Sunday Edition: #Anthropic launches two new AI models; #Apple is reducing Vision Pro production, and #Epic Games is launching a unified digital asset marketplac.
Occasional writing about how the metaverse will change everything. By day, I’m building Supersocial as a next-gen metaverse studio and creative agency. By night, I’m publishing the Into The Metaverse podcast and newsletter.
From Into The Metaverse
Listen or Watch: The Future of Virtual Worlds is in Your Hands
Caught My Attention…
Anthropic has launched two new AI models, Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Haiku, with significant advancements in performance, particularly in coding and tool use tasks. Claude 3.5 Sonnet excels in software engineering, offering high-level coding and problem-solving abilities. At the same time, Claude 3.5 Haiku matches the capabilities of larger models like Claude 3 Opus, providing affordability, speed, and improved task handling. A pioneering feature called "computer use" is also introduced in public beta, allowing Claude 3.5 Sonnet to interact with computer interfaces as a human would—navigating screens, clicking, and typing to automate complex workflows. This matters as it opens a new realm of possibilities for developers, enabling more autonomous and nuanced AI-driven interactions across various applications. Major tech companies are already testing these capabilities, and further safety measures are in place to ensure responsible use as the technology evolves. Read more commentary on Platformer.
Apple has significantly reduced production of its Vision Pro mixed reality headset due to weak demand and high pricing, potentially suspending assembly by November. Current stock levels, estimated at 500,000 to 600,000 units, appear sufficient to meet immediate demand, while Luxshare, Apple’s assembler, has scaled back production from 2,000 to 1,000 units daily. Apple plans to shift its focus toward developing a more affordable model, which is anticipated for a 2025 release and aims to attract a broader customer base. This scaled-back production reflects Apple’s strategy to balance inventory and costs while assessing demand in a market where Meta’s lower-priced VR headsets have dominated.
Epic Games has launched Fab, a unified digital asset marketplace offering developers a centralized platform to buy, sell, and share assets compatible with multiple game engines, including Unreal Engine and Unity. Positioned as a foundational step toward an open metaverse, Fab merges resources from prior Epic marketplaces like Unreal Engine Marketplace and Sketchfab, making assets accessible across digital creation tools and future-proof for various engines. Developers can browse assets for environments, animations, VFX, and 3D models with free access to Quixel Megascans through 2024. Epic envisions Fab evolving to support other engines and platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, aiming to enhance interoperability and streamline content sharing across digital spaces. Fab’s comprehensive asset hub reflects Epic’s commitment to fostering a vibrant creator ecosystem, reducing fragmentation, and potentially paving the way for interconnected digital worlds in the metaverse.
Other Reading…
AI
The Startup Fueling OpenAI and Anthropic’s Coding Race (The Information)
Google plans to announce its next Gemini model soon (The Verge)
AI & Creativity: The Age of Amplified Imagination (Meta)
Is AI Safety a Potemkin Village? (Asimov’s Addendum)
Gaming & Virtual Worlds
FINRA says rules still apply in the metaverse (Cointelegraph)
Netflix shuts down 'AAA' Team Blue gaming studio, amid gaming shake-up (Game File)
Microsoft Envisions Every Screen as an Xbox. How’s That Going So Far? (WIRED)
Why JOGO is spending millions of dollars to publish ‘AAA’ games on Fortnite Creative (Digiday)
Data Deep Dive: What Are the Zoomers REALLY Playing? (A16Z Games)
Report: How To Make An Impact With Younger Audiences (Anzu x SuperAwesome)
NetVRk launches its AI-powered metaverse with Unreal Engine 5 graphics (VentureBeat)
How Gamefam’s Founder Taps His ‘Inner Child’ to Bring Brands to the Metaverse (Inc.)
Web3
Demystifying the Crypto x AI Stack (Coinbase)
Improbable Tech Unveils Somnia Crypto: A New Era for Blockchain in the Metaverse (Coin Trust)
Aggregation Is the Only Way to Unify Web3 (Coindesk)
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