Support NeoGAF

[Eddie-Griffin]

https://www.protocol.com/apple-vr-ar-spaces-acquisition

Spaces, a VR startup that got its start as a DreamWorks Animation project, has been acquired by Apple, Protocol has learned.

Apple confirmed the acquisition after this story was first published. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," a company spokesperson told Protocol via email, using the company's usual boilerplate statement to confirm startup acquisitions.

Spaces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Spaces announced that it was shutting down its existing services last week, telling visitors of its website that it was "heading in a new direction," without revealing further details. "Thank you to our users and partners who participated in our awesome VR video conferencing product and the many people who enjoyed our VR location-based entertainment attractions found at theme parks, theaters, and more," the statement concluded.

Spaces spun out of DreamWorks Animation in early 2016, and developed a range of location-based VR experiences, including "Terminator Salvation: Fight for the Future." The company had to shut down its VR centers at the beginning of the pandemic, laying off some staffers in the process, and took a small PPP loan to keep the lights on. "COVID-19 felt like a tsunami for us," Spaces CEO Shioraz Akmal told Protocol at the time.

Spaces then pivoted to build a VR add-on to traditional video conferencing solutions like Zoom, allowing Zoom users to take part in meetings with an animated avatar. "We like to keep busy making things," Akmal said back then. "We can't sit around waiting a year for something to return."

Apple has been working on its own AR/VR headset for some time and has acquired a number of AR and VR startups to build out its staff for the project. Other recent acquisitions in the space include NextVR, Akonia Holographics and Vrvana. Apple has yet to officially acknowledge plans to launch such a headset.

Spaces was mostly known for their popular VR amusement park game, Terminator Salvage: Fight for the Future.

Here is a video of the experience


Apple seems to be making a lot of software and VR acquisitions just in time for the release of their upcoming VR headset. If there's one company that can charge $700 for VR and have it sell like the $350 Quest 2 it's Apple. It's going to shake up the VR gaming and entertainment market and may knock Sony off the PSVR2 horse before it even gets into gear.

 

[Kuranghi]

Impressively terrifying.

 

[SLB1904]

More vr investment is great

 

[UltimaKilo]

Looking towards the future. Good stuff!

 

[nocsi]

Apple trying to leapfrog the competition again. This corresponds with their new room mapping stuff they’ve recently pushed out. They haven’t acknowledged anything but almost all their devices in some way have been adding auxiliary hardware to support for this bigger mixed reality vision

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[MidGenRefresh]

AR is the future.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

AR is the future.

No and yes.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

No and yes.

Surely more than VR, right?

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

Surely more than VR, right?

It will for sure, once headsets become less cumbersome. But the technology has to start somewhere.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Surely more than VR, right?

Depends on the medium

For video games VR will be king.

For productivity, accessibility I can see AR more, with some VR integration in the workflow.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Depends on the medium

For video games VR will be king.

For productivity, accessibility I can see AR more, with some VR integration in the workflow.

Yeah, I’ve meant in general. I can imagine AR being absolutely massive. Limitless possibilities.

 

[UltimaKilo]

True AR is still years away.

 

[Neo_GAF]

i remember, that Apple has also bought a company located in München, which was in the early 2010s involved in Oculus stuff. since apple bought them, they dont publish shit on their website. the last collegue i vaguely knew left the company in 2019.

Here is some info, maybe some of you shenenigans can tell what this actually means...?

Metaio GmbH, Usingen

Metaio GmbH, Usingen, Amtsgericht München HRB 146852: Netzwerk, Wirtschaftsinfos

www.northdata.de

 

[DenchDeckard]

It's happening!