VIRTUALIZATION
businesswire | May 29, 2023
Strivr, the leading platform for enterprise-scale Virtual Reality (VR) solutions, announced the evolution of its offering to accelerate content and solution capabilities using Generative AI (GenAI) for enhanced storyline development, animation and asset creation, and optimization of visual and content-driven features. Staying true to its roots in using cognitive science, data science, and artificial intelligence, Strivr will also be using GenAI to intelligently derive unique insights from immersive user data to support HR and L&D leaders in making critical business decisions.
With nearly 60,000 hours of content creation experience, Strivr has driven measurable impact for its enterprise customers through a best-in-class content library in the areas of cost savings, increased sales, and faster onboarding. Along with advancements like the use of GenAI to accelerate the content creation process, Strivr is able to drive further value for customers with advanced capabilities and a broader library of experiences including a critical area of today's enterprise: employee well-being.
“The demand for high-quality, scalable VR experiences that deliver meaningful and impactful results is at an all-time high,” said Derek Belch, founder and CEO at Strivr. “Our customers are among the largest companies in the world, and they are seeing firsthand the impact immersive technology can bring to employee engagement, retention, and performance. They want more, and we’re listening. Along with GenAI to accelerate content creation, we’re also going beyond training and partnering with one of the world’s leading financial institutions to offer immersive meditation to support the mental health of its workforce. This is just the beginning of how VR will continue to impact the employee experience, and we're excited to see our customers embracing it."
“Immersive and generative AI technologies are taking over the corporate learning landscape,” said Josh Bersin, Global Industry Analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. “Strivr, through its deep experience with immersive and VR implementations in the market, is clearly a leader to watch.”
Expanding the Strivr Content Library
In recognition of Mental Health Month, Strivr is hosting its first in-headset mental health and well-being applications on the platform in partnership with Reulay and Healium. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, meditation can help reduce anxiety just as well as drug therapies, while practicing mindfulness has also been shown to help employee productivity, focus and collaboration. Strivr customers can now offer safe mental health “breaks” to their employees as part of their VR-based immersive programs and training curricula, addressing reskilling for emotional well-being to tackle increasing levels of employee burnout, depression, and anxiety.
Building on this newly expanded offering, Strivr also offers customers choice when it comes to sourcing content to build out their VR libraries. Whether it’s Strivr-created content, content developed by Strivr-certified partners, or content developed in-house, Strivr’s open platform enabled by the Strivr Software Development Kit (SDK) allows customers to choose how they want to source content. Similar to Strivr’s Solutions team, content partners have the potential to leverage Strivr’s enterprise-scale platform to impact millions of learners, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the global workforce. For content developers interested in Strivr’s assessment and certification process, please visit developer.strivr.com.
Introducing Strivr Home
Enabling learners to navigate their own experiential learning path, Strivr has also introduced Strivr Home, a virtual in-headset performance hub focused exclusively on employee experience. As the central hub to upskill, reskill, and recharge, Strivr Home simplifies, unifies, and personalizes the in-headset experience by transporting users into a tranquil home setting to access world-class immersive content. With features including single sign-on and a central hub where people can browse premium training content, Strivr Home is also designed to guide the user’s journey and will evolve to offer insights on learner performance and recommendations on future experiences.
Strivr Home is available today with the latest release of the company’s in-headset Player product. To experience Strivr Home and new content offerings.
About Strivr
With over 1M learners trained in VR, Strivr is transforming the employee journey through experiential learning. Incubated at Stanford, Strivr’s platform empowers enterprises to build, manage, experience, and measure VR-based learning to optimize workforce performance. With a premium content offering based on nearly 60,000 hours of content creation experience since its inception in 2015, Strivr customers gain unique learning and assessment data to measure training effectiveness and predict learning outcomes at scale. With nearly 2M sessions conducted in VR from hiring to training and upskilling, Strivr is proud to partner with elite sports teams and Fortune 1000 companies to elevate performance through immersive experience.
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TECHNOLOGIES
prnewswire | May 23, 2023
WIN Reality, the virtual reality training and assessment platform for athletes, announced today the launch of their latest in-game coaching product, WIN Elite. This new offering is designed to provide direct, personalized coaching and analysis for young baseball and softball players to improve their hitting performance in real-time in an immersive VR environment.
WIN Elite is centered around individualized 1:1 coaching from a core group of coaching professionals who lead hitting lessons with athletes in real time. The combination of coaching with VR provides game speed repetitions with real time metrics. The program includes working through fundamental drills, hitting scenarios, and teaching a winner's mentality, all designed to improve performance at the plate. With Elite, athletes will experience coaching that is normally only accessible to elite athletes and teams. Scheduling is flexible and athletes can join the platform from anywhere with a wifi connection, making WIN Elite a convenient training option for both players and parents.
"There's no substitute for a coach, but not everyone has the time and resources for in person, 1:1 instruction on top of the rigors of school, practice, and games," says Ben Schragger, Director of Customer Experience at WIN Reality. "With WIN Elite, young players can unlock the benefits of a private hitting coach, including custom development plans, from the comfort of their own home."
Beyond the advantages of a VR environment, WIN Elite leverages accountability between the players and the coaches in order to help develop athletes who are just getting started in sports all the way through elite high school players preparing for their transition to college. That means personal training plans with clear expectations of completion coupled with on-demand text messages directly between coaches and players. It also means access to community events periodically that feature Q&As with college athletes, interactive training livestreams with other coaches, and info sessions on college recruiting and other off-the-field topics.
"We launched WIN Reality because we knew that a VR environment can help more players hone their performance," said Chris O'Dowd, Founder and CEO of WIN Reality and former pro baseball player. "But that's no substitute for the value of a personal coach guiding a player's growth in the game. By bringing together the best of technology with the power of individual attention and instruction, we know that our young players can make the most of their growth in the sport."
"Being able to throw the headset on, take swings, and receive instantaneous feedback about how you're performing, you can't rival that", said Chris Love, WIN Elite Parent. "The ability for Winter, my son, to train virtually with his WIN Elite coach, who played high-level baseball, is as good or better than any in person coach Winter has had up until this point."
WIN Reality is hosted on the Meta Quest headset and the platform is available at both winreality.com as well as the Meta Quest store. WIN Elite is $299 for a three-month subscription in addition to the basic pricing for WIN Reality at $29/month. Introductory pricing offers are currently available for new users.
About WIN Reality
WIN Reality's virtual reality -based training tool is used by thousands of youth players and hundreds of professional and collegiate baseball athletes, including most Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises and more than 100 NCAA teams. Delivered through the Meta Quest headset, the company's software solution allows baseball and softball players to step into a virtual ballpark and take game-speed pitches that move as they would in a live environment. With a library of over 7,000 real-life pitchers and nearly two million pitches, users can participate in a near-infinite number of hitting drills and pitching simulations with real-time data-driven insights to improve pitch-recognition abilities and swing attributes.
MLB players who used WIN as a game-prep tool exhibited 19% higher batting averages, 12% higher on-base percentages, and an 18% better plate-discipline ratio, according to a joint WIN-MLB study. Within the last year, players have faced nearly 40 million pitches on the WIN platform.
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TECHNOLOGIES, MEDIA AND BROADCASTING
Businesswire | May 15, 2023
HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap – Mika the Shiba will be available starting Friday, May 19. As the third HX3D personalized keycap drop, the HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap features a unique and adorable design inspired by Valkyrae's furry friend Mika. As a must-have for gamers and fans of Valkyrae and Shiba Inu dogs alike, this personalized keycap demonstrates HyperX’s continued commitment to innovation and collaboration within the gaming community.
As the inspiration behind the HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap, Mika the Shiba Inu is now a fun keyboard accent or collectable and forever keepsake. Involved in every step of the design process and showcasing her personal touch, Valkyrae worked closely with the HyperX team to create the keycap to be included in the HyperX HX3D collection. The keycap features Mika holding a dagger in his mouth symbolizing Valkyrae’s love for swords and a red collar – a nod to 100 Thieves.
“I loved bringing Mika to life as a 3D keycap with HyperX,” said Valkyrae, HyperX ambassador and influencer. " I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve created.”
Collaborating with game developers, esports teams, content creators, influencers, and internal creative teams, HyperX plans to continue to deliver fan-friendly 3D personalized products that can be used while gaming or collected as keepsakes or cherished collectibles. HX3D 3D printed products are produced on HP Inc. 3D printers as part of the growing cooperation with HP Inc., leveraging their experience and bringing synergy, innovation and color printing skills to gaming. HyperX’s personalization products are manufactured using re-used powder nylon.
Availability
The HyperX x Valkyrae Limited Edition Keycap – Mika the Shiba – will be available in the U.S. only through HyperX.com starting Friday, May 19, at 9 a.m. PDT at Hyperx.com for 48 hours or until supplies last. The price for this keycap is $19.99. Be sure to catch Valkyrae’s “best friend” before Mika is gone. Once the HyperX limited edition keycaps are sold out, they won’t be available again. For more information, please visit the HX3D product page.
Pricing from HyperX.com is subject to change without notice. Retailers’ pricing may vary.
About HyperX
For 20 years, HyperX’s mission has been to develop gaming solutions for every type of gamer and the company is consistently recognized for delivering products that provide superb comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability. Under the tagline of “WE’RE ALL GAMERS,” HyperX gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, USB microphones, and console accessories are the choice of everyday gamers as well as celebrity ambassadors, pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, streamers, and influencers. Visit www.hyperx.com.
About HP
HP Inc. is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world. Its product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions helps bring these ideas to life. Visit http://www.hp.com.
Editor’s Note: For additional information or executive interviews, please contact Mark Tekunoff, HP Inc., 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA USA 92708, mark.tekunoff@hyperx.com or Hyperx_PR@hyperx.com.
HyperX and the HyperX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of HP Inc.in the U.S. and/or other countries. All registered trademarks and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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