Highlights

Nreal Light Expands Into Japan
Nreal has announced that its Nreal Light AR Glasses will soon be available in Japan. Nreal has partnered with Japanese telecommunications company KKDI to sell in their online store, in a move similar to their previous partnership with LG in Korea. The glasses operate by connecting to a 5G-capable Android phone. They will be available in Japan as of December 1st. (Forbes)
The New York Times's AR Mask Demonstration
The New York Times has debuted a new AR Experience that educates users on the effectiveness of masks at preventing transmission of COVID-19. The experience allows you to view how fibers of an N95 masks work to catch large, medium, and small-sized particles. (NewYorkTImes)
Study Finds VR Can Reduce COVID-Induced Stress
A recent study finds that using VR can help to reduce stress and feelings of isolation brought on by lockdowns instituted across the world to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing 400 participants over the course of 3 months, Italian researchers found that those who made use of VR to socialize, play games, attend virtual concerts and events, and digitally travel experienced an increased level of happiness. The research team recommends hopping into VR twice a day. (VRScout) (LibertyPub)

XR Marketplace

AR Hardware Sales Projected to Reach $13B
ARtillery Intelligence predicts that headworn AR will grow to $13.4B by 2024 in a report released on Wednesday. (ARInsider)

VR Ears Delayed

Shipments of VR Ears, a pair of off-ear speakers for VR, have been delayed until July 2021. The speakers previously raised $200,000 in crowd funding in a single month on Kickstarter. (RoadtoVR)

AR Boosts Conversion

David's Bridal and Goodr add their names to the ever growing list of companies who have seen boosts in conversion after incorporating AR into their sales platforms. Software solutions providers report a 12-15% increase in revenue per site visit after adopting AR try-on tools. (PYMNTS)

3 Companies Merge to Create Partium

Image recognition and visual search companies Slyce, Catchoom, and Humai have merged to form Partium, a new company dedicated to enabling visual searches of parts for manufacturing (Partuim)

Tactsuit Takes Orders

bHaptics has begun taking preorders for two new models of the Tactsuit, a VR Haptic feedback vest. The vests feature either 16 or 40 motors for generating sensation feedback while in a VR experience. (UploadVR)

Launches & Announcements

Students at Governor Stirling Senior High School in Perth have used 3D Paint, Blender, and Minecraft to make AR experiences to educate on the stories and culture of Indigenous Australians. (ABCNews)
BeatSaber’s new music pack of 12 songs by popular K-Pop band BTS became available this week. (UploadVR)
Virtual Band K/DA debuted an EP during the pandemic using social media and AR Concerts. (Endgadget)
The Strasburg Police Department in Virginia has begun training officers in crisis de-escalation using VR(AndroidCentral)
Huffington Post has partnered with artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins to create an AR experience of Migaloo, the world-famous white humpback whale. (HuffingtonPost)
A VRChat re-creation of Four Seasons Total Landscaping was created by and has become a hangout for members of the furry community. (TheVerge)
How can schools prepare for XR Integration? (VRScout)
The now infamous PS4 Camera adapter (essential for using the PSVR with the PS5) adapter will be included in North American Iron Man PSVR Bundles. (RoadtoVR)
'(un)Balanced,' a multi-sensory XR experience art piece by Elyne Legarnisson has received the 2020 Lumen XR Award. (VRScout)
The upcoming 2021 Cadillac Escalade will include AR turn-by-turn navigation.(CNet)
A look into how AR promises a future of more inclusive workplaces (HRDrive)
PSVR Games could see improvements if run on the PS5, but only if they have unlocked frame rates. (UploadVR)
Manus has announced price drops across the board for Prime II, its collection of finger tracking gloves. (VRFocus)
VTime XR, a popular cross-platform VR social network, is now available on Quest. (VRScout)

InFocus: AWE Nite

Fundraising for XR Startups

Presented by HTC

Nov. 24th at 9am PST/12pm EST/5pm GMT

Are you a European founder building the next billion dollar company in XR or spatial computing? Are you looking for your first investor, or someone to lead your next round?

Join us for AWE Nite : Fundraising for XR Startups, where we’ll meet remarkable VC’s and founders who have experience of doing just that!

This session is presented by Vive X. Join to find out more about what companies Vive X is currently looking to fund in Europe

AWE Nite Boston:

AR Roundup October 2020

Check out October's AR Roundup by AWE Advisory Council Member Tom Emrich

(AR Roundup October 2020)

XR4ALL Annual Events 2020 — Online

XR4ALL will hold two XR4ALL Annual Events this December. These events are an opportunity to develop one's professional networks in the XR sector, to discover new XR applications as well as the perspectives for the years to come, and (for start-ups) to find the financing needed for their development.

Thematic Conferences

by Stereopsia

Pick your avatar and walk through the Agora to check out animations, networking, booths, and easily reach one of the three conference rooms. Conferences, keynotes, and presentations taking place Dec. 15-16. (Stereopsia)

Tech Tour XR 2020

Tech Tour XR brings together entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, & other stakeholders interested in immersive-technology products & services. The forum will select up to 30 entrepreneurs that have a relevant project with sufficient maturity and seek an additional 0.5 to 2 million € funding to reach the market. (TechTour)