Social virtual reality (VR) platform Somnium Space already dropped one announcement today and now it’s released a whole load more! Highlighting some exciting investments, partnerships and more, the most surprising reveal of the bunch is that Somnium Space is getting into the hardware business; development is already underway on a standalone VR headset.
Only a few sparse details have been released so far regarding the headset’s development with Somnium Space confirming in a blog post that it’ll feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset, a native PC VR mode, an open software ecosystem and a modular design. Presumably, the latter would allow additional sensors to be incorporated. While it may seem unusual for a social VR platform to expand into hardware the team gave this reasoning: “as a decentralized and open Metaverse company we cannot allow Somnium Space to be dependent on hardware gatekeepers to be able to communicate and engage with our users.”
How is Somnium Space going about developing its own standalone headset? Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space confirmed to VRFocusthat it is partnering with VRgineers, the company behind the XTAL enterprise headset on the project. Specifications are being finalised at the moment with the full specs, price and release info arriving as part of Somnium Connect, its first physical and in VR event in December.
The collaboration with VRgineers comes as no surprise considering Sominum Space also announced a strategic investment in the hardware maker. Details of the investment amount haven’t been released. Continuing on the investment topic, Gemini Frontier Fund – a venture fund focused on crypto projects founded by the Winklevoss twins – has invested in the metaverse company with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss joining Somnium Space as official Advisors. Again, no figures have been mentioned.
There’s still more. Somnium Space will be integrating Solana NFTs giving users the option to showcase their Solana NFT art tokens on their land parcel or employ their Solana VR avatar in the virtual world. Another land sale will run between 14th – 18th November utilising Ethereum and Solana via OpenSea and Holaplex stores, and just to top it all off there’s an Oculus Quest app coming!
“We are hard at work on our Oculus standalone app. Our plan is to release its Alpha version in December 2021 and expand development in 2022,” says Sychov. “This app will allow users to explore PARCELs and WORLDs natively without a need of a tethered PC experience while being in the same instances with other players from our native VR client.”
So plenty for metaverse fans to get excited about. For continued updates keep reading VRFocus.
There’s no escaping the current “metaverse” buzzword at the moment with the topic likely the centre of attention later this week. One platform that’s been developing its own digital universe for a while is Somnium Space, today announcing a strategic investment into Teslasuit, deepening the partnership between the two companies.
VRFocus reported over the summer when Somnium Space and Teslasuit parent company VR Electronics Ltd initially collaborated, offering consumers the chance to purchase ten limited-edition models of the full-body, haptic Teslasuit via crypto auctions. This new investment will see them both continuing research and development into sensory sensations within Somnium Space, expanding upon touch, music, weather and shooting which are already supported.
In addition to Somnium Space and Teslasuit working towards a more simulating metaverse, Teslasuit will be opening its own store inside the platform’s shopping mall. It’ll be used for new product announcements like the Teslasuit Glove – last seen at CES 2020 – as well as customers being able to talk with members of the Teslasuit team.
“By investing into this incredible team and company we are not only supporting a true innovative product with the most advanced haptic and sensory technology currently available on the market, but we also bring an important connection for this technology into The Metaverse allowing our users to explore true use-cases of incredible immersion already today, either for leisure or research purposes,” said Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space in a statement. At Somnium we truly believe in the future of Virtual Reality worlds, and we are committed to further growing this ecosystem with market-leading companies.”
“We are extremely excited about this partnership; both companies have a clear vision on how the TESLASUIT suite of technology within the Somnium platform will help educate and amplify the adoption of not only VR, but herald a new level of immersion to this new medium,” adds Sergei Nossoff, Founder & CEO of VR Electronics Ltd. “Following hot on the heels from our recent Somnium auction, partnering at this stage, we confirm our joint aspiration to explore and share the wonders of the Metaverse together. Over the coming months we have some amazing new joint product initiatives we will be sharing with our virtual and physical audiences – so watch this space!”
Somnium Spaceis a free to explore social VR app that holds events and sells virtual plots of land for users to build upon, creating their own community in the process. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Teslasuit and Somnium Space‘s partnership, reporting back with further updates.
Social virtual reality (VR) platform Somnium Space is currently conducting its “Road to Tertiary Land Offering (R2TLO)” over the course of July, where you can buy digital land using cryptocurrency. During the event, Somnium Space has partnered up with VR Electronics Ltd to offer ten limited-edition models of its Teslasuit, a full-body, haptic suit usually only available for enterprise use cases.
Participants in the Road 2 TLO auctions will be able to bid for a Limited Edition Somnium X TESLASUIT DK1, a device that has sensors covering 95% of a users muscle mass which are used for haptics, motion capture and biometric data capture. This will be the first time Teslasuit has been made available in this way.
Successful bidders won’t just get a Teslasuit, the companies have ensured the social experience can showcase how immersive the suit can be. As Somnium Space has dynamic weather, users will be able to feel raindrops in the virtual world or feel the music when they attend a concert. Playing AnihilatorVR Somnium Space’s exclusive multiplayer shooter the impact of projectiles can be felt. Even simple social interaction will be more realistic, feeling the touch of another person.
“I have no doubt that within this decade the majority of the human population will be using Virtual Reality on a daily basis to conduct business meetings, visit concerts, socialise with others, or simply have fun during virtual experiences or other types of events. In fact, we can see that the majority of such use cases are being conducted inside Somnium Metaverse on a daily basis already today. Teslasuit brings the next level of immersion for users allowing for the first time ever to feel Somnium Space’s virtual environment. We are excited to deliver this exclusive and strategic partnership with the Teslasuit team and to work closely together in order to push the boundaries of what is possible further,” says Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space in a statement.
Sergei Nossoff, Founder & CEO of VR Electronics Ltd adds: “We are excited to partner with Somnium Space and offer Teslasuit technology for high-end VR experiences, providing a deeper immersion with full-body motion capture and range of enhanced haptic sensations. Teslasuit has been focusing on creating government and enterprise VR/AR/MR training solutions. We have combined the innovative insight of Teslasuit with the most advanced global VR training practices, however, our dream is to let every VR user experience this incredible technology on a daily basis and vastly enhance their virtual presence.”
Anyone can purchase one of the Limited Edition Somnium X TESLASUIT DK1 suits during the auctions which run until 31st July 2021. Just don’t expect to pick up a bargain price Teslasuit as current bids on OpenSea have surpassed 7 Ethereum which is north of $13k USD. Here’s a bit more info before you bid:
Each suit comes with an Exclusive one of a kind NFT token
Each Limited Edition comprises a jacket and trousers
Each suit will have your name of choice printed on it
Each suit will be tailored to your exact body size
Starting auction prices in Ethereum and CUBEs will be always announced via Somnium Space official Twitter account a few days before each week’s auction alongside PARCELs, WORLDs, and other ITEMs
Winning price also includes worldwide priority shipping. (Does not include your local customs and other country-specific costs).
Each auction winner will be contacted individually to organise their personal delivery and special arrangements.
Everyone loves the idea of a virtual world. Someplace where they can break from reality and do (almost) whatever they want, free of the confines of annoying details like physics or being nice. It’s why videogames have become so incredibly popular yet the virtual world of somewhere like Fallout and the true vision of a metaverse are very different ends of the digital spectrum. Because these metaverse’s creators are imagining aren’t concerned with fairy-tale lands with quests to go on, these are fully functioning ecosystems with economies, entertainment and logistics like the real world, just without physical restrictions. Sound daunting, well it is so hold on tight?
Introducing worlds within worlds
This idea is nothing new and has often appeared in pop culture, whether it’s The Matrix with the rather sinister human simulation theory to the gamer-friendly Oasis which featured in Ready Player One.
Nowadays, fantasy is becoming reality and in doing so gaining notoriety thanks to prominent figureheads such as Epic Games’ Tim Sweeny continually dropping in the metaverse buzzword. But what do these alternate digital realities really offer and why are they gaining such prominence of late?
While the basic idea behind the metaverse is a shared virtual space that mirrors the real world where you can hang out with friends or attend a gig, as this sector grows so does the competition and there are plenty vying for your time. You may think the internet already provides everything you need in this regard yet virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) takes this to a whole new level. For the first time, you can literally step inside the metaverse, buy a digital item that you can interact with and then sell on if you so wish.
Getting Social
The core feature of any metaverse is its ability to socialise with friends and strangers alike, joining them at a bar for a virtual drink and catch up or making new friends with a shared love of Star Wars. All without the physical limitations of travel, an important factor when the world is gripped by a pandemic and likely one of the reasons why this subject has grown to such prominence of late.
However, just like the real world these digital realms also have to deal with similar problems, creating safe and secure spaces where everyone feels comfortable coming back to, day in and out. Videogames may offer players the chance to be good or evil but an online virtual world cannot allow guests to be derogatory or discriminatory towards one another. Otherwise, it creates a negative environment nobody will want to be a part of.
Solutions to this are already widespread and continually improving. Most common is simply blocking another user or reporting them, apps like VRChat for example allow you to highlight someone and mute them. While in Museum of Other Realities (MOR) which regularly host festivals – like XR3 currently – has a bubble feature where only people within that sphere can communicate.
Keeping Entertained
Whichever world you join you’ll want to be entertained and that’s going to be one of the biggest marketing opportunities to attract new users.
From attending digital festivals, exhibitions, movie premieres or enjoying some multiplayer videogame mayhem the possibilities are endless. And the competition is already getting fierce before some of the worlds have even launched.
As mentioned places like MOR allow you to visit film festivals like Tribeca or Cannes XR, whilst Sansar has gone down the music route hosting Splendour XR and the Lost Horizon music festivals. Sensorium Galaxy, on the other hand, hasn’t even arrived yet it’s already lining up an all-star cast of DJ’s including David Guetta and Carl Cox to perform, all fully motion-captured.
This also opens up interesting opportunities for brands to reach existing and new audiences. Banner ads and pop-ups will be a thing of the past here, with companies able to explore new interactive ways of communicating their products, creating events you can attend or having an actual object sat there in front of you.
Culture vulture
All of this will inevitably lead to the creation of digital culture, where users will want to clothe their avatars in certain apparel or join groups which appeal to their politics or ethics. You could one day see people protesting in a metaverse about social injustice, climate change, pollution of the oceans, political suppression and much more.
And just as current cultural trends would enter the fray so would new ones spring up entirely inside these worlds.
XR-Commerce
All of this inevitably fuels a digital ecosystem full of buying potential. Casual users might want to buy a new skin or wardrobe for their avatar, whereas those serious about investing in the metaverse can buy virtual property, businesses and even land to build upon.
Again, this is already underway mainly supported by cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to facilitate a safe and secure method of conducting transactions. Somnium Space for example launched in 2018 conducting a land sale with locations split down into ‘parcels’, each with a different value depending on their size. This used the Ethereum blockchain, allowing buyers to then sell assets on marketplaces like Opensea.
Having this type of commercial ecosystem allows creators to make money, building digital items which can be minted into NFT’s (Non-Fungible Tokens) to be sold at auction. NFT’s have exploded in the past year, some selling for millions.
Metaverse commerce will also create a hierarchy where people won’t be able to afford land in a prized location or a new pair of limited edition sneakers. That opens the door for high-end brands to step in and serve a clientele who demand only the rarest items.
The future virtual dream
All of this is just the tip of a virtual iceberg as the digital and the real intertwine, as new worlds are created and new innovations appear. We’re really just at the beginning of this journey into immersive, social XR worlds and there’s still plenty more to discuss across all of these subjects mentioned and more – we’ve not even started on immersive full-body and facial tracking!
So VRFocus will be continuing to dive deep into the XR metaverse, looking at those universes that are forging ahead, the creators behind them as well as what the near and far-flung future holds. Hopefully, to prepare yourself you’ll join us on this tech-filled ride.
Wolf3D’s Ready Player Me avatars are already used in plenty of social virtual reality (VR) apps including VRChat, Mozilla Hubs, and MeetinVR. Today, another social world has been added to that list with Somnium Space now supporting the avatar creation software.
While Somnium Space already had a basic avatar creation solution, the addition of Ready Player Me greatly expands the customisation options for users. It also enables Somnium Space users to utilise the avatar apps’ most interesting feature, the ability to create a character simply by uploading a selfie.
All of this can be achieved directly inside Somnium Space without any need for a separate app. You can create an avatar directly inside the Somnium WEB client before stepping into the virtual world. After uploading a photo – or you can skip that part and build an avatar from scratch – you’re presented with a massive list of customisation options to alter facial features, hair and hair colour as well as clothing.
“We are very excited to partner with Wolf3D and bring native support for Ready Player Me avatars into our Somnium WEB client. This is another important step towards our ultimate goal of interoperability. Allowing users to express themselves across the Metaverse is one of the most important aspects of their digital existence,” said Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space in a statement. “We are committed to this goal and happy to add another layer of self-customization alongside user-generated Somnium Blockchain (NFT) Avatars and Somnium Classical Avatars.”
Somnium Spacehas been running since 2018, providing a virtual world where users buy land parcels that they can build upon or sell if they so wish. Built on the Ethereum blockchain network, you can join Somnium Space for free and explore its metaverse using PC VR headsets or online through a PC or mobile device. Because of its blockchain backbone, assets, avatars, and land parcels – basically any in-game assets – can be tokenized and stored in a blockchain wallet as NFTs to be sold through marketplaces like Opensea.
As Somnium Space continues to expand its feature set during 2021, VRFocus will keep you updated.
The race is definitely on to see who can create the biggest and most impressive social worlds, whether that’s Sansar, Facebook Horizon, VRChat, Sensorium Galaxyand others. Somnium Space has been working in this space for several years now and today announced a major series of updates which will give users more freedom to create, expand and invite people inside their worlds.
There are three main components being rolled out over the next few months, with the most important for current users being Somnium Space Worlds. If you already own a parcel of digital land then the feature will allow you to broaden your creative mind, building a new interactive world for others to join.
Created by utilizing the Somnium UnitySDK, these worlds can make use of Unity components such as custom scripts, shaders and other advanced creative tools. Build your own arcade or even a multiplayer game for other Somnium Space players to try out. The only limit to the size of the worlds is the land parcel size you already own. There will be three worlds available: Small (75MB), Medium (200MB) and Extra Large (500MB). Somnium Space Worlds is expected to launch in Q1 2021.
A virtual world needs to attract as many people as possible to build a vibrant ecosystem, so making it as easily accessible as possible is a must. Somnium Space already allows both VR players on PC VR headsets and non-VR players via desktop to interact but in December this will go a stage further with Somnium Space Web. Every piece of land – or Parcel as it’s termed – will get a permanent link so it can be directly accessed via the web.
The feature will offer cross-platform live voice-enabled multiplayer so that those accessing the parcel via a browser can still chat and interact with those using the native Somnium VR client.
“Mobile VR support? WebXR? Of course! We are taking Web experience to the next level. You will be able to visit your WEB PARCEL in Virtual Reality. Simply use VR compatible browser such as Mozilla or Oculus Browser and dive into your PARCEL right away. No installation nor waiting times! VR anywhere, anytime! Fire up your Oculus Quests!,” notes a blog post.
And starting on 1st November will be Somnium Space’s Second Land Offering (SLO), selling a total of 350 land Parcels and 70 Somnium Worlds tokens. For further updates on this expanding virtual universe, keep reading VRFocus.
Every weekend VRFocus gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
There might be a growing collection of virtual reality (VR) videogames that can off big expansive worlds to explore but if you’re looking for something more akin to Ready Player One’s Oasis then your options are fairly limited. One of these social VR worlds available now is Somnium Space which launched in 2018, offering a persistent world as well as an economy. Today, Somnium Space has officially announced the upcoming launch of v2.0 adding new features to strengthen the experience for users.
Somnium Space first began discussing the 2.0 update last summer promising a range of features and improvements as well as additional headset support. v2.0 will see persistent server architecture arrive to ensure that no one will experience
any loading screens whilst Somnium hosts hundreds or thousands of players at the same time. Full body avatars will become available so you can look like a real digital person using the Unity Avatar SDK. For those that have purchased land through Somnium Space’s previous Initial Land Offering’s (ILO) the Builder tool will be enhanced to purchase or create new assets.
The virtual world will add native NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) integration allowing users to place any NFT directly onto Somnium Land Parcels they own and explore them in full VR in headsets like HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Valve Index. Users will also be able to create and tokenize items, avatars or full structures directly from Somnium PC client, allowing
anyone to instantly monetize their creations.
“We are putting a lot of effort into the immersive aspect of our VR world. Players are able not only explore creations of each other but ultimately get lost in the vast territories of a truly alive world. You can start a business and instantly monetize your ideas, visit the planetarium or museum, touch the water, or go mountain hiking, watch birds flying across the sunset throwing real-time shadows onto nearby standing buildings created by users, stumble upon wild animals or simply enjoy procedurally generated weather changes. All of that wakes up your body senses and brings an emotional connection to your creations or your friends to the next level,” says Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space in a statement.
As well as Somnium Space 2.0, the developers are also launching their own in-game currency called Somnium Cubes. This currency aims to make microtransactions in Somnium Space easier, such as paying to teleport to the other side of the world or renting an item. Landowners could use the Cubes to purchase user-generated content and Cubes can be earnt as a Karma reward when achieving a certain status.
Somnium Space 2.0 will be rolled out this Thursday 20th February. The app itself is completely free to download and explore. A version for Oculus Quest and Oculus Go is still in the works with Somnium Space slating a release in the next few months. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.
The Augmented World Expo (AWE) returns to Europe of its fourth event next week, seen as one of the biggest events dedicated to spatial computing. Today, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) monetization platform Admix and immersive social world Somnium Spacehave announced a partnership for AWE EU 2019 where they’ll showcase innovative monetization solutions for developers.
The partnership will see both companies host a workshop for VR and AR developers, enabling them to learn about Admix’s methods for non-intrusive advertising within virtual worlds, its integration process and execution of live ads.
“We are excited to partner with AWE, for what is gearing up to be one of the top XR events of the year,” said Admix CEO, Samuel Huber in a statement. “This year, our stand will be showcasing some of our most exciting content creators working with Admix, as well as interview opportunities with both VRFocus and VR/AR Pioneers. We are looking forward to meeting developers building awesome experiences!”
Away from the booth, Huber will be hosting a couple of sessions for those interested in learning about XR advertising: ‘Can XR Save the Advertising World?’, discussing the future of advertising through immersive media, and ‘How to Monetize XR – A Step by Step Workshop by Admix’.
Social VR world Somnium Space recently made headlines when it launched a rather unique Initial Land Offering (ILO) last Sunday, 6th October, allowing the public to bid on land parcels within its virtual world. Using the Ethereum blockchain network customers would then own the land to build on or sell on if they so wished.
“We are at AWE to showcase a huge new Somnium 2.0 update as well as our blockchain integration, a technology that is fundamentally changing the way people see, use and own digital assets,” adds Artur Sychov, CEO of Somnium Space. “Admix is a very welcomed tool for our players because it gives full control of non-intrusive VR advertising and instant monetization.”
Ever watch that film called The Founder, charting the rise of the McDonald’s fast-food chain? You should it’s very interesting. One part of the story reveals a key aspect of the restaurant’s rapid ascension, owning the land which each franchised restaurant is sat upon, thus securing continual income. It’s a tried and tested method used for centuries, with many old-money dynasties founded on land ownership. Why is this important to know? Well, the digital realm is growing at a rapid rate and in the world of virtual reality (VR) one of the focus points is expansive social worlds where everyone can hang out, chat and enjoy entertainment. Somnium Space is one such location which understands the importance of land ownership, hence why it’s conducting an Initial Land Offering (ILO) starting this Sunday, 6th October.
Somnium Space has been freely available to download as an early access title via Steam for over a year now, building a world with its own currency and economy. As part of this, the Somnium Space team wants users to feel truly part of this world rather than some social experiment which you visit occasionally. So to do this each user can actually own a part of it, their own piece of land to do with as they so wish.
These are called ‘Land Parcels’ which were first made available through crowd-funding campaigns. These areas will be scattered across the Somnium Space world, available in different sizes and with various scenic views. The ILO will be a digital auction so there’s no set price for any of these Land Parcels, people can bid what they want to bid, using the Ethereum blockchain network for its transactions. Just like a real piece of land, there will be areas in Somnium Space more highly prized than others, such as city-centre locations.
Once purchased then it’s yours to own and do with as you please. Set up shop and build a virtual home to invite people to, or build an actual shop to sell products in. Go down the rental route if you’ve managed to purchase a prime location, or even sell it for a higher price and make a profit, the choice is yours.
It can sound exciting but also bewildering for those that don’t fully understand the tech or how to get involved in the ILO. VRFocus sat down with Somnium Space’sCEO Artur Sychov who explains in greater detail how the process works.
The Somnium Space ILO runs from 6th – 13th October 2019. Head to Opensea.io to see all the Land Parcels ahead of the auction and for further updates keep reading VRFocus.
