Updates, wins, and asks at our startup, Dauntless XR. Plus our perspective on industry news and the occasional spicy take.

But First…Cool if Real

This is not a statue, it's a Gaussian Splat of a statue*

This is real and pretty freaking cool. Niantic, Inc. released an open-sourced file format for 3d scans, called ".SPZ". SPZ is like the JPG of 3D assets, including scans. Read the whole post here. This is a big deal because this file format makes the 3D files waaayyy smaller, without impacting the asset (and experience) quality. This makes it easier to create scans of real-world stuff and view them on easily accessible devices like your phone.

Updates and Wins

Part of developing hardware-agnostic software means helping users switch between control modes on different headsets. This week we added a feature to notify users when hand tracking or controller use is activated based on what they are doing and what headset support is available. This sounds SUPER basic but there are no standards for this in XR and it is easy to overlook these kinds of mechanics that you don't have to deal with with 2D screens. TBH we love figuring out sci-fi problems like this. Just wait until we get to best practices for teleporting.

Industry News

Samsung filed a patent for mixed reality glasses with specs that suggest they're working on a device that's even more affordable than the Meta Orions.

Emirates rolled out VR training for aircrews on both Airbus and Boeing jets. The product is called MIRA which is a name we've heard before...
Mark Zuckerberg is doubling down on his metaverse investment despite the Reality Labs division running at a $4B+ loss, per the Q3 earnings call. Meta also announced that they are securing a 5% stake in the parent company of Ray Bans after the success of their augmented reality collaboration. I would love to get to a place where I'm "unfazed" by a $4B loss...

Recently Played >

What our founders listened to this week.

Hans Zimmer isn’t scared of AI - The Wall Street Journal Podcast. AI isn't going to take your job - people who know how to use AI will.
Voices of VR with Kent Bye - His interview with the VR Fund’s Tipatat Chennavasin on Gaussian Splats, AI Training, and Photoreal Capture.

Overheard on Slack

Enter the chat. What our devs are talking about this week…

“It's not so much comparing apples to oranges, more like comparing apple sauce to orange juice concentrate. They're better suited for different uses, know what I mean?” - Comparing USD to SPZ
“I get that message all the time anyway because I end up chasing kids with the headset on” - Referring to the "return to boundary" notification on Quest.

Added to Cart

Because sometimes retail therapy IS the answer and it's gifting season.

Tippy Type: A keyboard cover for keyboard warriors with long nails. This simple product has improved my typing experience by a stupid amount. Bonus points - tippy type is a female-owned small business!
Growth Levers and How to Find Them by Matt Lerner . A short, sweet, and practical strategy for startup growth. A must-read for founders and a great gift for those looking to up their business game in 2025.

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Becoming Dauntless: Week of Nov 4