Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, counts more than 3 billion monthly users across its family of apps. Now, it’s trying to build the next generation of services in virtual reality and the metaverse through Meta Quest headsets and Horizon Worlds — all while dealing with antitrust pressures, privacy concerns, and younger users shifting to other platforms.
A new WhatsApp beta version for Android lets you send a photo to Meta AI, then ask it questions about it or edit the image using prompts, according to WABetaInfo.
Meta has worked more image-generation features into the app lately, including a beta feature letting Meta AI create an avatar for users based on photos of them.
With one year completed for Instagram’s Twitter-like app, Meta illustrator Jez Burrows is showing off some of the other options that were on the table to represent Threads.
Meta’s AI research team has a new system to create or retexture 3D objects based on a text prompt. It combines text-to-3D and text-to-texture generation models to go beyond AI-generated emoji or still images,
Their paper (pdf) claims 3D Gen’s output is “3× to 60× faster” and preferred by professional artists in comparison to alternatives.
“Every person who I’ve shown it to so far is just like... their reaction is giddy,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in an interview. Perhaps at Meta Connect in September?
You can read more about Meta’s AR / VR roadmap in a report from last year by my colleague Alex Heath.
I missed half my little girl’s first roller coaster ride because the recording cut off at the minute mark, so I love this for them.
The only other thing I need is an in-between size of Wayfarer frames — I had to return mine because the 53mm were too loose, but the 50mm squeezed my head and gave me headaches.
[Andrew Bosworth (Boz) (@boztank) on Threads]
Game developer Creator just showed a new trailer for Starship Home, its augmented reality cosmic gardening sim for the Meta Quest 3, during the UploadVR Showcase. The game is up for preorder now at a discounted $17.99, with a “Summer 2024” release date, Meta announced.
Some jitteriness aside, I still think the game is promising in a casual Tamagotchi or Animal Crossing sort of way.
Casey Newton shines a light on the increasingly common social media scam that primarily targets teen boys in his most recent Platformer newsletter:
But when a terrifying scam comes along that has led to at least 20 confirmed deaths in the past two years, a whole stack of investigations can’t seem to get a conversation going. [...] Perhaps the surgeon general, instead of his new ham-fisted campaign against every risk that social media presents, could warn parents about this one.
[Platformer]
Presumably, that tab will show you all of the images and video someone has posted, which is how the Media tab works on X.
The potential new feature was discovered by developer and frequent feature-finder Alessandro Paluzzi.
Because we often wonder how much a CEO actually knows about the goings on of their company—particularly when a large company like Meta has is being sued by dozens of Attorneys General over its policies around underage users.
It turns out Zuckerberg may have had a very direct hand in crafting policies that targeted children and exacerbated issues with body image on Meta’s platforms, at least according to a new report from the New York Times
[The New York Times]
Meta forms new Wearables group and lays off some employees
Meta’s Reality Labs is undergoing its biggest restructuring in years by separating into two orgs: Wearables and Metaverse. A small number of employees have been laid off as a result.
Called the Logitech MX Ink, it will work on the Quest 2 and Quest 3, and can be used to draw in 2D on surfaces or 3D using “full 6DoF positional tracking,” according to UploadVR.
The MX Ink will have haptic feedback, pressure sensitivity, multiple buttons, and will support a double tap feature. Users will reportedly be able to seamlessly switch between it and Quest Touch controllers.
Following the introduction of live NBA scores, Threads will have live MLB scores “starting today,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced. You can see MLB scores by searching for a game while it’s happening or within one day of when it ends, according to spokesperson Alec Booker.
The company plans to “continue expanding live scores to cover more sports and leagues,” Mosseri said.
Update, June 13th: Added new details and an image from Meta.
Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity — the first VR title in this popular dancing game series — will be available on October 15th for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3.
Ubisoft says the game supports up to six dancers, and features customizable avatars, 25 songs, and a new social hub called “Dancity” where global players can interact with each other.
The platform’s “tag” feature is different than traditional hashtags — users can tag phrases, not just words, and the # symbol disappears once the tag is added.
App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi reports Meta is experimenting with displaying the # symbol. It’s a small change, but could potentially help when crossposting to the fediverse, which currently breaks the added Threads tag.
Meta is hosting its Connect event on September 25th and 26th, where it will share announcements related to AI and mixed reality. This means we could get a look at the Quest 3S — a potentially more affordable version of the Quest 3 headset that Meta briefly listed on the Quest Store.