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Harvard Business School Hosted A Class Reunion In VR

From vrscout

Are college reunions more or less awkward in the metaverse?

When the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program class of 2017 set out to plan their 5-year reunion back in December of 2021, they had to consider their former classmates taking time off of work, making travel and hotel plans, and a number of other logistics. They also found themselves dealing with travel restrictions due to COVID-19 and were unsure of what the future would hold.

In order to continue their quinquennial reunion while keeping everyone safe, the planning committee made the decision to host the event virtually through the VR platform Mesmerise. 

Harvard alumnus Sean West, who happens to sit on the advisory board of Mesmerise, organized an event that saw 90 Harvard alumni from 28 countries come together for a digital party. The reunion also doubled as a book launch for their former professor Ramsay Gulati. 

Former classmates attended the event using a Meta Quest VR headset pre-loaded with the Mesmerise app. Once there, they were greeted by Gulati who then split them into two separate groups of 45 and spent half an hour with them. From there, everyone moved into Mesmerise’s digital plaza to catch up, reminisce, and even do a little virtual networking.

To make sure no one would get VR fatigue from being in a headset too long, the reunion was scheduled for 90 minutes. Of course, everyone was encouraged to continue to meet up in VR afterward or stay connected the old-fashioned way.

According to West, VR technology offered him and his classmates the unique opportunity to reconnect “in-person” without the hassle of conventional travel. “Nobody had to miss work. Nobody got stuck because they couldn’t get a visa, and no COVID,” said West during an interview with Business Insider. West also explained how no one had to deal with jet lag or the cost of traveling, which was a big bonus!

West also talked about how this metaverse approach was more like a real-life reunion vs a Zoom call. “On a Zoom call, if you want to take people aside to talk to you one on one, it’s exclusionary, I have to create a break room and tell you to join me,” said West. “In VR we just hopped onto the plaza, you’re out of earshot of everyone else, It’s like in real life.”

Though it wasn’t perfect, the metaverse reunion still brought people together. From West’s perspective, the experience can still be a bit challenging for those using VR for the first time.

“Today, VR is a ‘sometimes’ tool,” said West. “The portability and the price of devices can’t be overstated to the importance of the shift.”

Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program class of 2017 are actually scheduling a second reunion in October, only this one will be in-person. However, West thinks the metaverse is inevitable and it’s only a matter of time until these virtual reunions are commonplace. 

I’d listen to the guy. After all, he did go to Harvard Business School.

Image Credit: Mesmerise

Mixed Reality Stargazing Demo Skygaze Out Now On Quest

From vrscout

Turn your home into the ultimate stargazing lounge.

Available now on the Meta Quest, Skygaze (Demo) is a prototype VR experience that turns your headset into a mixed reality stargazing lounge. You can explore the solar system and search for constellations, learn more about our system’s planets, or catch a show at the virtual planetarium, all from the comfort of your living room.

The app is simple, but nonetheless captivating thanks to its unique use of Meta’s Passthrough API. You begin by identifying the walls of your real-world home using your Touch controllers. Once you’ve finished setting up, the ceiling of your home will begin to retract, revealing a crystal-clear night sky littered with stars, planets, and constellations, each of which features accurate positioning based on your geographical position and local time of day. There’s even the option to lower your walls, allowing you to view even more of the night sky.

According to developer Emanuel Tomozei, Skygaze is still in active development; what’s available now is just a sample of what’s to come at launch. That said the current version of the app still offers plenty to do. You can search for and identify various stars, constellations, and planets. There’s also a separate planetarium space where you can watch a 360-degree film about our solar system. It’s a pretty surreal feeling, watching city-sized asteroids pass overhead as you relax at home.

Skygaze is available now as a free demo on the Meta Quest via the App Lab. Based on the trailer, it appears as though we can expect a virtual telescope mode in the future, which should add additional stargazing opportunities. I’m also hoping the app eventually makes its way to Project Cambria, Meta’s work-focused mixed reality device with high-resolution color passthrough.

“I am hoping to develop it into a full app but it all depends on interest and funding. Any ideas of thoughts on what works, what doesn’t or what could be improved or added would be great to hear!” said Tomozei in a Reddit post.

We first talked about Skygaze last year, back when it was called Stargazer. Tomozei submitted the project to the Facebook XR Hackathon where it won third place in the Mixed Reality track. At the time, he vowed to spend the prize money won in the competition on developing a full-fledged app, and today we saw the first fruits of his labor.

For more information on the Skygaze project visit here.

Image Credit: Emanuel Tomozei

Meta Announces New Avatar Store With A Digital Fashion Show

From vrscout

Meta Avatars Store rolls out next week on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger with plans for a VR launch “soon.”

Meta today announced plans to expand its lineup of virtual fashion items for its Meta Avatars with the launch of the Meta Avatars Store. Here you’ll be able to purchase stylish outfits from iconic fashion labels such as Balenciaga, Prada, and Thom Browne, with more options on the way.

The announcement was made earlier today during an Instagram Live broadcast between Eva Chen, VP of Fashion Partnerships, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Throughout the live stream, Chen showcased a handful of virtual ensembles, using Zuckerberg’s own Meta Avatar as an impromptu model. The digital fashion show featured everything from a high-end motorcycle suit from Balenciaga to some classy business attire from Thom Browne.

“When Meta tweeted “Hey @Balenciaga, what’s the dress code in the metaverse?” we were instantly into it. Web3 and Meta are bringing unprecedented opportunities for Balenciaga, our audience, and our products, opening up new territories for luxury,” said Balenciaga CEO Cédric Charbit in an official release.

The Avatars Store will begin rolling out next week on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger with plans for an official VR launch sometime in the near future. No word yet on how much each outfit will cost. According to Meta, you’ll eventually have the ability to design and sell your own virtual clothing, opening the doors for fashion in the metaverse.

You can watch today’s full conversation here.

Image Credit: Meta

VR Fitness App Supernatural Announces Monthly Artist Series

From vrscout

The Supernatural Artist Series kicks off later this month with two Katy Perry-themed boxing and flow workouts.

The subscription-based VR fitness platform Supernatural is launching a new monthly workout series featuring music from popular artists such as The Weeknd, Lady GaGa, and Swedish House Mafia just to name a few. Each workout playlist in the “Supernatural Artist Series” will be choreographed to the music of a single artist, beginning first with pop superstar Katy Perry.

According to Billboard, players will have two new workouts to choose from later this month. The boxing workout will feature the popular Katy Perry tracks “Roar” and “I Kissed a Girl.” The flow workout, on the other hand, will have you smashing targets and dodging obstacles to the beat of “Unconditionally” and “Teenage Dream.”

“Katy is one of the most electrifying artists of her generation, with empowering anthems that lift fans up,” said Chris Milk, Founder and CEO of Supernatural, while speaking to Billboard. “She’s a known ally for the LQBTQIA+ community and compels the kind of self-love and acceptance that thrives within the Supernatural community. We’re thrilled for her to kick off our artists series.”

The Supernatural Artist Series kicks off June 27th with two Katy Perry-themed workouts. As previously mentioned, Supernatural will be introducing new music from big-name artists every month. Here’s what we have to look forward to throughout the rest of the year:

  • Imagine Dragons – July 2022
  • The Weeknd – August 2022
  • Swedish House Mafia – September 2022
  • Kid Cudi – October 2022
  • Coldplay – November 2022
  • Lady GaGa – December 2022


“Music has always been an integral part of Supernatural, and since launch we’ve been dreaming of ways to empower our athletes to further connect with music from the artists they love,” added Milk. “Supernatural uses virtual reality to help people find joy in movement, and when you combine that joy with a playlist devoted to one of your favorite artists, the exhilaration reaches entirely new heights.”

For more information on the Supernatural Artist Series read the full report by Billboard.

Image Credit: Supernatural

Taking Action Against Serious Crimes In The Metaverse

From vrscout

A Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in the United Arab Emirates wants the U.N. to take action against crimes in the metaverse.

The metaverse is growing incredibly fast, with companies expected to invest billions of dollars in the upcoming years.

However, there are several growing concerns around the safety of digital twinning and the metaverse. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Omar Sultan Al Olama, a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in the United Arab Emirates, talked about some of these concerns. According to him, the metaverse, while revolutionary, could result in new forms of digital harassment.

Al Olama believes that the U.N. should take action against serious crimes in the metaverse in the same way we have laws to protect people on the internet.

Credit: World Economic Forum

“If I send you a text on WhatsApp, it’s a text, right? It might terrorize you but to a certain degree it will not create the memories that you will have PTSD from it,” said Al Olama. “But if I come into the metaverse and it’s a realistic world, and I actually murder you and you see it, it actually takes you to a certain extreme where you need to enforce aggressively across the world because everyone agrees that certain things are unacceptable.”

Of course, you can’t actually get murdered in the metaverse, though a report on Analytics Insight slightly disagrees. That said, there has been a steady rise in metaverse-related incidents that have some people concerned. We’ve already seen several reports of women coming forward to report that they were virtually groped while visiting a VR social platform.

It’s possible to feel threatened by other people in a virtual experience. Haptic feedback lets you feel it when someone touches you in a virtual environment. In a recent study, one unnamed female researcher who was assaulted in VR talked about her experience saying “It happened so fast I kind of dissociated. One part of my brain was like ‘WTF is happening,’ the other part was like ‘this isn’t a real body,’ and another part was like, ‘this is important research.”



In addition to the above-mentioned incident, there are several reported cases of verbal abuse, racism, and overstepping of personal space, especially towards “female-appearing and female-sounding avatars.”

Another concern is that the metaverse could become a place for sexual predators to find and groom younger users for human trafficking. There are even experts who believe we need to have a version of metaverse police patrolling various worlds for suspicious activity. 

Most VR social platforms employ teams of moderators to make sure your metaverse experience is a safe and pleasant one. They also have built-in tools that you can easily access to create your own virtual safe space. Of course, you can always remove your headset if, at any point, you feel uncomfortable.

In Al Olama’s opinion, however, we could be doing more. He believes that governments should step in and create new laws to protect people in the metaverse. As he points out, there are already internet laws to prevent things such as drug trafficking and child pornography. 

Credit: Rohit Sabu

Chris Cox, the chief product officer at Meta, talked about the importance of increased metaverse security, saying that when it comes to the metaverse, there need to be international standards. As the metaverse grows and becomes more popular, he believes that we’ll eventually see a rating system for different worlds. “There will probably be something like a rating system, which we have for film, we have for music, we have for other types of content so that a parent or a young person can have some sense of what the rules are in the environment they’re going to walk into,” said Cox.

The interesting thing about the metaverse is that it’s made up of multiple worlds. With different brands and industries creating their own virtual environments on an almost daily basis, a dedicated rating system could be ideal for helping people know what they are getting into before entering the metaverse.

Credit: Meta

Al Olama isn’t alone in believing the U.N. should take a harder stance on crimes in the metaverse. We are also seeing companies reexamine their own HR and business policies to possibly include employee behavior in virtual spaces.

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see how social VR platforms and companies address these ongoing concerns. As the idea of the metaverse and digital twinning becomes more popular, these types of discussions will only become more commonplace.

Image Credit: VRChat

Nissan Built A VR Dealership In VRChat With Interactive Cars

From vrscout

Take a spin in the new Nissan Sakura or grab a virtual latte at the Nissan brand experience gallery in Tokyo.

Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan wants to make it easier for customers to browse its new line of EV vehicles using the metaverse. First reported by Autoweek, the company last month launched its own virtual world on the VRChat platform, allowing visitors to explore the latest additions to its eco-friendly vehicle lineup.

In the Nissan Crossing Experience, you can explore a virtual recreation of the company’s brand experience gallery located in Tokyo, Japan. Here you can get up-close and personal with realistic 3D models of the Nissan Sakura and the Nissan Ariya. Visitors can even interact with these digital automobiles as well as sit in the driver’s seat. On the second floor of the multi-level dealership, you’ll find a cozy coffee shop complete with Nissan-themed lattes; a small, but charming touch.

In addition to the Nissan Crossing experience, the company has also launched a second world inside VRChat called Nissan Sakura Driving Island. Here you can actually step into the driver’s seat of the Nissan Sakura and go for a spin around a beautiful island locale. Unfortunately, you do not have control of the virtual automobile. Instead, you’re automatically driven around the island locale, allowing you to take in the detailed interior as well as the beautiful surroundings.

It’s a smart move by the company, using VR to help expand its customer reach. Whereas the Nissan brand experience gallery was previously only available to those in Tokyo, now anyone can visit the location to gain a better understanding of the company’s new electric mini-vehicles, regardless of their physical location.

Nissan is just the latest company to make use of VR technology and the metaverse for branding purposes. Earlier this year, the popular American fast-food chain Wendy’s launched its own virtual world inside Horizon Worlds, Meta’s own VR social platform. This was followed by the launch of the NBA Lane experience, a virtual world built in collaboration with the National Basketball Association to honor the league’s historic 75th anniversary.

As the popularity surrounding the metaverse continues to grow, you can only expect more companies to jump on the Web3 bandwagon as they search for new and exciting ways to connect with prospective customers. By embracing VR technology and the metaverse, Nissan has given itself a head start against some competing car manufacturers.

Both the Nissan Crossing experience as well as the Nissan Sakura Driving experience are open to the public in VRChat. You can visit the worlds on a standard desktop or in VR via a PC VR or Meta Quest headset. Just search for “Nissan” in the world explorer menu and it should pop right up.

For more information visit here.

Image Credit: Nissan

A VR Cannabis Store Has Officially Opened To The Public

From vrscout

Chat with specialists, review ingredients, and buy products straight from the metaverse.

ADC, a technology-centered cannabis manufacturer and distribution company, has partnered with metaverse company Alt Magic to open a digital cannabis store you can visit from the comfort of your home using a smartphone, tablet, computer, or VR headset.

This WebXR experience allows you to explore a virtual cannabis store using a digital avatar. According to the official release, you can chat with specialists to learn more about the latest industry news, peruse a wide selection of tasty treats, and actually purchase products straight from the metaverse.



ADC’s virtual cannabis store opened on April 20th to thousands of people in honor of 420, an international holiday dedicated to all things marijuana. Now anyone can access this digital storefront and begin exploring a wide variety of products.

ADC currently offers a wide variety of cannabis products, such as CBD, Delta 8, CBG, CBN, HHC, THC-O, and THCV. You can explore some of these items now by visiting adistributioncompany.com/vr-shop on a smartphone, tablet, computer, and in VR using a WebXR browser, such as Firefox Reality.

Moving forward, ADC will be hosting a series of podcasts featuring various cannabis experts in an attempt to help educate the public on cannabis.

For more information visit here.

Image Credit: ADC x Alt Magic

Latest Quest 2 Update Brings Encrypted Messenger, Parental App Locks & More

From roadtovr

Meta rolled out a new Quest update that brings to the headset some previously revealed stuff, such as app-based locks and tracking support for more keyboards, but also some new features too which the company hopes will instill more confidence in user privacy, including encryption for text and voice chats through Messenger and in-headset 3D Secure payments.

In the Quest v40 update, Meta is testing end-to-end encryption for Messenger’s one-on-one messages and calls in VR, which is now offered as an opt-in feature. The company initially rolled out encryption for Messenger on non-VR devices as far back as 2016, however this is the first time it’s offered on Quest headsets.

“Keeping your information secure is one of our top priorities, not just in VR but across Meta apps and technologies. When people trust that their conversations are truly private, they feel safe to express themselves and build stronger online connections,” the company says in a blog post.

Image courtesy Meta

Meta says you can check the privacy of your communication by comparing keys with someone. “If the keys match, messages and calls are secured with end-to-end encryption,” says a description of the feature.

Quest v40 also includes the app-based lock feature which was previously announced as a part of the company’s growing suite of parental controls. This lets parents restrict access to certain apps, requiring them to input a pattern to unlock content that might otherwise be unsuitable for their kid’s age. Meta calls it a “starting point for parents as we begin rolling out our parental supervision tools in the coming months.”

The update brings a new spin on how users enter 3D Secure info when using a credit card too. Before the update, users would have to input 3D Secure directly on the Oculus mobile app, however now you can manage the extra authorization layer whilst in VR.

And keeping users in VR seems to be the major theme with v40, as the update also now includes keyboard tracking support for the Apple Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad, and both the Logitech K375s and Logitech MX Keys.

First introduced last year, keyboard tracking lets you see a virtual version of a keyboard inside your headset to make typing easier. Until now, the only two supported keyboards were Logitech K830 and Apple Magic Keyboard (sans keypad).

Lastly, Meta has added two new options to its Accessibility menu which it aims to make Quest more comfortable for people who are hard of hearing: Mono Audio option, which disables spatial audio by projecting the same audio from both the left and right speakers, and the ability to adjust balance of the left and right audio channels.

To see if you already have v40, simply pop on your Quest 2, go to Quick Settings –> Settings –> System –> Software Update. There you can see the software version running on your headset and whether an update is available or not.

Meta Is Reportedly Launching Multiple VR Headsets By 2024

From vrscout

Project Cambria will supposedly release this September followed by a new Quest in 2023.

A new report by The Information states that Meta (formerly Facebook) is currently in the development of four new headsets that will release by 2024. The website claims to have seen an internal roadmap outlining the company’s next steps, revealing an ambitious plan to dominate the VR/AR space.



According to the report, this lineup of new hardware will begin the release of Project Cambria this September. Designed specifically for use in the workplace, this VR/AR device will supposedly feature both eye and face tracking as well as high-resolution colored Passthrough technology, allowing for more realistic mixed reality experiences. The visuals are so clear that you’re able to pick up a pen and start writing comfortably without removing the headset, a major improvement over the original Quest and Quest 2 if accurate.

While The Information originally reported that Project Cambria will cost around $800, a Meta spokesperson has since reached out to the publication clarifying that the cost will cost “significantly higher.” An updated version of Cambria, codenamed “Funston”, will supposedly launch in 2024. Before that Meta will launch two additional Quest headsets, “Stinson” and “Cardiff,” in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

The report also offered several updates on Meta’s long-awaited AR device. Codenamed “Nazare,” these AR glasses will supposedly launch in 2024. The company is also working on a pair of cheaper smartglasses called “Hypernova” powered by an electromyography wrist band that will allow you to control the device using only your thoughts. Unlike Nazare, which is supposedly a standalone device, Hypernova will pair with the user’s smartphone.

Moving forward, the company could release a lighter, more advanced pair of AR glasses in 2026 followed by another iteration in 2028, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we need to see just how Meta’s Narare AR glasses fair in 2024.

For more information check out The Information’s full report here.

Image Credit: Meta

One of the Last Bastions of the Oculus Brand is No More

From roadtovr

Alongside the announcement of the company’s first retail store, Meta has begun redirecting visitors of the longstanding Oculus.com website to its new Meta Store.

Facebook announced back in late 2021 that it would rebrand itself to Meta and eventually dissolve the Oculus brand. In 2022 the company has steadily taken steps to make this a reality, including rebranding its flagship VR headset, Oculus Quest 2, as Meta Quest 2. The company has also pushed the Meta Quest brand elsewhere by replacing the Oculus logo in various places.

The Oculus logo and type under Facebook

But one steadfast holdout was Oculus.com, the URL of company’s front-facing VR division for many years, which housed the storefront for the company to sell headsets along with its VR app catalogue. Even after the site’s content had fully moved to Meta Quest branding, the URL still read Oculus.com.

Today Meta continued its move to erase the Oculus brand; if you visit Oculus.com you’ll now be redirected to store.facebook.com/quest. The new site is a unified storefront for all of Meta’s hardware products, which right now is just Quest, Portal, and Ray-Ban Stories.

The move came at the same time the company announced it will be opening its first retail store which will also feature all of its hardware products.

Meta must have been in a rush to make the switch, as it oddly dropped Oculus.com URL in favor of a Facebook.com URL (instead of a Meta.com, which the company appears to control).

A large portion of the VR community were blindsided by Meta’s decision to dissolve the Oculus brand which has held very positive sentiment despite the growing unpopularity of the Facebook brand which owned it (prior to the change to Meta). The brand was so iconic that it’s still common to see people refer to any of the company’s headsets as ‘the Oculus’.

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who was booted from the company back in 2017, suggested that Meta should have embraced the Oculus name even more deeply, rather than dissolve it.

“If anything, they should have renamed the whole company Oculus [instead of Meta]. It isn’t just the best brand in their stable, it is one of the most positively associated brands in existence,” Luckey said recently on Twitter. “Not even Quest branding will survive in the long run. It will all be replaced by Meta.”

For execs at Meta, however, the move makes sense. The company has made a big pivot toward focusing on the metaverse and wanted to point its hardware and software in that direction in a unified way. Instead of Oculus Quest, Facebook Horizon, and Facebook Portal, now it’s Meta Quest, Meta Horizon, and Meta Portal.

Only time will tell if the branding move was the right choice—or even if it really matters at all—but the general sentiment among XR industry & enthusiast folks is that the Oculus brand was liked and will be missed.

But Oculus.com isn’t completely dead. Not yet, anyway. Although Oculus.com now redirects to a Facebook.com URL, the Oculus.com domain still houses the company’s entire VR app catalogue and its VR developer resources; meanwhile, the Quest companion smartphone app, which is required to use the headset, is still called ‘Oculus’. Though it seems likely these too will be retired in favor of Meta branding before the year is out.