Sony Electronics Inc. and Theta Labs launch Web3 Metaverse NFTs in 3D viewable on Sony’s Spatial Reality Display.

Now fans can own and display NFTs (Non-Fungible Token) digital collectible assets at home in glasses-free 3D display.

The challenge

• Help drive the emergence of a 3D Web3 metaverse
• Excite the Theta Labs user base with an entirely new way to showcase NFTs
• Better visualization of the NFT on Sony’s Spatial Reality Display

The solution

• Offer Limited Edition NFT bundles on the Theta Drop NFT Marketplace
• Bundle exclusive digital 3D assets with Sony’s Spatial Reality Display

The outcome

• Provides a next-generation Web3 experience for NFT owners
• Points the way forward to the 3D metaverse

Theta Labs x Sony Electronics
Imagine displaying an NFT in “holographic” 3D in your home. That’s the concept behind a new set of Limited Edition NFTs that launches by Theta Labs, Inc. in collaboration with Sony Electronics. The NFTs will be released via the Theta Drop NFT Marketplace (thetadrop.com), which has previously hosted drops from pop icon Katy Perry; the World Poker Tour; the longest running TV game show ‘The Price is Right’; and the ‘American Idol’ 20th anniversary reality show. Along with a roster of venture capital funds, Sony Innovation Fund is an equity investor in Theta Labs.

“We’re still in the early adopter phase for NFTs and for the Spatial Reality Display,” said Mitch Liu, co-founder of Theta Labs, Inc. “If you look at the NFT landscape today, it’s a 2D world: images and videos. But the metaverse is already 3D. Our community of Web3 users is primed for what’s next. Enabling our users to visualize and showcase their NFTs in a way that has physical presence – it’s transformative.” Users will also be able to purchase 2D versions for viewing on conventional displays.

It all began with e-sports and VR
Theta Labs got its start in 2016, streaming esports tournaments in 360 Virtual Reality. The company deployed 3D physical cameras in the host arenas and 3D virtual cameras in-game to stream live virtual reality to users around the world. “We could basically put you in the middle of the battleground, as if you were there – standing right there among all the different champions. And this was crazy because we were trying to push about 4K resolution video quality per eye through the Internet. Not only was it super difficult, but it was also very expensive to serve users around the world, particularly in developing regions like southeast Asia and eastern Europe,” says Liu. “Then we realized that so many users had unused bandwidth, just sitting there, that could be monetized with micropayments. These edge PCs around the world could serve as a massive edge network. The only way to scale this up was utilizing blockchain technology. Now we have over 130,000 nodes, providing our network with points of presence around the world for video and data relay, distribution and encoding. We are the leader in blockchain-based video and data delivery technology.”

Micropayments for video segments and data delivered are processed on the Theta blockchain and fees paid with Theta’s transactional payment cryptocurrency, TFUEL, which can be exchanged for fiat currencies. The Theta Drop NFT Marketplace accepts TFUEL as well as US dollars.

From streaming VR to experiencing Sony’s Spatial Reality Display
“As a company, we’ve spent years in the VR space,” says Liu. “And we’ve learned to design experiences in such a way that you don’t get dizzy and uncomfortable. When we placed virtual cameras inside game worlds, they were from a stable perspective: we set a fixed pivot point that the user could rotate around. Now fast-forward to the Spatial Reality Display and it was mind-boggling. ‘Whoa, this thing is floating in mid-air.’ You can look at it from left or right and see the various angles. It’s wonderful. And even from a foot away, it was very, very clear. Absolutely beautiful. No headsets required.

“NFT owners are ready for the next revolution. Sony’s Spatial Reality Display is a ‘whoa, baby’ experience – showcasing NFTs in a whole new way. Web3 Metaverse ready.” – Mitch Liu. Co-Founder, Theta Labs, Inc.

Into the future of metaverse and Web3
“Having come from VR background, we know the metaverse is not a new idea,” Liu says. “But now it’s gaining significant traction. So much is moving into the virtual world, with huge potential for 3D. NFTs are just the starting point. We can see Web3 users creating 3D avatars with digital collectibles, which represent the way users view themselves and have huge meaning for them, then taking them into their favourite games, levelling them up, and meeting in virtual conference spaces, concerts, and other entertainment venues. This is super-exciting for the future of the metaverse and Web3 virtual communities out there.”

The Spatial Reality Display and Unity rendering
Sony’s Spatial Reality Display enables viewers to see volumetric 3D without special glasses or VR goggles. In the case of the Sony NFTs, the display works from computer generated images, using a Windows® PC running Unity® graphics software. The screen features a high-precision micro-optical lens to separate the left-eye and right-eye images. In addition, the display tracks eye movement down to the millisecond, pivoting the image in sync as the viewer tilts or moves the head up and down, left, and right — even forward and back. The result is an overpowering sensation of a solid 3D object.