Web3 Round Up 10-2-23
A roundup of activity in NFT, Metaverse, Gaming and AI
Brand Web3 Activity
Meta Unveils New Smart Glasses with Ray-Ban
Meta has introduced their newest line of product with the upgraded “Smart Glasses”
The glasses allow users to take photos, videos and live stream directly onto Facebook or Instagram
However the most exciting update is the AI integration which allows users to interact with Meta AI
The AI will be able to see through the user’s glasses and assist with everyday tasks like asking AI for information on historical sights and buildings, translate signs or even get help fixing home appliances
Article Links:
https://about.fb.com/news/2023/09/new-ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses/
MLB Hosts First Game in Digital Venue
Metaverse company Improbable streamed the first MLB game in a digital MLB venue on September 20th
The platform showcases live 3D renderings powered by Sony’s Hawkeye camera with the final result being fully realized 3d avatars playing out the game
Spectators can create their own avatars, pick their spot to view the game and interact with each other through spatial audio and text.
The real game was also be streamed on 2D digital video boards within the digital arena
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Pokémon Cards Tokenized on Polygon
Pokémon Cards are arguably the most popular trading card game in the world, with robust collector base and massive sales for rare cards
Now, some of these cards are tokenized on the Polygon blockchain
Courtyard.IO sold out 175 digital packs of Pokémon cards in just minutes
Once the packs are opened the customer received a random assortment of digital Pokémon cards, with their physical counterparts housed at a Brinks warehouse (redeemable at anytime)
This marketplace allows users to trade digital cards at a much faster pace than traditionally a
Following this, sports cards, Marvel cards and Veefriends cards are all also available on the platform
Article links:
Gucci Brings the Milan Fashion Show to the Metaverse
Gucci is celebrating its Milan Fashion show by bringing a gamified digital experience of the show to three Metaverse platforms: Roblox, Zepeto and QQ
Users of QQ could live stream the actual show from their virtual spaces
While in Roblox the existing Gucci Town square got a makeover to resemble Milan
It also included three new mini games that if completed rewarded a digital piece of clothing mirroring fashion from the show
Article links:
Native Web3
Bored Ape Yacht Club collaborates with BAPE
Popular NFT collection Bored Ape Yacht Club is dropping a collection with legendary streetwear brand BAPE
With both brands centering around apes this collaboration has been something many have speculated on for quite a while
Details on the collection are scarce, however we do know it will be of a limited quantity and debut November 4th at Ape Fest Hong Kong
Initially the collection will only be available to Bored Ape Yacht Club holders, then slightly later BAPETAVERSE holders
Article links:
https://nftnow.com/runway/bayc-x-bape-unveil-streetwear-collaboration/
Pudgy Penguins Go Mainstream with Walmart
Pudgy Penguin plushy toys are now available at over 2,000 Walmart’s across the US in what many care calling the most mainstream adoption of web3 IP yet
Pudgy Penguin physical toys were already doing impressive numbers, topping the Amazon toy charts and reportedly grossing $10M a month in revenue
Every plushy has been licensed from a Pudgy Penguin holder with that holder receiving a revenue share based on how many units their Penguin sells
Furthermore every plushy is also equipped with a QR code that unlocks digital traits that can be redeemed on the Pudgy Penguin digital social experience
Traits can be equipped by users and then shown off on what many are comparing to a revamped version of legendary digital game “Club Penguin”
Notably some of the traits leverage other web3 IP like DeGods
Article links:
https://nftnow.com/news/pudgy-penguins-toyline-debuts-in-2000-walmart-stores/
Vee-Friends Collaborates with Mattel
Building upon their recent collaborations with Reebok and Uno, Vee-Friends is back with another physical release.
This collaboration will see Vee-Friend character Skilled Skeleton and legendary bad guy Skeletor from the He-Man series be sold as a action figures
The action figures will have interchangeable heads
No details on if there are any digital extensions from this collaboration as of yet
Presale goes live on October 6th.
Article links:
AI News
ChatGPT Launches Major Upgrades
ChatGPT launched one of it’s largest updates since release about a year ago
For one, like Bard it is now able to access up to date information via web search
More exciting is it’s new ‘multi-modal’ abilities that allow users to interact with ChatGPT via imagery and voice (with ChatGPT able to reciprocate in kind)
“Snap a picture of a landmark while traveling and have a live conversation about what’s interesting about it. When you’re home, snap pictures of your fridge and pantry to figure out what’s for dinner (and ask follow up questions for a step by step recipe). After dinner, help your child with a math problem by taking a photo, circling the problem set, and having it share hints with both of you.”
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Writers Strike Comes to an End With Major AI Ramifications
The Writers Strike has come to an end after almost half a year
The deal struck between the union and major publishers addresses a number of concerns that stemmed from the new ‘streaming’ paradigm, but also in the realm of AI
The deal could be a blueprint for other industries
It bars the use of AI for writing or rewriting literary material and forbids studios from enforcing writers to use it
But does allow writers to choose the use of AI to aid their writing upon receiving consent for the same from studios
Article links:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/09/27/hollywood-writers-strike-ends-deal-finalized-after-148-day-work-stoppage/?sh=78ffaba78cbf
Tubi’s AI helps Users Find Things to Watch
Tubi has rolled out its latest feature titled Rabbit AI; a chatbot built off of ChatGPT that is geared towards helping users find what they want to watch
Users can tell the chatbot what they are in the mood for and then work with it to refine options
Tubi’s CEO has said the company will never accept credit cards, so the company only making revenue when users are actively watching content
He hopes this feature will cutdown the endless scrolling of finding something to watch and help users find content faster
Article links:
YouTube Adds AI Features to Aid Creators
YouTube has a new feature called “Dream Screen” which allows video creators to enter a prompt and generate backgrounds for their videos
YouTube has also launched an app called “YouTube Create” which leverages AI to allow creators to streamlines the editing process, offers automatic voice over as well as a suite of effects
These features are still currently in the beta phase
Article links:
Amazon Invests $1.4B into AI Startup “Anthropic”
With Microsoft, Google, Meta and Apple all owning their own proprietary chatbots, Amazon has now joined the fray.
Amazon is investing $1.4B with the option to increase that investment to $4B in the AI startup Anthropic which is responsible for the chatbot “Claude 2”
Not only will Amazon make a cash investment but it will also allow Anthropic to train future version of Claude using its web servers computational power and data
Article links:
https://decrypt.co/198573/amazon-invest-4b-ai-firm-anthropic
Metaverse / Gaming
Lex Friedman Interviews Mark Zuckerberg in the Metaverse
Popular podcast host and Lex Friedman had Mark Zuckerberg on for a 3rd time, but this time breaking the podcasts cardinal rule: the interview must be in person
Lex made an exception for Mark and held the interview in the ‘metaverse’ leveraging the Quest headset and high fidelity 3D scans that gave a true sense of ‘presence’
During the interview Lex Friedman remarked at how intimate and real the experience felt
Article links:
https://decrypt.co/199263/metaverse-zuckerberg-lex-fridman-future-ai-ultra-realistic-avatars
Proof of Play Raises $33M
Despite the overall downturn in the broader web3 ecosystem, the gaming sector remains resilient, attracting investments, raising funds, and fueling speculation
It has even seen web2 game makers entering the space to much success such as Zynga’s (the publisher of Farmville) recent massive success with SugarTown
Although Zynga is a recent entrant into the web3 arena, the co-creator of their most popular game, Farmville, has been an active participant in the web3 space for quite some time
They founded "Proof of Play" and introduced the moderately successful social role-playing Pirate Nation
It was announced September 21 that Proof of Play has raised $33M to continue to build fully onchain games
The funding round was lead by Andreessen Horowitz and Greenoaks Capital
The raise also saw Emmet Shear the cofounder of Twitch joining Proof of Play’s board
Article links:
Legends of the Mara Launch Plagued by Bugs
Yuga Labs has launched its third game titled Legends of the Mara
The game can only be accessed if a player owns an Otherdeed NFT as well as an Otherside Vessel
The game is quite complicated and requires a 5 minute video explainer to fully grasp the mechanics
Upon launch players have only been able to access the first half of the game that pertains to gathering resources on their Otherdeed
The actual battle gameplay has been marred with bugs and on September 29th Yuga Labs announced they were taking down this feature until further notice
All resources and items gathered in Legends of the Mara will be usable in the upcoming launch of the Otherside Metaverse.
Crypto
Mixin Network Hacked
On September 23rd the Mixin Network was hacked for approximately $200M worth of digital assets
This hack was possible due to the protocol relying on having a centralized database opposed to a decentralized network
Following the hack, the Mixin Network has paused deposits and withdrawals from the platform
The Mixin Network has offered the hackers 10% of the stolen funds if they are returned however at this time the hackers have not responded
Mixin Network is a blockchain and wallet that offers cross-chain asset transfers
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Congress Urges SEC to Approve Bitcoin ETF
It seems Congress has had enough of the SEC’s policy towards the crypto industry
In a rare form of bipartisanship Congress Members from across the aisle have sent a letter to Gary Gensler urging him to approve pending Bitcoin ETF applications
Gary Gensler also faced very hostile Congress in his appearance before the House Financial Services Committee with some members calling for his resignation over his handling of the crypto industry
Article links
Grayscale Applies for Ethereum ETF
Several weeks following ARK Invests submission of its Ethereum ETF application, Grayscale the investment behemoth overseeing a portfolio exceeding $50 billion, has now filed its own Ethereum ETF application
Many in the crypto community are excited by this development as it hopefully signals a continuation of mass crypto adoption
Article links:
Citi Group Tokenizing Assets
Citi Group has launched a new initiative called “Citi Token Services” that will incorporate blockchain and smart contract technologies for institutional clients
This is a major adoption of blockchain technology by a huge institutional players
Article links: