What’s up, MetaverseBay here. 

We share what newcomers should know, what updates experts should know about, and what everyone may find interesting. 

Let’s get down to it. 

This week we’re looking at Immersive Tech. Making the virtual seem more real than ever. 

What’s important for making immersive tech more immersive?

Emotional connection or graphics?

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.

An addition to our newsletter is our Metaverse Liveliness Index.

It gives us an idea of public interest in the metaverse and how relevant it is at this moment in time.

We will publish a full length article explaining the breakdown and calculation. 

This week the index the index was unchanged. 

There was a strong uptrend of 16% in the token index we follow. However, this was offset by stagnant action with ETFs, our token blend, and a downtrend in search/social media trends. 

This week we are touching on Emotional Connection. 

In terms of immersive tech, this refers to how the user connects with the virtual environment they are in. The more connected they feel, the liklier they are to enjoy it and come back for more.

The level of realism a VR experience possesses is often deemed to be most paramount to success. Better graphics = A better user experience.

Better graphics are commonly thought to be the best way to increase emotional connection. 

However, recent findings have discovered something interesting regarding this thought. Graphics might not need such prioritization. 

Graphics Are Out. Connection Is In. 

A recent study by the University of Bath yielded interesting results. Graphics in VR environments aren’t that important.

What is important is emotional connection. 

The study of 360 individuals found that technical factors don’t affect presence to any large degree.

But, when coupled with human factors they need to have the right combination of “being” and “doing” there. 

If emotion can be truly and authentically evoked. Whether it is fear, happiness, or any other sensation, players are truly engaged. 

Using 16 combinations of human and technical factors researchers found technical factors matter most when evoking fear. 

Among other engagements in the study a wolf was used to evoke fear in one environment and was then replaced with a puppy in another. 

When playing with the puppy people felt present without the need to scan the environment for a way out. 

When engaging with the wolf graphics needed to be more realistic to properly evoke the desired emotions. 

These findings are in stark contrast to many other trends and data in the space which imply better graphics are necessary for fuller adoption. 

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Reevaluating the Promise & Use of Immersive Tech
It is certainly not replacing our smartphones anytime soon. (University of Michigan)

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Highlights from Immersive Tech Week
What the biggest corporations are doing. (XR Today)

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Unlocking the Future of Learning
How XR Tech Transforms Education (Forbes)

The cost required to jump into the metaverse can vary greatly depending on how immersive you want your experience to be. 

If you are an individual, your PC or smartphone can provide a basic experience for you which will obviously bear you no additional cost, since you likely own these devices.

For a fuller experience body suits, haptic gloves, omnidirectional treadmills, and VR headsets are available. 

Many of these technologies work alongside VR headsets meaning you would have to purchase one first, quality VR headsets start around $400. 

Acquiring the additional technology costs from several hundred to several thousand dollars per piece, but for overall value a VR headset provides an excellent experience.

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Thank you for reading!