MetaMask SDK available in Unity Asset Store
MetaMask SDK now available in Unity Asset Store. (Coin Academy)
AR Crypto Media NFT VR Web3 

Bitcoin-Based NFTS, MetaMask in Unity Asset Store and Fast Company’s Top 10 in AR/VR

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Our eye on the charts, Yuga Labs minting NFTs on Bitcoin, MetaMask in the Unity Asset Store, POPULATION:ONE becoming free to play, Fast Company’s look at XR, and news in brief from Cathy Hackl, Mighty Coconut, Decentraland, and many others!

An Eye on the Charts

Major tokens ended last week on a steep fall. While they regained some of their value throughout the week going forward, they failed to completely recover, leaving them slightly down on the week. BTC remains well above $23k and ETH is hanging onto $1.6k.

Other tokens followed a similar trajectory, with Hedera, ApeCoin, Polkadot, and Polygon all down over 10%.

Both Eyes on NFTs?

There has been a recent interest in Bitcoin-based NFTs. While possible, Bitcoin-based NFTs lack a number of the abilities and features of Ethereum-based NFTs, in part because Ethereum has a more agile protocol that has been altered numerous times to work in different kinds of NFT tokens. That doesn’t mean that no one is interested. NFT giant Yuga Labs recently announced a 300-piece art collection minted on Bitcoin. Because why not?

MetaMask Makes Milestone with Unity

A MetaMask SDK is now in the Unity Asset Store. MetaMask pumped this because it will make it easier for game developers to integrate their blockchain wallet. Microtransactions and in-game items have always been promising use cases for cryptocurrencies and NFTs; however, there is likely more to it than that. A growing number of immersive productivity apps for things like remote work are also created with Unity. While these may not be huge marketplaces for NFTs and Ethereum transactions, thinking about a MetaMask wallet as an identity verification tool for these applications is certainly interesting.

Meta Unlocks Popular Game

Speaking of gaming and monetization, POPULATION: ONE will be free to play starting next week. The game brought the battle royale model to VR, while introducing “vertical combat” systems encouraging players to take to new heights. One running theory is that Meta, who owns the game’s developer, will make more money off of in-game purchases if the game is free — a strategy identical to games like Fortnite. One might also wonder if the move is somewhat conciliatory after the company’s recent announcement that the popular free-to-play arena game Echo VR will lose support this summer.

Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR and VR

Fast Company released the 2023 list of the 10 most innovative companies in augmented and virtual reality. The list includes some repeat mentions and “usual suspects” including Meta (number 3) and Niantic (number 6).

The list also includes some newer entries that are innovating how and where we use these technologies. For example, Rendever (debuting at number 7) uses XR to improve the quality of life for seniors.

News in Brief