Web3 Round Up 6-12-2023

A roundup of activity in NFT, Metaverse, Gaming and AI

Brand Activity

Apple Unveils New Mixed Reality Headset

• Apple finally revealed the long suspected MR (Mixed Reality) headset, their first new product since 2015 (with the Apple Watch)

• The headset will allow users to tap into the digital world while still being aware of their surroundings

• Compared to Meta’s Quest headsets, the Apple Vision Pro is focused less on gaming and more on productivity (though gaming/entertainment are still featured)

• The headset will come out early next year and will have a retail price of $3,500

• Article links:

  • https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/?afid=p238%7Ct8NcLYqV-dc_mtid_20925qtb42335_pcrid_%7Badid%7D_pgrid_152466494120_&cid=wwa-us-kwgo-avalanche--slid---Brand-AppleVision-Announce-

Sony to have a Web3 Demo Day

• Sony is leaning into web3 and hosting a “Demo Day” in collaboration with Astar Network to showcase 19 companies that are in their web3 incubation program

• The event will be hosted IRL as well as within their own metaverse

• Attendees will be given a soul bound token after the event

• Quote:

  • “This event will be an opportunity for those who want to learn about practical uses of web3 through hands-on experience and presentations from cutting-edge global projects, and for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the web3 vision that Sony Network Communications is working on.”

• Article links:

  • https://astar.network/blog/demo-day-38521/

Mercedes-Benz Launcches 1,000 Piece NFT Art Collection and Confirms Longer Term Web3 Strategy

• Mercedes-Benz launched their collaborative generative art collection with Dutch artist Harm van den Dorpel

• A Dutch Auction was hosted on the Fingerprints Marketplace starting at 2ETH and selling out at .24ETH

• Mercedes-Benz has confirmed three more upcoming collections and launched a Twitter that will be the home of its web3 community (https://twitter.com/MercedesBenzNXT)

• Article links:

  • https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2023/05/30/mercedes-benz-web3-arm-to-release-nft-collection-with-digital-art-community-fingerprints-dao/

  • Thread explanation of ecosystem: https://twitter.com/MercedesBenzNXT/status/1660669385634205696

Louis Vuitton Announces New NFT Collection “VIA Treasure Trunk”

• Louis Vuitton has confirmed an upcoming mint of “a couple hundred” NFT’s in the style of their iconic trunk as soul bound tokens (with a physical twin)

• The price of these NFT’s will be roughly $42,000 and the NFT will act as a Louis Vuitton Pass giving holders access to exclusive products, events, experiences and more

• While the price is eye catching Louis Vuitton has been able to sell many NFT’s for over six figures during the height of the bull market

• Article link:

  • https://nftevening.com/digital-luxury-unleashed-as-louis-vuitton-presents-nft-via-treasure-trunk-experience/

PUMA, LaMelo Ball and Gutter Cat Gang Announce Collaboration

• The highly anticipated sneaker drop will be happening via an NFT sale through the Gutter Cats and PUMA NFT Ecosystem and hosted on Opensea

• The announcement has generated a sizable amount of press and generally favorable reactions via twitter

• Article link:

  • https://www.complex.com/sneakers/a/victor-deng/puma-mb-03-lamelo-ball-guttermelo-release-date

Reddit Crosses 10 Million NFT holders

• Reddit’s avatar program continues to be a resounding success recently crossing the 10 million holder mark, making the Reddit NFT community the biggest NFT community in the space

• For many in their community the Reddit avatar system has been their first and only interaction with NFT’s and custodial wallets

• There have been 13.7M avatars released to date with plans for more to come

• The 13.7M avatars have a combined market cap of $477M, with 7.7 million unique holders only holding 1 avatar.

• Article link:

  • https://nftevening.com/reddit-nft-community-soars-nearly-10-million-holders-and-counting/

Native NFTs Brands

Doodles partner with Camp for Immersive Retail Experiences and Teases Adidas Partnership

• Doodles will be taking over the Camp retail stores across major cities for an immersive shopping experience

• Camp works with major brands like Disney on IRL activations

• Not much is currently known of the specifics of the collaboration but past Doodles physical activations have been at the forefront of NFT culture.

• This marks the doodles first physical activation since the wildly popular “Doodle Putt” during Art Basel of last year

• Article links:

  • https://luckytrader.com/nft/doodles-official/news/doodles-partners-with-camp-for-interactive-retail-experience

AI News

Nvidia Sees Major Boost as ‘Bottom of Tech Stack’ for AI

• Investors with an eye on AI trends piled into Nvidia as the need for GPUs for AI development grows

• Article links:

  • https://slate.com/technology/2023/06/nvidia-valuation-ai-stock-chips.html

Lex Interviews Marc Zuckerberg on the Future of AI

• The conversation spans beyond just AI, but the central theme is around the future of AI and how the Meta CEO sees it developing in Meta’s ecosystem

• Rather than just a few big AI products that do everything, he sees many highly specialized AIs built into many products

Metaverse / Gaming

Epic announces 20 new NFT enabled games

• Epic has never been one to shy around the concept of an open metaverse of empowering players through ownership of assets

• Epic Games has 5 games within their marketplace that utilize NFT technology, the most popular being Blankos Block Party.

• They have recently doubled down on this ethos by announcing an additional 20 NFT powered games that will be available on their marketplace with several already having trailers and demos.

• With EA’s recent announcement it seems if the AAA gaming studios are starting to warm to NFT’s

• Article links:

  • https://nftevening.com/epic-games-unveils-20-epic-nft-titles-for-web3/

EA and NIKE’s .Swoosh announce partnership

• EA and .swoosh have teamed up to give utility to .swoosh recent drop of digital sneakers

• Purchased sneakers will likely be usable in future EA games though the exact mechanics are unclear

• This is the most significant step thus far in a AAA gaming studio incorporating NFTs

• Article links:

  • https://nftevening.com/game-changer-nike-virtual-studios-and-ea-sports-partner-for-next-level-virtual-sports/

Petaverse Concept (Cool Video in Link)

• An interesting idea… Bringing ‘Tamagotchi’ to AR

• “Imagine a digital pet that has a life of it's own. That comes to you when it's hungry because you forgot to put the food down. That is off playing in another room of your house because it's playful. That your child has snuck treats to and now it doesn't want to eat the food you normally leave it. With a unique personality that you can communicate with, have a conversation with.”

• Article links:

  • https://twitter.com/PetaverseNetwrk/status/1666056221613326337?s=20

Crypto

SEC sues Binance and Coinbase

• The SEC has sued popular crypto exchanges Binance and Coinbase in the span of two days

• In both cases, the SEC is alleging that the exchanges are selling unregistered securities

• But in the case of Binance, the SEC is also alleging they misappropriated customer funds, lied to regulators and illegally syphoned investor funds into other companies

• Tokens that were listed as securities by the SEC include but are not limited to, Solana, Polygon, SAND, MANA and Cardano

• There has been confusion regarding this stance by the SEC as the SEC reviewed Coinbase and allowed the company to go public in 2021 after reviewing their business model

a16z is Expanding to England as the Country Signals a Desire for Crypto Innovation

• In their press release, a16z cites the need for clear regulations for innovation to occur

• And that England’s new PM, Rishi Sunak, is eager to make London the web3 hub of the world

• Article links:

  • https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/announcement/expanding-uk-andreessen-horowitz/

  • https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-plan-to-make-uk-a-global-cryptoasset-technology-hub

  • https://twitter.com/cdixon/status/1668031647671885827?s=20

Chine Releases White Paper for Web3 Innovation and Development

• As Hong Kong’s crypto regulations (allowing for the sale of crypto) come into play, China has released a lengthy whitepaper on Web3 Innovation

• The document states that web3 technology is an "inevitable trend for future Internet industry development" and asserts that China will become global innovation hub for the digital economy

• Article links:

  • https://www.theblock.co/post/232404/beijing-web3-white-paper?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email