How to get the Minecraft TikTok cape
There's a brand new cape to wear in Minecraft, but you need to unlock it on TikTok first. This is a rare cape you can only get for a limited time, so learn how.
TikTok is the First Big Social Media Platform to Launch a Native Vision Pro App
Vision Pro launched with over a million iOS apps earlier this month alongside a little over 600 native apps created specifically for visionOS. That number has grown steadily, although the biggest entrant lately is TikTok, the first social media giant to be available as a native app on Vision Pro.
TikTok parent company ByteDance released what it calls “a newly imagined” version of its the popular video sharing platform on the $3,500 Vision Pro, which is decidedly different from the straight Android port the company brought to Pico 4, a device from sister company Pico Interactive.
The company says it’s been able to do a few things different thanks to Vision Pro’s immersive ability to break beyond the typical smartphone screen ratio, such as make a larger video search window, move the navigation bar and like button off-screen to optimize for full video viewing, and expand the comment section and creator profiles on the side of the feed.
Like many 2D apps on the headset, TikTok for Vision Pro lets you use immersive backgrounds, letting you ‘pinch to like’ and scroll away the day at the foot of Yosemite Nation Park’s El Capitán mountain, or on the Moon. Simply turn the headset’s digital crown to blend in the virtual background.
Still, the Vision Pro-native app isn’t exactly breaking from the company’s time-tested mold, as the platform’s content still serves up the standard vertical videos we’re all used to, albeit in significantly larger virtual screen than you might normally have. Then again, that was mostly expected when we found TikTok among the then incomplete list of native Vision Pro apps prior the headset’s launch.
While viewing videos is pretty straight forward, posting your own content from within Vision Pro is another story for now, as it seems to be a feature still in development. You can check out TikTok’s Vision Pro app in action below, courtesy CNET:
The post TikTok is the First Big Social Media Platform to Launch a Native Vision Pro App appeared first on Road to VR.
A TikTok running joke got a game kicked off the Nintendo Switch eShop
Narrative poker game Sunshine Shuffle was supposed to launch on Nintendo Switch this week. That is, until a running TikTok gag went awry.
Report: TikTok Parent Lays Off Hundreds at VR Subsidiary Pico Interactive, Tencent Scraps VR Plans
TikTok parent company ByteDance is reportedly laying off what South China Morning Post maintains will be “hundreds of employees” working at its VR headset manufacturing subsidiary, Pico Interactive. A separate report from Reuters also maintains Chinese tech giant Tencent is scrapping its plans to release a VR headset.
According to two people with knowledge of the Pico layoffs, a substantial portion of the VR headset maker is expected to be affected. The report maintains that some teams will see as much as a 30 percent reduction, while some higher-level positions are also expected to be affected.
After being acquired by ByteDance in August 2021, Pico job postings revealed the company was making a sizable expansion into the US to presumably better compete with Meta on its home turf.
Shortly afterwards, the China-based company then released its latest standalone headset, Pico 4, in Europe and Asia to consumers. Seen a direct competitor to Meta Quest 2, Pico 4 still isn’t officially sold in the US; the headset is currently only available across Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and most countries in Europe.
It was also reported by Chinese tech outlet 36Kr that Tencent, the massive Chinese multinational, was disbanding it 300-person strong XR unit. The company has since refuted this claim with Reuters, stating instead it will be making adjustments to some business teams as development plans for XR hardware had changed.
Citing sources familiar with the restructuring, Reuters reports that Tencent is abandoning plans to release a VR headset due to a sobering economic outlook.
This follows a widening trend of layoffs which have affected nearly every big name in tech, including Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. Microsoft recently announced it was shuttering its social VR platform AltspaceVR in addition to its XR interface framework, Mixed Reality Toolkit. Meanwhile, Microsoft has also had trouble fulfilling its end of a US defense contract which uses its HoloLens AR headset as the basis of a tactical AR headset.
It was also revealed late last year that Meta was planning to cut discretionary spending and extend its hiring freeze through the first quarter, alongside a layoff which affected nearly 11,000 employees, or around 13 percent of its overall workforce.
TikTok is diving into games
TikTok is pulling a Netflix by venturing into video games, testing them on younger audiences in Vietnam.
TikTok Debuts Effect House AR Development Platform
TikTok’s long-awaited augmented reality (AR) development platform has officially gone live in open beta having been in closed beta since the end of last year.
Effect House enables developers to build augmented reality effects for use on the social media platform, joining the likes of Snapchat’s Lens Studio or Spark AR for Meta’s suite of social media apps.
Aside from tools to build AR effects, Effect House also features live demos, tweakable templates as a starting point for creators, and tutorials to help creators make the most of the platform’s capabilities – such as motion tracking, segmentation and texture replacement.
As one of the most popular publishers of user-generated content, TikTok is no stranger to controversies such as the spreading of COVID-19 misinformation or potentially harmful viral challenges.
Perhaps seeking to head off similar issues arising from inappropriate filters, TikTok published a list of effect guidelines, mandating that it wouldn’t allow effects “that promote colorism or negative stereotypes against protected groups” as well as effects “that depict cosmetic surgery, such as lip fillers, or encourage scrutiny of someone’s appearance”. Consequently, all effects will be reviewed by the platform before being released to the wider community.
TikTok revealed that during the closed beta period, effects built by more than 450 creators using the platform have been used in 1.5bn videos, attracting a whopping 600 billion views around the world.
One such creator is Allan Gregorio, who said of the platform: “As a creator, I think AR effects help us to express ourselves and shareTikTok Debuts AR Development Platform Effect House stories with others. It is one of our most important creative tools available because they have the ability to reach many people very quickly.”
Aside from AR, TikTok has also displayed an interest in virtual reality, last year acquiring one of the world’s largest VR headset manufacturer’s in the form of Pico Interactive.
For a deeper dive into the capabilities and possibilities of TikTok’s new AR platform, keep an eye out on gmw3 in the coming weeks.
The VR Job Hub: Maze Theory, TikTok, Sanzaru & Many More
Welcome to another VR Job Hub where every weekend gmw3 gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industries, 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.
| Location | Company | Role | Link |
| Remote, UK | Aries VR | VR Consultant | Click Here to Apply |
| London, UK (Hybrid) | TikTok | Community Manager (AR Ecosystem) | Click Here to Apply |
| Remote, UK | Sanzaru (Oculus Studios) | Music Lead | Click Here to Apply |
| London, UK | Maze Theory | Data Analyst | Click Here to Apply |
| London, UK | Maze Theory | Junior Product Manager | Click Here to Apply |
| London, UK | Maze Theory | Community Manager | Click Here to Apply |
| London, UK | Maze Theory | Marketing Assistant – Kickstart Scheme | Click Here to Apply |
| Europe, Remote | ENGAGE XR | Unity Developer | Click Here to Apply |
| Portsmouth, UK | University of Portsmouth | Centre Administrator for the Centre for Creative and Immersive XR | Click Here to Apply |
| London, UK/ Remote | Preloaded | Senior XR Engineer | Click Here to Apply |
| Liverpool, UK | Draw & Code | Marketing and Communications Specialist | Click Here to Apply |
| Sliema, Malta | Draw & Code | Studio Manager | Click Here to Apply |
| Liverpool, UK | Draw & Code | Unity Developer | Click Here to Apply |
| Liverpool, UK | Draw & Code | 3D Technical Artist | Click Here to Apply |
| Liverpool, UK/ Remote | Draw & Code | Game Developer (VR) | Click Here to Apply |
| Liverpool, UK | Draw & Code | Production Assistant | Click Here to Apply |
| Liverpool, UK/ Remote | Draw & Code | Dame Designer (Senior) | Click Here to Apply |
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 Hub to 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 gmw3 at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
TikTok Parent ByteDance Partners with Qualcomm on XR Hardware and Software
ByteDance, parent company to TikTok and VR headset creators Pico Interactive, announced at MWC 2022 that it’s partnering with Qualcomm, something that could help the chipmaker better diversify as the XR industry continues to expand.
During Qualcomm’s keynote at this year’s MWC, company CEO Cristiano Amon said that Meta brought “significant scale” with the release of its popular standalone VR headset Quest 2, which houses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 processor.
As competition with Meta grows, Qualcomm is no doubt looking to make sure it has plenty of hardware partners moving forward who will integrate those Snapdragon chips into the next generation of XR headsets.
To that effect, Qualcomm says its collaborating with ByteDance on XR hardware, software, developer tools, and technology road maps—specifically targeted at Pico Interactive, which was acquired by ByteDance in August 2021.
ByteDance CEO Rubo Liang said that Pico devices will be powered by Snapdragon Spaces XR too, Qualcomm’s developer platform that allows creators to make 3D applications for smartphone-tethered AR glasses.
Pico is almost entirely dedicated to enterprise VR outside of China, serving up its standalone Pico Neo 3 Pro, which also has Qualcomm’s popular Snapdragon XR2. That may change though as China-based TikTok parent company looks to compete with Meta outside of the world of snackable videos, and better position itself as a so-called ‘metaverse company’.
The post TikTok Parent ByteDance Partners with Qualcomm on XR Hardware and Software appeared first on Road to VR.
Why the Facebook owner’s shares are in freefall
Analysis: shares in Meta fell by 25% after latest results revealed first-ever decline in daily users
• Facebook’s first ever drop in daily users prompts Meta shares to tumble
Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire felt the full force of investors’ concerns about its growth prospects on Thursday, as the revelation of Facebook’s first-ever drop in daily users helped trigger a selloff, with shares down by a quarter.
Here are some key points to help explain the selloff, which has wiped about $220bn (£162bn) off Meta’s market value.
Continue reading...Is that really me? The ugly truth about beauty filters
Smoother skin, slimmer faces, plumper lips … how unattainable ideals are harming young users
Popping a beautifying filter on the TikTok video she was filming seemed harmless to Mia. It made it look as though she had done her makeup, took away the hint of a double chin that always bothered her, and gently altered her bone structure to make her just that bit closer to perfect.
After a while, using filters on videos became second nature – until she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror one day and realised, to her horror, she no longer recognised her own face.
Continue reading...