Two less likely players - Porsche AG and the ancient game of chess - are exploring the MR and VR headsets. The Porsche example is perhaps a harbinger of ways that MR will be used in both business and education in the future, while the application in chess is another examples of chess’s continued reinvention. And finally this week, a game release the (copies) borrows inspiration from Pokémon.

In the Playable Media Report this week

• Porsche and Meta partner on mixed reality demo

• MR Chess makes it’s debut

• Palworld’s controversial launch surprises and delights

Let’s get into it…

Porsche's Innovative Use of Mixed Reality at the Macan Workshop

Porsche has collaborated with Meta to utilize the Quest 3 mixed reality (MR) headsets for innovative presentations of their upcoming vehicles. This partnership aims to demonstrate the business value of emerging MR services. By using the Quest 3 headsets, Porsche introduces a novel approach to event presentations and engineering walkthroughs.

Traditionally, automotive collaboration and outreach have relied heavily on numerous PowerPoint slides. Porsche views this conventional method as outdated and ready for innovation. While companies like Microsoft and Apple are enhancing digital presentation methods through spatial computing and productivity applications, Meta's strategy is to create fully immersive, shared virtual reality (VR) environments to promote its vision of the Metaverse.

Through its partnership with Meta, Porsche enables multiple participants to interact within a shared VR environment during product showcases. This approach represents a significant step towards demonstrating practical Metaverse applications. 

Why should you care?

It may only be a matter of time before we see XR devices occupying spaces traditionally occupied by laptops in businesses and in classrooms. We are approaching an era of immersive collaboration and education.

An engineer at the workshop noted that presenting with MR has become second nature. The content delivery in MR mirrors traditional presentations, but with life-sized, immersive 3D animations. Journalists at the event praised the realism and resolution quality of the virtual elements, highlighting the technology's potential.

 However, enterprise partnerships like the one between Porsche and Meta could showcase practical applications for the MR as the hardware and applications evolve.

Chess continues to embrace new mediums

Fabian Rucker announced the release of MR-Chess, an mixed reality (MR) chess game. Conceived in 2022, this game aims to provide a realistic over-the-board chess experience, blending physical and virtual elements. 

Key features include playing with a friend on a shared chess board, seeing each other as if in the same room, natural communication (both voice and non-verbal), an innovative haptic user interface, and the ability to use real, tactile chess pieces and boards in an experimental phase.

It was mentioned by Mark Zuckerberg as a vision of the future during Meta Connect 2023, and an early version has now been released on Meta Quest's App-Lab. The game is intended to merge reality and virtuality seamlessly, as demonstrated by an in-game footage video captured mostly with Meta Quest 3. 

Why should you care?

Chess is having a moment! 

Much of the interest started with the release and success of "The Queen's Gambit". This popular Netflix series has brought chess into the mainstream media spotlight, inspiring a resurgence in interest in the game. Its impact was seen in increased chess set sales and participation in online chess platforms.

Endeavor, the global entertainment company (and my former employer), has made a strategic investment in Chess.com, which touts itself as the world's largest online platform for the classic strategy game. This is indicative of the game's increasing commercial and cultural significance.

Chess.com acquired Play Magnus, the iOS and Android app game that allows players to play against the 12 time World Champion at various ages in his life.

The release of the MR-Chess game on Meta Quests App-Lab represents a technological leap in how chess is experienced. This mixed reality application aims to replicate a real-life chess-playing experience, blending the physical and digital worlds.

These developments indicate chess's evolving landscape, merging traditional gameplay with modern technology and media, and showcasing a vibrant and active global community.

New game “Palworld" delivers on the desires of Pokemon fans 

Initially seen as a Pokémon imitation, Palworld has made a surprisingly successful debut with its Early Access release, selling over 5 million copies in the first week and reaching 1.5 million concurrent players on Steam. Developed by a Japanese company known as Pocket Pair, the game appeals to fans seeking a modern Pokémon-type experience, which the official Pokémon franchise has been perceived as not providing.

While it borrows creature management from Pokémon, it adds its unique twist by introducing guns and allowing players to capture and use creatures called Pals in various tasks on a mysterious island.

Why should you care?

This is a story about community. 

Fans feel that the modern Pokémon games are a bit stagnant, even though the franchise’s many fans are as loyal as ever. Plenty of people who have collected Pokémon for years have flocked to Palworld, in spite of criticisms that it is a blatant knockoff filled with thinly veiled stolen character designs.

Despite some criticisms of uninspired graphics, missing features, and bugs, the game is seen as fun and compelling. It satisfies the desire for an open-world experience with free-roaming creatures. However, the game's most controversial aspect is its character designs, which some see as too closely resembling Pokémon characters, leading to debates about legal implications and the possibility of AI-generated designs.

I imagine that the creators of Palworld are actually huge Pokemon fans. They themselves have probably been calling on The Pokémon Company to release a new compelling game concept. They knew that the community demand was present, and they have simply acted on the community insight to build a game inspired by the IP they would love to be working with. 

As Palworld continues to grow in popularity, it raises discussions about the inspiration and originality in the gaming industry, with parallels drawn to other games that have adapted existing gameplay concepts.

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