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Meta’s Horizon Worlds launches on mobile and web in early access

September 15, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

Mark Zuckerberg's Horizon Worlds is extending past virtual reality in a bid to bring more users to its 3D virtual world.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finally made the move to expand his metaverse Horizon Worlds from virtual reality headsets to people's smartphones and computers.

The 3D avatar-based social platform announced in a Sept. 15 blog post that it has started rolling out its first Meta Horizon world to mobile and web in an early access state.

The only experience immediately available is Super Rumble, a free-for-all shooter that launched in late July, allowing two to six players to come together in fast-paced matches lasting five minutes. Meta said that more experiences and worlds will be coming to the platform over the coming months.

*Super Rumble, a first-person shooter previously only available on VR devices. Source: Meta*

With the initial rollout, only a small number of people will be able to access it on the web or the Meta Quest app on Android, with an iOS rollout slated for the coming weeks.

“Early access will roll out to more people gradually as we gather feedback and evolve the experience,” said Meta.

“The metaverse should be available to everyone — no matter what device they’re on,” the tech giant added.

“And while Quest headsets are the most immersive way to access the metaverse, we believe there should be multiple entry points.”

Meta said bringing Worlds to more devices will open up the experience to more people. Meta hasn’t released any public statistics on its monthly active users, but a report from The Wall Street Journal in October 2022 suggested it was less than 200,000.

Meta's social platform is still currently only available in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Interestingly, blockchain-based metaverse platforms, including Decentraland and The Sandbox, seemingly started their journey the other way around.

Both launched as PC and web-based experiences first, with Decentraland launching its browser-based 3D virtual world in February 2020 and The Sandbox launching its Alpha on PC in November 2021. Both have yet to release an official virtual reality port.

We've got legs!

Meanwhile, Meta avatars in Horizon Worlds have finally received a long-awaited update — virtual legs.

Zuckerberg initially copped criticism after the launch of his metaverse, with observers noting that the massive investment from the firm couldn’t even give its avatars virtual legs. During Connect 2022, Meta promised the legs would come in an eventual update sometime in 2023.

The legs functionality was reportedly already introduced to Quest Home space some weeks ago as a v57 test version update, but some users have reported the legs have now made their way onto the Horizon Worlds app.

Magazine: Web3 Gamer: GTA owner joins Web3, Bitcoin casino, Sunflower Land review

Japan PM reaffirms Web3 plans as Binance announces imminent launch

July 25, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Adoption

Fumio Kishida described Web3 as a “new form of capitalism” in a keynote address at the WebX conference in Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed the country’s commitment to fostering the Web3 industry, highlighting its potential to transform the internet and kindle social change.

Kishida made the comments in a keynote address on day one of the WebX conference in Tokyo, Japan, as initially reported by local media outlet CoinPost. On the same day, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao announced the cryptocurrency exchange would launch its services on a new Japanese platform in August 2023.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses at #webx

“Web3 is part of the New Form of Capitalism” pic.twitter.com/Q3XFFQIRzb
— WebX 2023 (July 25-26) (@WebX_Asia) July 25, 2023

Kishida highlighted Web3’s potential to drive innovation across industries and highlighted the event’s role in bringing industry players to Japan to drive collaboration:

“I hope that the Web3 industry will regain its attention and vitality, and that various new projects will be born.”

EOS Foundation CEO Yves La Rose watched on from the crowd during Kishida’s address. She tweeted that the prime minister’s words signal a welcoming attitude toward Web3 that is being fostered in Asia:

Here live at @WebX_Asia and @JPN_PMO Fumio Kishida just stated that Web3 is "the new form of capitalism".

While the West continues to antagonize blockchain companies, Asia is welcoming us in with their arms wide open.

In Asia, the future is bright for crypto! pic.twitter.com/eZ9puYdzoR
— Yves La Rose (@BigBeardSamurai) July 25, 2023

Kishida went on to describe the Web3 sector as “the new form of capitalism” and hailed the movement’s potential to drive growth through the “resolution of social issues.”

The opening speech given by Koichi Hagiuda, Japan’s Liberal Democratic party’s Policy Research Council chairman, noted Japan’s efforts to establish a strict regulatory framework aimed at protecting investors that form the basis of further promotional Web3 policies.

Hagiuda also highlighted projects like the “Start Next Innovator” as key in driving the growth of Japanese-owned Web3 businesses. Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry ministry project is sending 1,000 entrepreneurs and students to Silicon Valley over a five-year campaign to foster Web3 startups.

Binance begins life in Japan

Binance confirmed to Cointelegraph that it is set to offer its services to Japanese cryptocurrency users from August onwards. The company acquired the local exchange platform Sakura Exchange Bitcoin (SEBC) in November 2022.

As the exchange outlined in the announcement of the deal, the 100% acquisition of the Japanese-registered crypto exchange service provider paved the way for Binance’s reentry into the country.

June 2023 saw a flurry of headlines involving Japan and the Web3 sector. The national tax agency revised legislation that exempts token issuers in the country from paying corporate taxes on unrealized cryptocurrency gains.

Collect this article as an NFT to preserve this moment in history and show your support for independent journalism in the crypto space.

Magazine: How smart people invest in dumb memecoins: 3-point plan for success

Could Ben.eth’s PSYOP tokens face legal scrutiny? It depends, say lawyers

May 31, 2023 Coin Telegraph

BEN

Michael Kanovitz, a lawyer threatening to file a class action against Ben.eth, says the PSYOP scheme bear similarities to cases that have seen SEC enforcement.

Ben.eth, the pseudo-anonymous memecoin creator behind at least three controversial token launches in recent weeks, could fall under the crosshair of United States regulators, crypto lawyers suggest.

A previously little-known personality in the crypto community, Ben.eth has seen his Twitter following blow up nearly five-fold in May. The influencer has launched at least three memecoins in recent weeks — Ben Coin (BEN), PSYOP, and LOYAL.

Pre-sales of these memecoins — which require Ether (ETH) to be sent directly to the creator himself — have allowed Ben.eth to gather thousands of ETH. Currently, his wallet holds 10,946 ETH, equivalent to $20.8 million.

The ETH balance of the ben.eth wallet is nearing $21 million worth. Source: Etherscan

While Ben.eth’s supporters have defended the legitimacy of the token sales, others warn that the influencer’s actions could face the wrath of regulators and disgruntled investors alike.

Michael Kanovitz, a partner at Loevy & Loevy, told Cointelegraph that the Psyop launch “is a classic example of the concerns the SEC [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission] has identified in actions like those against Kim Kardashian and Paul Pierce.”

Kanovitz recently sent a profanity-laden letter via NFT to Ben.eth threatening a class-action suit against him, alleging that the influencer “used a manipulative launch strategy” in the PSYOP presale.

To @eth_ben and @psyopeth :
My law firm, Loevy & Loevy, will be filing a class action against you in your IRL name if you do not refund all of the $PSYOP presale purchasers immediately.
Our settlement demand letter has served as an NFT to your ben.eth address, viewable here:… pic.twitter.com/qaxhECDUhb
— Mike Kanovitz (@MikeKanovitz) May 19, 2023

Kanovitz alleged that Ben promised Psyop’s returns on investment would be “several fold or greater” and claimed he “coordinated with other influencers to spread misinformation” and potentially manipulated the token's price.

Pointing to BEN and LOYAL, Kanovitz said he’s “continuing to gather evidence” on the alleged scheme.

In comments to Cointelegraph, Michael Bacina, a lawyer and partner at Piper Alderman, said that the legal trouble Ben could find himself in depends on if the sales are investigated and what U.S. regulator carries out that investigation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, for example, might believe the tokens are investment contracts — as it does with most other cryptocurrencies — and could consider them unregistered securities, which could see Ben face possible fines and penalties.

Cointelegraph has contacted Ben.eth on multiple occasions but has not received a response. Cointelegraph contacted the SEC for general comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Ben.eth’s most recent token launch, LOYAL, is supposedly for an in-development decentralized exchange (DEX) and “memecoin launchpad” named PsyDex that will be a competitor to Uniswap, according to collaborator Ben Armstrong.

Last minute tweaks to the $LOYAL contract, so that it can be used to properly incentivize liquidity on Psydex. Shouldn’t be too long. Thank you for your patience.
— ben.eth (@eth_ben) May 31, 2023

Meanwhile, other influencers have attempted to capture some of the recent memecoin magic, asking followers to send ETH for essentially “nothing.”

Send ETH here:

0x8DFD4f307B6011D4CB21007FD5658f0686523938 pic.twitter.com/edG01OTY5i
— PAULY (@Pauly0x) May 30, 2023

The wallet address “yougetnothing.eth” currently shows a balance of 411 ETH worth $780,000 and has close to 4,000 transactions over the last 13 hours, according to Etherscan.

Other influencers, such as American socialite Kim Kardashian, have been slapped by the SEC for crypto promotions. In October, the regulator fined Kardashian $1.26 million for her involvement in the promotion of EthereumMax (EMAX). In February, NBA player Paul Pierce made a similar-sized settlement with the regulator.

Additional reporting by Jesse Coghlan.

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