Critics have been buzzing about After Yang, the second film by the acclaimed and mysterious director Kogonada, ever since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last summer. That buzz restarted a week and a half ago, when the movie debuted at Sundance. Thankfully, since we commonfolk will be able to watch the sci-fi…
A covid-19 vaccine for the youngest American children may be here sooner than expected. This week, Pfizer will reportedly apply for an emergency use authorization of their low-dose vaccine for children under five. Should the Food and Drug Administration grant the authorization, the vaccine could be available as a…
<img width="1280" height="708" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/arksurvivor-1280×708.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="ARK" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="709936" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/xbox-game-pass-february-2022-adds-massive-ark-pack-and-crossfirex-01709914/arksurvivor/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/arksurvivor.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,797" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="arksurvivor" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Studio Wildcard
” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/arksurvivor-1280×708.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/arksurvivor-1280×708.jpg” />Microsoft has revealed the first batch of games heading to Xbox Game Pass in February, and there are a lot of indie titles this time around. While that might seem like a knock against Game Pass, it isn’t, because oftentimes indie games can offer a lot more value than their AAA counterparts. There’s a healthy mix of indie titles heading … Continue reading
Snap may not be particularly keen on the metaverse — at least, not as it’s been articulated by Mark Zuckerberg — but the company’s latest experiment certainly sounds a lot like a version of one. The company is teaming up with Universal to host a virtual concert featuring Jennifer Lopez and Colombian pop singer Maluma, which viewers can watch as their Bitmoji avatars.
The concert itself won’t take place in the Snapchat app, but would-be spectators can access the show by signing into the concert’s dedicated website with their Snapchat login. Users’ Bitmoji avatars will appear as spectators in the crowd. There are also a handful of interactive effects that will be available during the show, including the ability to start “the wave” and trigger a virtual laser effect. Lopez and Maluma will also appear as 3D Bitmoji avatars.
The event, scheduled for February 3rd, is meant to promote the upcoming rom-com Marry Me (also starring Lopez and Maluma), and is expected to last about 10 minutes, according to the company.
Virtual concerts have become one of the earliest examples of a metaverse-like experience. Fortnite’s in-game concerts are often referenced in discussions of what an eventual metaverse will look like. And Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has said he wants the Fortnite publisher to be a leader in the space. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also referenced concerts in the metaverse, writing last year that in the future people may be able to “teleport instantly as a hologram” in order to attend shows.
But Snap executives have talked about the metaverse very differently. Snap AR exec Sophia Dominguez told Engadget in December that the company’s vision for the future is not to “escape into another world” but create experiences that can bridge physical spaces with virtual ones. (Snap CEO Evan Spiegel put it slightly differently, remarking last fall on the dystopic origins of the word metaverse. “I think the basic notion was that you know as the physical world was sort of crumbling in this dystopian future that people would escape into this virtual world — that’s not at all a focus for us,” he said referring to Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash.)
What’s less clear is if Snap intends for Bitmoji-led concerts to be a regular occurrence like Fortnite has (Live streaming platform Oz is powering the tech behind the show). But if the company’s first big foray into metaverse adjacent experiences is a hit, it’s not difficult to imagine Snap could host more Bitmoji-driven live events.
John Robert Allman’s “B Is for Broadway” celebrates musicals like “Hamilton” and “Wicked” while introducing young readers to theatrical language.
In just a few short years the smartphone has evolved into a surprisingly capable tool for videographers, but for creators looking to improve the videos they shoot but don’t have the budget to pay for a talented camera operator, Joby is introducing two relatively affordable devices that can help make any video appear…
Tesla will have to recall 53,822 of its U.S. vehicles equipped with its Full Self Driving beta over concerns the software may encourage vehicles to engage in rolling stops at intersections. According to the recall, software functionality in FSD in some cases could allow vehicles to travel through intersections at up…
In December 2020, astronomers stumbled upon an object that seemed to be traveling a bit ahead of us in our orbit around the Sun, but they weren’t entirely sure. New observations now confirm this suspicion, revealing the asteroid to be just the second known Earth Trojan.
<img width="1280" height="719" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Koenigsegg-Quark-electric-motor-3-1280×719.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Koenigsegg Quark electric motor" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="709904" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/koenigseggs-breakthrough-ev-motor-could-bury-ice-supercars-01709903/koenigsegg-quark-electric-motor-3/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Koenigsegg-Quark-electric-motor-3.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,809" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Koenigsegg Quark electric motor (3)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Images: Koenigsegg
” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Koenigsegg-Quark-electric-motor-3-1280×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Koenigsegg-Quark-electric-motor-3-1280×719.jpg” />Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg recently spilled the beans on its newest and most significant innovation to date. Meet the Quark, a compact and lightweight electric motor that weighs just 63 pounds (30 kg). Despite this, Koenigsegg’s Quark EV drive unit pumps out 335 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, and you’ll find three of them under the upcoming Gemera four-seat … Continue reading
Chuck Morse, a top New Hampshire state lawmaker who owns a plant nursery, hopes to flip the seat held by Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan.
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