Nomadic takes location-based VR into Asia

Nomadic has reported success with its first virtual reality location-based entertainment center, which is like an arcade for VR. It features Vertigo’s Arizona Sunshine, a VR shooter. And now Nomadic is taking the show on the road to Asia. The San Rafael, California-based company wants to become a mixed-reality powerhouse. Mixed reality combines the digital entertainment of VR with physical locations that are fun in their own right. Nomadic builds the centers, while Vertigo makes the games. Nomadic has a U.S. location in Orlando, Florida, and now it will open one in South Korea by installing its technology inside the CGV Gangbyeon multiplex with 4DX support. The company said it blurs the line between “virtual” and “reality” by creating game-like experiences that guests can feel as they engage with as they step into the action. These incorporate physical props, set design, and environmental effects into story-driven VR content.

Spotlight

MURGE TV

Mission Statement: To offer people an online sports-centric TV streaming service to watch anywhere and everywhere at their convenience.MURGE was created to be a positive disruption to the digital distribution of streaming videos, subsequently becoming the fastest-growing over-the-top internet television service in the United States and across the globe.Through innovative technology, we are built to connect & engage users to sports related content in the form of streaming media on one convenient platform. With a wifi connection users can access a full slate of sports media via smart TV’s, tablets, mobile devices, apps and desktop computers.

OTHER ARTICLES
Technologies

Why Shares of AMC Entertainment Are Surging Today

Article | February 14, 2022

It was just two weeks ago that it looked as if the COVID-19 pandemic would push AMC into bankruptcy, as forced theater closures shut off revenue to the world's biggest cinema operator. The company also slashed its dividend, and executives all took pay cuts to help conserve cash. Investors should still be wary, even if AMC is able to open many of its theaters sooner than the mid-June date it had been eyeing.

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Virtualization

VR Headsets of the Future Might Be Made With Mirrors?

Article | June 21, 2021

Do you get headaches or feel nauseous while using VR headsets? About 20% of people do. Even if VR headsets don’t cause you physical discomfort, you might feel that your virtual worlds seem flat..That’s because they are flat. VR headsets using close-to-eye displays rely on lenses. While a lot of cool technology goes into them, they really work a lot like television or computer screens. Advancements like eye-tracking and autofocus try to fix these problems. But, they’ll never work. At least not according to Doug Magyari. Magyari and Immy, his company based in Troy, Michigan, believe that they have the solution: VR headsets that don’t use lenses.

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Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

Watch out Warzone and Fortnite: Ubisoft is coming after free-to-play

Article | July 13, 2022

Ubisoft announced last week that it is adding specific focus on free-to-play, alongside its AAA catalogue. In doing so, it is following a route that has been very successful for Activision with its Warzone strategy. Free-to-play games which draw audiences via big franchise names and monetise via in-game spending are going to be increasingly common among AAA publishers. The focus on in-game spending and particularly on the cosmetic, rather than the progress-related, parts will be the key revenue component. As games become less finite and more perpetual (consumer goal is less about ‘finishing them’ and more and ‘playing/spending time in them’), the opportunity to monetise needs that stem from this perpetual engagement (e.g. socialising or expression) starts to outweigh the mere monetisation of access to a packaged product. Simultaneously, free-to-play games also act as a powerful marketing driver for AAA releases as they come out, as well as streamability and word of mouth for the franchise.

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Technologies, Virtualization

3 Applications of AI in the Entertainment Industry

Article | August 2, 2022

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entertainment industry has automated time-consuming mundane tasks and increased proficiency in delivering winning content to drive engagement. Production businesses can make informed decisions on marketing and advertising because AI can examine critical data and provide important insights into consumer behavior. Let us look at three other important applications of AI in the entertainment industry: Content Personalization Made Easy Streaming websites like Spotify and Netflix contribute content that attracts a diverse audience with different tastes and choices. They are adopting AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze individual user performance and demographics to promote content that users are interested in. Such personalized content recommendations create audience engagement. AI also helps optimize video quality based on how fast the internet is in a certain place so that streaming works without buffering. Streamlined Movie Production Processes The movie production process is time-consuming and complex. Using AI can help automate processes like sound production, storyboarding, scheduling, and pre-production tasks. It can also automatically sync and group filmed clips. Machine learning has graphics and visual effects that can be used to make fictional characters look better. Subtitle Generation for International Communications Content publishing businesses need to cater to an audience from various regions. Multilingual subtitles make this interaction easier. Manual transcription is time-consuming and requires expensive human resources that businesses cannot afford. Also, human error and variable efficiency are issues that can tamper with customer experience. Any kind of delay in presenting subtitles can put the audio-video-subtitles out of sync. AI prevents such mishaps through speech and vocabulary integration in conversations using neural interfaces. Last Words Apart from the implementation of AI in entertainment, the development of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) apps will make the customer experience immersive and captivating. Moreover, AI-based chatbots can be used for promotional operations for books, films, artists, and TV shows. Platforms in the entertainment sector involve AI to efficiently enhance user engagement and production rates.

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Spotlight

MURGE TV

Mission Statement: To offer people an online sports-centric TV streaming service to watch anywhere and everywhere at their convenience.MURGE was created to be a positive disruption to the digital distribution of streaming videos, subsequently becoming the fastest-growing over-the-top internet television service in the United States and across the globe.Through innovative technology, we are built to connect & engage users to sports related content in the form of streaming media on one convenient platform. With a wifi connection users can access a full slate of sports media via smart TV’s, tablets, mobile devices, apps and desktop computers.

Related News

Location-Based Entertainment Startup Sandbox VR Secures $68 Million Investment

vrfocus | January 29, 2019

Virtual reality (VR) location-based entertainment (LBE) can be a tricky business. Companies like The VOID and Zero Latency have seen success further expanding their global presence, while others such as IMAX VR have had to shutter operations. Sandbox VR, a Hong Kong-based provider also looks to be on the up and up, recently announcing a successful investment round securing $68 million USD.The series A funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz reports Business Insider, with Mike Maples from Floodgate, Stanford University, TriplePoint Capital, CRCM, and Alibaba also participating.Founded in 2016 by CEO Steve Zhao, Sandbox VR developed its own hardware and software solutions to create an out-of-home VR experience that can be fitted in shopping centres and other locations. “When we first opened in Hong Kong in 2017, when we opened the location, for the next 60 days we were sold out from morning until night,” Zhao said.Since then Sandbox VR has managed to expand its presence to more locations in Asia as well as North America including Bangkok, Singapore, Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the new investment, the company plans further expansion, not only adding new locations but also developing new in-house experiences you can’t get anywhere else.

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Sandbox VR Raises $68 Million for Location-Based VR Experiences

variety | January 28, 2019

Hong Kong-based virtual reality (VR) startup Sandbox VR has raised a $68 million Series A round of funding from Andreesen Horowitz, Floodgate Ventures, Stanford University, Triplepoint Capital, CRCM and Alibaba. The company wants to use the new cash infusion to launch new VR centers in New York, Tokyo and elsewhere.Sandbox currently operates VR centers in 6 cities, including San Mateo, Calif., Vancouver and Hong Kong. In those locations, it offers players the opportunity to freely explore a stage, and play together to fight zombies, aliens and undead pirates in a series of location-based VR experiences.“We believe this new medium is not about better movies or a more immersive game,” the company wrote in a blog post Monday. “It’s something else entirely, and we as an industry will need to learn from the best of both mediums — movies and gaming.”“Once the ecosystem around Sandbox begins to achieve critical mass, we expect that the technology will unlock a golden era of storytelling and interactive, immersive entertainment,” said the venture capital firm’s general partner Andrew Chen in a blog post Monday. “Some of this will look like gaming, some will look like film, and yet others will resemble music, documentaries — as well as other new, VR-native genres we’ve yet to invent, in much the same way people eventually moved beyond trying to redo plays in early movies. ”

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VR Bumper Cars Attraction To Open In Germany This Spring

vrfocus | January 18, 2019

Location-based entertainment (LBE) attractions are starting to really push the level of variety they can offer customers, from comedy puzzle titles like The VOID’s Ralph Breaks VR to realistic simulators such as Paraflight VR. Now it’s time for a classic fairground attraction to get the virtual reality (VR) treatment, with a VR bumper cars attraction opening in Germany soon.The work of VR Coaster and Holodeck VR, the VR bumper cars attraction is called Steampunk VR Scooter and will be based at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn in Heroldsbach near Nuremberg.The ride will take visitors into a Wild West-style Arena where they will compete against each other with retro-futuristic steam engines. Guests will not only compete with each other but also against giant robotic enemies, so to help them there are additional extras and upgrades that players can pick up.“With this world’s first VR Bumper Cars Attraction, we will once again open a new chapter in Location Based Virtual Reality.” says Prof. Thomas Wagner, Managing Partner of VR Coaster GmbH & Co. KG in a statement. “With the combined Know-How of the teams at VR Coaster and Holodeck VR, we were able to create an unprecedented, interactive VR experience, which holds some very exciting surprises!”

Read More

Location-Based Entertainment Startup Sandbox VR Secures $68 Million Investment

vrfocus | January 29, 2019

Virtual reality (VR) location-based entertainment (LBE) can be a tricky business. Companies like The VOID and Zero Latency have seen success further expanding their global presence, while others such as IMAX VR have had to shutter operations. Sandbox VR, a Hong Kong-based provider also looks to be on the up and up, recently announcing a successful investment round securing $68 million USD.The series A funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz reports Business Insider, with Mike Maples from Floodgate, Stanford University, TriplePoint Capital, CRCM, and Alibaba also participating.Founded in 2016 by CEO Steve Zhao, Sandbox VR developed its own hardware and software solutions to create an out-of-home VR experience that can be fitted in shopping centres and other locations. “When we first opened in Hong Kong in 2017, when we opened the location, for the next 60 days we were sold out from morning until night,” Zhao said.Since then Sandbox VR has managed to expand its presence to more locations in Asia as well as North America including Bangkok, Singapore, Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the new investment, the company plans further expansion, not only adding new locations but also developing new in-house experiences you can’t get anywhere else.

Read More

Sandbox VR Raises $68 Million for Location-Based VR Experiences

variety | January 28, 2019

Hong Kong-based virtual reality (VR) startup Sandbox VR has raised a $68 million Series A round of funding from Andreesen Horowitz, Floodgate Ventures, Stanford University, Triplepoint Capital, CRCM and Alibaba. The company wants to use the new cash infusion to launch new VR centers in New York, Tokyo and elsewhere.Sandbox currently operates VR centers in 6 cities, including San Mateo, Calif., Vancouver and Hong Kong. In those locations, it offers players the opportunity to freely explore a stage, and play together to fight zombies, aliens and undead pirates in a series of location-based VR experiences.“We believe this new medium is not about better movies or a more immersive game,” the company wrote in a blog post Monday. “It’s something else entirely, and we as an industry will need to learn from the best of both mediums — movies and gaming.”“Once the ecosystem around Sandbox begins to achieve critical mass, we expect that the technology will unlock a golden era of storytelling and interactive, immersive entertainment,” said the venture capital firm’s general partner Andrew Chen in a blog post Monday. “Some of this will look like gaming, some will look like film, and yet others will resemble music, documentaries — as well as other new, VR-native genres we’ve yet to invent, in much the same way people eventually moved beyond trying to redo plays in early movies. ”

Read More

VR Bumper Cars Attraction To Open In Germany This Spring

vrfocus | January 18, 2019

Location-based entertainment (LBE) attractions are starting to really push the level of variety they can offer customers, from comedy puzzle titles like The VOID’s Ralph Breaks VR to realistic simulators such as Paraflight VR. Now it’s time for a classic fairground attraction to get the virtual reality (VR) treatment, with a VR bumper cars attraction opening in Germany soon.The work of VR Coaster and Holodeck VR, the VR bumper cars attraction is called Steampunk VR Scooter and will be based at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn in Heroldsbach near Nuremberg.The ride will take visitors into a Wild West-style Arena where they will compete against each other with retro-futuristic steam engines. Guests will not only compete with each other but also against giant robotic enemies, so to help them there are additional extras and upgrades that players can pick up.“With this world’s first VR Bumper Cars Attraction, we will once again open a new chapter in Location Based Virtual Reality.” says Prof. Thomas Wagner, Managing Partner of VR Coaster GmbH & Co. KG in a statement. “With the combined Know-How of the teams at VR Coaster and Holodeck VR, we were able to create an unprecedented, interactive VR experience, which holds some very exciting surprises!”

Read More

Events