Words to wake up your senses

Moss Book 2 is as pure a sequel as you can expect, taking inspiration from the critically acclaimed first game, Moss. Developed by Polyarc Games, the sequel picks up right from where the previous game ends. The second iteration stays true to the first game, going for a more evolutionary approach as compared to other sequels that try and reinvent the wheel, an aspect we appreciated throughout our playthrough. You play as Quill, a cute mouse that you help navigate through intricately detailed worlds, trying your best to defeat minions with the three new weapons available in Quill's arsenal. You still also interact in the game as the Reader, providing you with an isometric point of view just like the original Moss. However, you now do a lot more compared to the first game.

Virtual reality is making its way into almost every industry. From medicine to education to gaming and fashion. Movie studios are also increasingly experimenting with this unique technology to enhance the experience of users within digital environments.

Real estate is expensive. That’s a tough reality of life that many of us have come to face. But no, we’re not talking about London, New York or Paris. Turns out that some of the world’s most valuable land isn’t even on earth - and on top of that, it isn’t even real at all. Enter the metaverse. That’s right - investors are now paying millions of dollars in return for land that exists only in 3D virtual worlds. With the race heating up, crypto enthusiasts, tech followers and prospective metaverse users are being drawn in to snap up a piece of digital properties. But what’s the buzz all about, really? Today, we are taking a look at what’s behind the metaverse land rush and how you can join in.

Forget New York, Paris, London or Monte Carlo. Although no doubt glitzy and glamorous, the hottest real estate isn’t to be found in the real world anymore. The metaverse is now the go-to place for plush properties, from private islands to celebrity mansions. And the fact that it’s all entirely virtual hasn’t done much to scare off potential investors. Of course, the idea of virtual lands isn't entirely new. Many of us might remember playing The Sims and Second Life, or maybe even Facebook’s FarmVille, but the rise of metaverse has seen digital lands taking on a completely different (and very lucrative) meaning. Brands like Nike or Gucci are snapping up real estate in virtual worlds and opening retail stores for meta customers, while others hold on to virtual plots of land as the next technological goldmine. And in truth, real estate prices in some of the most popular metaverses have surged by as much as 400% to 500% in the last few months, reflecting just how frenzied the race for virtual land has become. Investors are now paying millions for a piece of the metaverse dream, perhaps hoping to prove that it is more than just La La Land talk. With that in mind, we’ve decided to put together this guide with everything you need to know right now about the world of real estate in the metaverse.

In February 2021, NFT marketplace RTFKT sold 600 pairs of digital sneakers in under seven minutes, racking in some $3.1 million in sales. A few months later, in June, a virtual-only Gucci bag sold on Roblox for over $4,000— a price tag higher than its real life counterpart. And fashionistas can now purchase rare digital garments from the likes of Balenciaga, Jimmy Choo and Dolce & Gabbana across a number of NFT marketplaces as the rush for statement pieces that can be flaunted in the metaverse picks up pace. In many ways, fashion in virtual worlds is poised to emulate what we already see in day to day life, as we’ll want to dress-up our avatars and use fashion as a form of self-expression and status. Sure, you might not be convinced yet, but some think the idea has legs. Morgan Stanley, for example, recently forecast that the virtual fashion market could be worth over $55 billion by 2030. And we don’t even have to look that far ahead into the future to see whether or not metaverse fashion will take off. As you’re about to find out, there are already a number of brands launching metaverse-only collections and making millions off of fashion NFTs. Curious to know what are fashion houses doing in the metaverse? Let’s find out. ## What Benefits Does Entering The Metaverse Brings To Fashion Brands Fashion is, as we know, a trendsetting industry, never to be left behind as times move forward. And with the metaverse now rapidly taking shape, it’s no surprise to see apparel brands embracing emerging technology, particularly non-fungible tokens, and experimenting with new mediums. Here are a few reasons why entering the metaverse can prove to be a very successful strategy: ### Massive Margins Simply put, moving to all-digital collections saves designers a lot of headaches. They no longer have to worry about issues such as sourcing raw materials, finding factories and skilled workers or inventory storage. Fashion is a notoriously laborious industry, with couture pieces taking weeks, if not months, to be completed. Digital designs, on the other hand, can be put together in a matter of minutes. By embracing a virtual approach, creators can dramatically cut their costs and focus their creative efforts in a more efficient way. These days, virtual fashion can be synonymous with huge profit margins. In fact, a digital garment can represent nearly 100 percent in pure profit for its creator. Compared to all the costs involved in the extensive process designers and brands have to go through in fashion, the upside is very clear. With minimal labor involved and no (real life) materials needed, minting designs can become a very lucrative business. ### Secondary Market Profits Just as selling virtual fashion can lead to great profits, there’s another tempting reason to experiment with the metaverse and with creating fashion NFTs. These tokens are built on top of smart contracts, which determine the terms and conditions associated with the underlying digital asset. More importantly, this means that a brand can embed a code related to royalties, so that each time a virtual garment changes hands, they get a cut of the transaction. The same cannot be said about the secondary market panorama that we have today as normally pieces that are resold bring no additional money to the original designer or fashion brand. The Fabricant is an example of a digital fashion house that also takes 5% royalty whenever a garment is resold after the first purchase, but they’re not certainly alone in this strategy. ### No Inventory or Oversupply Fashion brands are frequently faced with problems related to overproduction, over-inventory and end-of-season stock. In turn, this forces companies to scramble for strategies in order to rapidly dilute inventory before the beginning of the next season, including slapping steep discounts onto their pieces, and reduce exposure to logistical bottlenecks as those recently experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. A virtual fashion collection eliminates any number of these problems by simply staying within the digital environment. In other words, buyers don’t receive a physical version of the garment, though they could be provided with all the details needed to produce it in the real world if they so choose. By the same token, apparel companies opting for a digital-first approach are in a leading position to offer a novel way of embracing fashion, whereby customers are offered the chance to experiment with a wide variety of garments online - that is, in the metaverse - and place orders in such a way that designers are only creating real life pieces once they’re ordered instead of filling stores with stock that might never be sold. ### Innovation and Creativity In many ways, fashion is about anything and everything but the garments and accessories themselves. The industry is anchored on creative processes, self-expression freedom, personal enjoyment and the message our choices send to others around us. That being said, it’s still hard to challenge real world limitations to innovation as designers can’t exactly create pieces that defy gravity, fabric limitations or material durability, which put a finitude to the types of things that can be made. Well, that’s finally out of the window. Creating fashion for the metaverse is injecting a breath of fresh air into the industry by liberating creators from all constraints. We’re already seeing garments being designed out of impractical or even impossible fabrics like liquid gold, water, fire or smoke. With such a unique blank canvas, the road for original and eccentric creations is wide open. Another way in which fashion brands are leveraging the metaverse is seeing iconic houses dusting off their archival designs and re-creating metaverse-only versions. ### High Personalization As part of the customer experience enabled by the metaverse and the technology that underpins it, the idea that we can now access fashion that is for us, as an individual, rather than for the masses is finally possible. That’s because in the metaverse it’s possible to create “custom’ fashion apparel that can be personalized for each avatar, down to the smallest detail. This individualization feature adds tremendous value in a market increasingly customer-centric and where many of us are looking for one-of-kind garments. In addition to developing custom pieces, in the metaverse, each digital item is assigned a unique serial number, which further cements its status as a truly unique fashion piece. ### Engagement Having entered virtual spaces and embraced cutting technology, brands have started creating next-gen retail experiences, tapping into newer and more dynamic forms of engagement with consumers. From digital retail spaces to fashion pieces, we are reaching an unprecedented moment where fashion is capable of undergoing constant updates so that the experience of buying a garment in the metaverse will be but static and dull. According to recent data, of all the overall fashion retail sales worldwide, 21% are now done online, with the trend only expected to keep growing in that direction. As such, it’s relevant for fashion brands to keep pace with the times and meet the age- old adage of meeting consumers where they are. It’s becoming clear that virtual environments are where they are. ### Accessibility It’s no secret that if there’s an industry particularly hard to break into, fashion is certainly one. This doesn’t have to hold true in the metaverse. One of the key pillars behind the concept of virtual worlds and the upcoming web3 (thought of as the next generation of the internet) is decentralization. The role of intermediaries will be completely removed, lowering the barrier of entry significantly. Whether you’re an established fashion brand or an emerging designer, there will always be opportunities for you to showcase your work in a metaverse boutique store and share it freely across virtual worlds. ## Top 15 Fashion Brands Leveraging The Metaverse
### Gucci

Augmented reality is one of the most exciting technologies that have been introduced to the market in recent years. And though we’re very far off from how useful AR could actually be, it’s already making impressive progress as it is being adopted by several high-profile industries such as healthcare, entertainment, tourism, retail, and more. If you don’t know what AR is, how it works, what benefits it brings to the table, and its applications in the real world, this article is for you. We’ll go into great detail and explain all the core information about AR so that even if you’ve never heard of it before, by the end of this read, you’ll have a crystal clear idea of what AR is and what it means for the future. ## What Is Augmented Reality (AR)? AR or also known as augmented reality is a technology that fuses the virtual and the real world together for a more immersive, engaging, and interactive mixed reality. An AR system allows virtual and real objects to overlap within an existing real world environment in real time. One of the most familiar examples of augmented reality is social media selfie filters. Remember the famous dog filter on Snapchat? That is augmented reality taking place in real time. With that being said, this type of AR is very basic and doesn’t even scratch the surface in terms of what is possible currently and what will be possible in the future should AR continue to develop at the rate that it does. ## Definition of Augmented Reality A more technical definition of the term augmented reality is that it’s a technology that involves overlaying different sensory information onto the world we live in. For example, adding a CGI element to a video in real-time, adding filters to an image on your camera, or even changing a person’s voice as it’s being recorded, whether as a video or a single audio file. Unlike virtual reality, AR is very different. Virtual reality creates a whole new digital world in which people can immerse themselves. Augmented reality, on the other hand, fuses the digital and physical together to create a unique experience. Types of Augmented Reality There are many different types of augmented reality and below, we’ll talk about each one of them. ### Marker-based A This type of AR is based on using different markers in the camera’s frame as a reference point for placing the AR image. This is the most common type of AR and the one that’s most widely used today. This type of AR works through a computer or AR device recognizing different points and real and virtual objects within the frame. Most of the time, these points and objects have been pre-programmed for the AR device to recognize. The device can recognize points in many ways, but once it finds the marker, it uses the marker as a reference point so that it can superimpose the AR image in the right place. ### Marker-less AR This is a more complicated type of AR. Augmented reality technology works with the AR device to recognize objects as they pass through the screen through an algorithm. The device uses different parameters like size, color, shape, and texture to determine what an object is then uses an accelerometer, GPS, and compass as a reference to ensure the AR image is in the right place. ### Project-based AR This type of AR superimposes a 3D image within the user’s physical space. With this type of AR, the user freely walks around the real environment where there is a fixed projector and a camera to produce the AR. This is great for producing illusions by projecting light onto flat surfaces, which produces a very unique result. An example of this is using projection-based AR to present instructions for certain tasks that people perform in a specific space. This makes communication much easier and ensures that everyone understands what they need to be doing. ### Superimposition-based AR Superimposition-based AR is typically used in the medical field. A great example is when doctors project and superimpose an X-ray on the patient’s body, giving them more context and a clearer view of the patient’s condition. This AR works with the camera or AR device recognizing a certain object, then superimposing an image on top of that. This is done to either fully or partially replace the object in the frame. ## The Origins of AR Technology Some people trace the birth of augmented reality back to 1957 when a cinematographer named Morgan Heilig invented a device known as the Sensorama that can add visual, auditory, and even olfactory stimuli to the viewer. This isn’t the same as the computer-driven AR we know of today, but it’s one of the first instances of someone enhancing an experience by introducing new stimuli and data. However, most people consider the first functional AR device to be the one that USAF produced in 1992. This system used superimposition to overlay more sensory information in a workplace in an effort to speed up productivity. But nowadays, AR is very different. The system back in 1992 was huge and very robotic. This is very different from modern AR devices which are very compact by comparison. Modern AR incorporates various technologies and devices to add different stimuli to our physical world. And we’re only beginning to discover the potential and possibilities with the technology, which paints a really exciting image of what’s to come in the future. ## How Does AR Work Before we discuss how AR works, let’s talk about what technology you need for AR to work. AR starts and ends with a camera-equipped device such as a tablet, laptop, mobile phone, or as of late, even smart glasses. Do note that for these to work, they need to have AR software installed. Once the technology is set up, all AR basically does is use the camera of your device to project what’s in front of you, and using AR, it can bring in virtual objects and layer them on top of the content the camera is capturing. In its most simple form, an example of AR would be using the dog filter on Snapchat or adding a pink set of glasses to a selfie. In more complex cases, AR can be used to display crucial information for pilots, surgeons, and other professionals so they can do their job better and in a more safe manner. ## AR Devices There are quite a few types of AR devices available on the market today. All of them aim to achieve the same unique experience and can be used in many different industries and for various applications. In fact, you might even have some of these devices at home without even knowing about them. So, here are a couple of the prominent types of AR devices and how they work. ### Kinect Cameras

VR games are a revolutionary way to experience your favorite games by bringing them to life like never before. From exploring open-worlds to heart-thumping horror experiences, the opportunities are endless. But the VR game that sounds out the most is by far VR puzzle games. VR puzzle games are the perfect blend of a challenging mental workout with the immersion of VR. They can take many different forms, from physics-based puzzles to logic puzzles, and can be enjoyed by players of all ages and skill levels. Puzzle games are by far one of the most interactive virtual reality games and are often a lot more intense and exhilarating than other VR games. If you’re looking for a new VR game to try out, or are just curious about what VR puzzle games are all about, then look no further! Here are 22 of the best puzzle VR games available right now. ## Top 22 Puzzle VR Games
### Superhot VR

Six years ago, the world was introduced to Pokémon GO - and we’ve been gripped by the AR gaming fever ever since. Side by side with the VR greats like Beat Saber and Half-Life: Alyx, augmented reality titles are also making waves of their own, with immersive experiences that players can instantly step into with just their smartphones quickly becoming a fan favorite. As AR technology continues making strides, augmented reality gaming is poised to become an even bigger phenomenon in the mobile gaming industry. They’re immersive and interactive, but what else makes augmented reality games an awesome playing experience? Let’s dive right into the top best AR games for Android and iOS users to find out. ## Best 11 Augmented Reality Games In 2022
### Pokémon Go (Android, iOS)

Blockchain-fueled metaverses are soaring in success and have attracted millions from around the globe. Mainly, to invite them to create a more robust and dominant virtual reputation and set foot in the digital age. Major brands from all over the world are also jumping on the bandwagon of the Web3-powered future where virtual worlds will be forming new realities. Over the years, blockchain game developers gave birth to many metaverses, and The Sandbox is one of the most prominent ones. Aimed toward offering a decentralized virtual space for its users to freely use their imagination to build immersive gaming experiences, The Sandbox is revolutionizing the gaming spheres forever. In the massive and immersive virtual world, players are equipped with the tools required to build exciting gaming projects and deploy them on the owned land parcels. This concept not only allows artists to make their ideas possible, but also opens up alleyways for them to earn monetary gains through their imaginative projects. In this in-depth The Sandbox review, we’ll cover all the essentials that players must keep in mind for a successful campaign. ## What is The Sandbox