Sony and Apple are showing interest in new technological innovations.
A patent filed by Sony has put the company in the spotlight of the crypto industry, as it appears to be planning to integrate Blockchain and NFTs into its PlayStation gaming ecosystem.
The Japan-based technology company introduced a license on tracking digital assets before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent was filed in July last year and recently published by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Under the title “Tracking unique in-game digital assets using tokens on a distributed ledger,” the patent filed by Sony seeks to create a system that allows tracking digital assets associated with video games.
Sony is considered one of the largest video game console companies in the world, so its direct entry into the blockchain world represents a major milestone for the industry.
Sony wants to create an NFT marketplace with gaming items
Sony's patent describes a technology for creating, modifying, tracking, authenticating and transferring unique digital assets associated with a video game. These digital assets can be multimedia elements, such as images and videos of games and even game characters, the patent states.
According to tech content organization TweakTown, Sony is outlining an NFT marketplace where PlayStation users can buy, sell, and rent save files, custom in-game items, character gear, and more.
In addition, the technology company wants to give video game fans, e-sports players, influencers and streamers the possibility of creating items or collectibles such as NFTs, with which they can deliver value or utility to their owners beyond video games.
In the patent, Sony describes that digital assets can be created on a distributed ledger that tracks the history of each digital asset and is stored across devices. The digital assets can be video game digital media assets that represent unique moments in a video game, the company said.
Sony and Manchester City recreate the Etihad in the Metaverse
Sony, in association with Manchester City, developed the famous Etihad football stadium of the sports club in the MetaverseThe company has signed a 3-year partnership with Manchester City, with the aim of developing new forms of digital content and services for fans of the sport. Manchester City fans will be able to gather in the metaverse to interact with each other and with members of the football team, establishing new ways of interacting with the club.
Also, in June of this year, Sony participated in the creation of the Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF), a forum designed to promote the development of the metaverse in an open and interoperable way. On the other hand, the company has been exploring the mood regarding non-fungible tokens. During the Evolution Championship Series 2022 (Evo 2022), PlayStation, Sony's video game brand, applied a survey to players to find out their opinions on these digital assets. Specifically, the company asked participants if they would be interested in purchasing digital collectibles in NFT format.
Nike is the other major consumer brand to make a major announcement about NFTs this week.
Is Apple interested in the Metaverse?
Apple, the world's largest publicly traded company, with a market capitalization of $2,39 billion dollars According to Companies Market Cap, it has begun to show interest in the Metaverse and it is even believed that the technology multinational is already developing its own virtual world.
Rumors that Apple is working on creating a metaverse arise from the multiple job offers that the company has published related to virtual reality (VR) and the 3D environment. According to Bloomberg, although Apple may never adopt the term “Metaverse”Given the perception that Tim Cook and his executives have of this term, which they consider to be very ambiguous, the company seems to be already building a similar virtual environment in the third dimension.
Apple has posted job openings for engineers developing tools for virtual and augmented reality, as well as a job opening for specialized engineers to develop a 3D mixed reality world.
The Cupertino, California-based multinational is currently working on developing new virtual reality headsets that will integrate a series of cameras and high-definition screens. According to Bloomberg, these VR headsets will also include special capabilities that are related to the virtual world. However, it should be noted that Apple has not, to date, made public any plans regarding the development of its own iteration of the metaverse.
What about Blockchain and NFTs?
In 2019, Apple filed a patent with the USPTO to create a blockchain-based system from which it could certify timestamps. As for NFTs, at the end of September, the company announced the integration of these digital assets into the applications of its app store.
Apple enabled the buying and selling of NFTs by applying its well-known developer fees of 15% and 30% and making it clear that these digital assets could not be used in the app store to unlock access to special features or benefits in apps, so its position on this class of assets remains rigid.
However, some experts believe that the boom that the blockchain and NFT ecosystem has gained in the last two years and the commotion that these innovations have caused in different industries, could motivate Apple and other companies to become more open to new technologies.
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