Category: GDC 2022

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Qualcomm Launches $100M Fund to Help Build the Metaverse

Qualcomm, the company known for its mobile Snapdragon processors for smartphones and XR headsets, announced a new Metaverse Fund. The chipmaker says the new fund will be a launchpad for XR developers and companies working to build the metaverse.

At GDC 2022 today, Qualcomm launched its Snapdragon Metaverse Fund for companies building “unique, immersive XR experiences, as well as associated core augmented reality (AR)and related artificial intelligence (AI)technologies,” the company says.

Capital is said arrive through a combination of venture investments by Qualcomm Ventures in “leading XR companies” and a separate grant program for XR developers working in gaming, health and wellness, media, entertainment, education, and enterprise.

“We deliver the groundbreaking platform technology and experiences that will enable both the consumer and the enterprise to build and engage in the metaverse and allow the physical and digital worlds to be connected. Qualcomm is the ticket to the metaverse,” said Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon. “Through the Snapdragon Metaverse Fund, we look forward to empowering developers and companies of all sizes as they push boundaries of what’s possible as we enter into this new generation of spatial computing.”

Over the years Qualcomm has been increasingly involved in creating reference designs for emerging product categories, many of which in the past centered around VR headsets, which involved its purpose-built Snapdragon XR processors. Those have found their way into VR headsets such as Meta Quest 2, HTC Vive Focus 3, and Pico Neo 3.

Currently the company seems to be focusing on smartphone-tethered AR as the next area of consumer interest. As you’d imagine, the chipmaker is positioning itself deeper into both XR hardware and software creation to better integrate its next generation of Snapdragon processors into the emerging product category.

This follows news that Qualcomm has partnered with Japanese gaming powerhouse Square Enix to create AR content using its Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform, and TikTok parent company ByteDance to create XR hardware and software.

Developers looking for funding can signup here for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Fund newsletter.

The post Qualcomm Launches $100M Fund to Help Build the Metaverse appeared first on Road to VR.

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Qualcomm & Square Enix Partner to Create AR Games

Qualcomm and Square Enix today announced a partnership that will see the creation of XR experiences by Square Enix, which includes the Japanese company’s subsidiary studios and intellectual property.

Announced at the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC 2022) in San Francisco today, the partnership is said to involve Square Enix’s Advanced Technology Division (ATD), which will be working with the chipmaker to create content for AR glasses.

The team will be using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform, a software tool kit that allows creators to make 3D applications for XR platforms.

Qualcomm initially launched Snapdragon Spaces back in late 2021, putting heavy emphasis on its capability as a platform for AR content creation—or more specifically content targeting smartphone-tethered AR glasses, something Qualcomm hopes to be an emerging product category for consumers.

“Square Enix has always been committed to state-of-the-art game technology to push storytelling boundaries, delivering unforgettable experiences for our fans” said Ben Taylor, Technical Director at Square Enix. “We have been investing in XR and look forward to building on Snapdragon Spaces. In particular, we think the time is right with XR to innovate on games of a classic genre we are especially known for, and we look forward to sharing them with the world to further our mission to help spread happiness across the globe.”

Square Enix hasn’t said which IP it intends on bringing to AR; it’s the maker behind a host of popular series such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Tomb Raider. The parent company owns British game publisher Eidos and Japanese arcade gaming studio Taito.

The post Qualcomm & Square Enix Partner to Create AR Games appeared first on Road to VR.

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Unity Hosting PSVR 2 Development Talk At GDC This Week

Engine maker Unity will be holding a talk about making titles for Sony’s PSVR 2 headset this week.

The company will host the session, titled ‘Building Next-Gen Games for PlayStation VR2 with Unity‘ at the event in San Francisco on Thursday March 24. The talk promises to explore PSVR 2’s “improved graphics performance and cutting-edge hardware”. The session will also include other VR headset advice but is largely specific to Sony’s upcoming headset.

Unity PSVR 2 Talk Revealed

This talk’s reveal raises questions as to if Sony will give us a better look at PSVR 2 itself over the course of GDC week. The company has already revealed the headset’s specs and design, along with its first official game, but we’re still yet to see a dedicated presentation for the new device that includes reveals of yet more games as well information on pricing and release window.

With that said, GDC is a developer-focused event and Sony may instead be using the show to simply showcase the headset to studios behind closed doors. Nothing about the event listing suggests Sony itself is involved in any official capacity. If we do hear anything new about the device then we’ll of course bring you those updates as soon as we get them.

Despite Sony showing off new details about PSVR 2 on two separate occasions so far this year, there’s speculation that the ongoing component shortage — which has led PS5 sales to fall behind those of the PS4 — could push the device into 2023.

Are you hoping we see more of PSVR 2 this week? Let us know in the comments below!

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Dev’s Remain Skeptical of Web3 in GDC’s 2022 Survey

The Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) will be returning in a couple of months offering both a virtual and in-person event for videogame creators around the world. As the event does every year it conducts an annual State of the Game Industry Survey to find out what dev’s think of the industry, where it’s going and what they like/don’t like about current trends. As ever, there are some interesting takeaways from the results.

GDC Survey NFT 2022
Image credit: GDC State of the Game Industry Survey

As you may have noticed VRFocus is now gmw3 as we expand our coverage towards Web3 and everything that entails. Blockchain games, crypto and NFTs are part of that but what do videogame developers actually think of these topics? NFTs are probably the most divisive and that shows with 70% of the 2,700 respondents not interested. While most aren’t at the moment, a small contingent still is with 27% and 28% interested in crypto and NFTs respectively.

When it comes to user-generated content (UGC) platforms most developers were, of course, not involved coming in at 83% of respondents. Out of the remaining 17% these were split between Roblox (5%), Minecraft (4%), Fortnite (3%), Dreams (3%), and
Core (2%). Platforms like The Sandbox and VRChat, did appear in the “Other” category.

But what about virtual reality (VR) and the XR industry as a whole you ask? 42% of respondents said they were or had been involved in VR/AR videogame development which is actually up by 38% over last year’s survey. Unfortunately, out of the 42%, 56% said they weren’t working on anything for a VR platform.

GDC Survey VR 2022
Image credit: GDC State of the Game Industry Survey

Out of those that are, it’s no surprise that the Oculus (Meta) Quest platform came out on top with 27% of VR developers working on titles for the standalone platform. As for their interest going forward, it’s still Quest with 41% whilst in second place with 25% is the upcoming PlayStation VR2.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has been drip-feeding information regarding the new headset, most recently during CES with the official name and specifications. We still don’t know what it looks like yet but there’s plenty of excitement regarding the new hardware, especially with games like Horizon Call of the Mountain.

Whether you’re interested in XR or Web3, these industries are rapidly changing and growing so keep reading gmw3 for continual updates.