What I Read This Week
What I Read This Week
Meta demos its next-gen AR glasses - Orion; Discord introduces Activities; OpenAI is shifting to a for-profit company; and web gaming is returning.
From Into The Metaverse
Listen:
The One Thing…
Meta’s unveiling of its Orion AR glasses and AI advancements at the Connect 2024 conference clearly shows the company’s vision for merging augmented reality and artificial intelligence into our daily lives. At the heart of this evolution is Orion, Meta’s first working prototype of genuine AR glasses, which aims to bring immersive digital experiences to the forefront of personal computing. What makes Orion stand out is its lightweight, all-day wearable design and the integration of holographic displays that blend digital content with the physical world. These glasses are positioned as the next major leap in computing, allowing users to multitask with 3D holographic displays, interact with an AI assistant, and engage in hands-free communication—sending messages or receiving real-time translations, all without reaching for a smartphone.
Meta also introduced an advanced neural interface wristband that reads subtle muscle movements, allowing users to control menus and apps through simple gestures like pinching or fist movements. Meta’s approach aligns closely with their broader focus on blending AI with the metaverse. Beyond Orion, the company is upgrading its AI models, such as Llama 3, which powers many smart functionalities embedded in these devices. The fusion of these technologies suggests a future where AR glasses don’t just enhance entertainment or workspaces but also revolutionize how we interact with the world around us, whether by providing real-time contextual information or connecting us to others in innovative, immersive ways. However, Orion is still very much a prototype. While Orion’s functionality is promising, significant hurdles exist before it becomes consumer-ready. Issues like its current weight and the slight visual distortions in its holographic displays need refinement. Nevertheless, Meta has been clear that Orion is a foundational step toward the consumer AR glasses it plans to release in the near future.
Meta’s bold vision of the future is beginning to take shape through products like Orion, where the boundaries between physical and digital realities blur, and AI becomes a more integrated part of our daily experiences. Whether it’s work, social interaction, or entertainment, Meta’s AR and AI innovations are setting the stage for a new era of connectivity.
To dive further into Meta Connect 2024, check the following:
Connect 2024 Keynote (Mark Zuckerberg)
Meta’s big tease (Alex Heath, The Verge)
Hail Zuckus Maximus! The master of the metaverse is finally sorry … for being sorry (Marina Hyde, The Guardian)
At Meta Connect, it’s Zuck or nothing (Casey Newton, Platformer)
Meta is giving its metaverse avatars a glow-up (Jay Peters, The Verge)
Meta Merges Its AI And Metaverse Visions (Tim Bajarin, Forbes)
An Interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth About Orion and Reality Labs (Ben Thompson, Stratechery)
Hardware Matters - Meta's Orion glasses might be the best path to a true AI assistant (Pete Pachal, The Media Copilot)
Caught My Attention…
Discord is expanding its developer ecosystem by opening up Discord Activities to all developers, allowing them to build, distribute, and monetize games and interactive experiences directly within the platform. With the Embedded App SDK, developers can leverage Discord’s social environment to create engaging, social gameplay experiences that are easily accessible to millions of users. The platform’s new discovery features and monetization options, such as in-app purchases, are designed to help developers reach a wider audience and generate revenue. This move signals Discord’s commitment to fostering creativity and innovation in social gaming.
OpenAI has officially shifted from its original nonprofit mission to a for-profit structure, placing profit and shareholder interests at the forefront. This significant move grants CEO Sam Altman greater control and equity, marking a departure from OpenAI's founding vision of prioritizing AI safety and public benefit. The company’s transformation has sparked concerns, as some argue it violates the nonprofit’s original mandate to protect humanity. Altman's consolidation of power, alongside the growing influence of investors like Microsoft, signals a turning point where financial incentives drive decisions, potentially undermining the public trust and transparency on which OpenAI was founded. Critics argue this shift underscores the need for stronger regulation in the AI industry to ensure companies like OpenAI remain accountable.
Web games experienced a rise and fall mainly due to the rise of mobile gaming, which provided better convenience and accessibility. Early pioneers like Miniclip democratized gaming on the web, but web games seemed to fade as mobile became dominant. However, web games are seeing a resurgence, thanks to new technologies like HTML5 and WebAssembly that close the gap between web and native platform performance. Developers are now finding opportunities in the reduced need for app installations, the flexibility of web-based distribution, and the potential to reach underserved audiences. This new generation of web games promises faster, more accessible gameplay experiences that cater to today’s app-fatigued users while tapping into platforms like Discord's social and viral potential. The future of web gaming lies in delivering experiences that balance performance, accessibility, and ease of discovery.
Other Reading…
Anime Is Eating The World (A16Z)
UGC Hidden in Plain Sight (Bits of Signum)
What is going on at OpenAI?
How Astro Bot's iconic PlayStation bots were made (Game File)
How metaverse platforms could solve the loneliness epidemic (Cointelegraph)
How Gamefam built the 1st branded Roblox game to cross 1B visits — Sonic Speed Simulator (VentureBeat)
How a YouTuber Got Inside the Heads of Silicon Valley’s Families (The Information)
Tomasz Tunguz’s Theory Ventures bets $12M on Initia, the ‘iOS for web3’ (TechCrunch)
Playtika’s $2 billion bet (SuperJoost Playlist)
Follow Yon on Linkedin.