Virtual Worlds, Volume 3, Issue 2 (June 2024) – 2 articles

Immersive events are becoming increasingly popular, allowing multiple people to experience a range of VR content simultaneously. Onboarders help people do VR experiences in these situations. Controlling VR headsets for others without physically having to put them on first is an important requirement here, as it streamlines the onboarding process and maximizes the number of viewers. Current off-the-shelf solutions require headsets to be connected to a cloud-based app via an active internet connection, which can be problematic in some locations. To address this challenge, we present Story Starter, a solution that enables the control of VR headsets without an active internet connection. Story Starter can start, stop, and install VR experiences, adjust device volume, and display information such as remaining battery life. We developed Story Starter in response to the UK-wide StoryTrails tour in the summer of 2022, which was held across 15 locations and attracted thousands of attendees who experienced a range of immersive content, including six VR experiences. Story Starter helped streamline the onboarding process by allowing onboarders to avoid putting the headset on themselves to complete routine tasks such as selecting and starting experiences, thereby minimizing COVID risks. Another benefit of not needing an active internet connection was that our headsets did not automatically update at inconvenient times, which we have found sometimes to break experiences. Converging evidence suggests that Story Starter was well-received and reliable. However, we also acknowledge some limitations of the solution and discuss several next steps we are considering. Full article

One of the most critical challenges for the success of the Metaverse is interoperability amongst its virtual platforms and worlds. In this context, application programming interfaces (APIs) are essential. This study analyzes a sample of 15 Metaverse platforms. In the first step, the availability of publicly accessible APIs was examined. For those platforms offering an API, i.e., Decentraland, Second Life, Voxels, Roblox, Axie Infinity, Upland, and VRChat, the available API contents were collected, analyzed, and presented in the paper. The results show that only a few Metaverse platforms offer APIs at all. In addition, the available APIs are very diverse and heterogeneous. Information is somewhat fragmented, requiring access to several APIs to compile a comprehensive data set. Thus, standardized APIs will enable better interoperability and foster a more seamless and immersive user experience in the Metaverse. Full article