 6 dropped. The upgrade we are most excited about is the ability to integrate AI models at run time because it enables real-time voice-to-text and real-time computer vision.

• XR Today released their 2024 State of XR report. Our biggest takeaway: "XR does not always require expensive headsets... XR technologies can fit multiple end devices, so if a company wants to adopt XR, the worker may only need a smartphone to get started". Just because XR uses a gaming engine doesn't mean it has to have the platform lock model popular with game developers.

Recently Played >

What our founders listened to this week. A little out of left field this week:

• Trevor Noah’s Interview with Adam Grant on Spotify - they cover psychology-backed methods to reduce prejudice and "othering". This Might come in handy at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year. Thank us later.

• Why Our Reality is False (Replay) - Tom Bilyeu interviewed Donald Hoffman back in 2020 and Donald uses virtual reality as a metaphor for understanding human consciousness. It is a fascinating look at what it might mean to go from ‘experiencing VR in a headset’ to comprehending the code that generates the experience. The interview is a long one, but the first 30 minutes are the best if you're strapped for time.

Overhead on Slack

Enter the chat. What our devs are talking about…

• “At a coffee shop right now and there is a fascinating M&A convo happening next to me” - we stumbled onto the unofficial Houston meeting spot for business transactions. And no it's not Brasserie 19

• “Entertaining (and disconcerting) Reddit thread on AI use by SBIR evaluators” - yes, the DoD can give you AI-generated feedback on a rejected proposal. They have the technology and the AI has the security clearance. *This post has since been deleted but the thread remains. And so does our intrigue.

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