Pico launches first B2C VR headset
Those who have been eagerly waiting for an alternative to Meta’s Quest 2 might find an option in the Pico Neo 3 Link: Pico Interactive presents a VR headset for private use.
A beta program will start soon, in which the first private users can convince themselves of Pico’s VR capabilities. The program includes access to the Pico Store with more than 200 VR apps as well as access to many VR games on SteamVR.
Pico is backed by TikTok’s parent company Bytedance, which now also competes with Meta in Virtual Reality. Apparently, the successor of the Pico Neo 3 Link is already in the works and will be released even earlier than Meta’s next VR headset.
Pico started their market offensive now with the Pico Neo 3 Link for consumers and thus brings a breath of fresh air into the VR market. The technical features of the Pico Neo 3 Link are comparable to Meta Quest 2.
The DP-Link cable for VR streaming from a PC is already included in the package and doesn’t have to be purchased additionally. Wi-Fi streaming via WI-FI 6 is also possible. With the Neo Link 3, Pico brings a Quest 2 alternative that can compete in price and performance. This is good news for the VR market. Pre-orders for Link will run until May 23, 2022.
With the Neo 3 Pro, Pico already offers an identical VR headset for companies. Virtual Reality is also the entry point to the metaverse in the B2B sector. Our metaverse guide for companies explains the perks of Virtual Reality and metaverse in business.
Sony invests about $1.25 billion in Epic Games for joint metaverse strategy
Sony and Epic Games want to enter the metaverse together. Both partners are ideally positioned to do so.
Sony is established as a games, entertainment and B2B company and offers access to major entertainment and gaming brands. They are also very well experienced in the field of hardware. PlayStation has been one of the world’s most successful game consoles for generations.
Epic Games brings a lot of technical know-how regarding VR and 3D software. With Fortnite, Epic Games also has one of the most important multiplayer games on the market today. Fortnite is often cited by experts as the best current example of a metaverse vision because it is both a game and a social event platform. Famous artists regularly give avatar concerts in Fortnite, which are celebrated by millions of people.
Both companies, Sony and Epic, are also popular with their target groups and have a good reputation – in combination, these factors ensure an excellent starting position, as analyzed by the XR magazine MIXED.
Virtual Department Store "TheMall": Metaverse Shopping on 100 Floors
The metaverse shopping center “TheMall” by start-up “MetaVRse” is scheduled to open at the end of 2022 and will offer more than 100 floors. Once completed, it will be eight times larger than the world’s current largest real shopping center, the Mall of Dubai.
Although TheMall has a focus on gamers, other users who have less to do with games should also be well served. Since the department store runs directly in the browser, MetaVRse expects up to seven billion compatible players. The app also runs on smartphones.
MetaVRse gives companies their own branded environments in the virtual shopping center. They can offer exclusive events, merchandise, games, imprint NFTs, and measure the success of their offerings based on time spent in the store or the number of interactions.
MetaVRse has developed its own avatar system for users, which is intended to become the global standard. Avatars can also be turned into NFTs and thus become unique. To make the metaverse department store even more interesting, there will be concerts, shows and events with influencers in addition to the shopping offers.
Perhaps the biggest perk of virtual malls: everything is always in stock. Space problems and shortages do not exist in the metaverse.
Read more about TheMall here: TheMall aims to have 100 floors and 100M square feet in the metaverse
