{"podcast":{"title":"The AI XR Podcast.","slug":"the-ai-xr-podcast-1291732","podcast_index_feed_id":1291732,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/5f2ae0b91ea7197e1ef08ed6","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/this-week-in-xr-podcast","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5f2ae0b91ea7197e1ef08ed6/1736361729991-15e2e673-ad12-4a45-b117-7e42a45c0af8.jpeg","author":"Charlie Fink","episode_count":303,"summary":"Get the inside story on the biggest tech developments from founders, former executives, and industry veterans who built companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta Reality Labs, Apple Vision Pro, Microsoft HoloLens, and Unity. Join Charlie Fink (Forbes), Ted Schilowitz, (Red Camera, Fox, Paramount Futurist) & Rony Abovitz, (founder Magic Leap).as they interview startup CEOs, ex-Google/Meta/Apple insiders, Hollywood directors, and AI researchers reshaping spatial computing. Every week we break down the latest tech news with our signature hot takes, then dive deep with a founder or industry leader. We cover artificial intelligence breakthroughs, virtual reality hardware, augmented reality applications, synthetic media tools, and how enterprises are adopting these technologies. We're industry insiders who have the connections to get the biggest names on the show, but we're not afraid to ask the tough questions about where big tech is heading. Our guests trust us because we've been in their shoes. Listen now to get ahead of the next wave of computing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T20:20:59.917359+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ai-xr-podcast-1291732"},"episode":{"title":"Why VR Arcades Died and What's Replacing Them ft. Kevin Williams","slug":"why-vr-arcades-died-and-what-s-replacing-them-ft-kevin-williams","published_at":"2026-07-08T00:18:57+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ai-xr-podcast-1291732/why-vr-arcades-died-and-what-s-replacing-them-ft-kevin-williams","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ai-xr-podcast-1291732","url":"https://shows.acast.com/this-week-in-xr-podcast/episodes/why-vr-arcades-died-and-whats-replacing-them-kevin-williams","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5f2ae0b91ea7197e1ef08ed6/e/6a4d9771195f863605ea4c75/media.mp3","summary":"This week, Charlie, Ted, and Rony are joined by Kevin Williams — ex-Walt Disney Imagineer, location-based entertainment specialist, publisher of The Stinger Report, and the curator behind the LBE XR Zone at AWE 2026. Kevin pulls back the curtain on why well-funded VR pioneers like The Void and Dreamscape really collapsed (spoiler: it wasn't COVID), why Sandbox VR and Zero Latency survived, and how \"competitive socializing\" venues are quietly becoming XR's most viable business. Plus: Alex Karp's jaw-dropping CNBC appearance, Ted's \"printer ink theory\" of AI economics, and the decades-old simulation lessons that could have solved VR motion sickness years earlier. ⏱️ KEY MOMENTS 02:42 – Alex Karp's CNBC interview: AI, data & sovereignty 08:40 – Ted's printer ink theory of AI economics 09:54 – Computational autocracies & America's 250th 13:07 – Guest intro: Kevin Williams (ex-Disney Imagineer, The Stinger Report) 17:15 – Theme parks vs. LBE: where's the line? 21:16 – Glow's Magic Leap 2 graffiti experience at AWE 23:14 – Rony's story: a famous graffiti artist tries digital spray paint 25:19 – The open digital mesh problem: RP1, Niantic & who owns the map 30:10 – Why The Void and Dreamscape really failed (\"one and done\") 34:48 – What bowling alleys and pubs get right: competitive socializing 40:43 – Europa Park's mixed reality attractions 43:09 – Universal's Mario Kart AR ride: why less is more 46:08 – The Dracula/Frankenstein ride & the \"squeezing\" motion sickness fix 49:19 – Why VR makes you sick: the poisoning response & 30 years of forgotten simulation lessons 52:10 – The case for sharing knowledge before it's lost Brought to you by Zappar and Mattercraft. Mattercraft is Zappar's web-based platform for building augmented reality experiences without a…","meta_description":"This week, Charlie, Ted, and Rony are joined by Kevin Williams — ex-Walt Disney Imagineer, location-based entertainment specialist, publisher of The Sting…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3255,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ai-xr-podcast-1291732/episodes/why-vr-arcades-died-and-what-s-replacing-them-ft-kevin-williams/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ai-xr-podcast-1291732/why-vr-arcades-died-and-what-s-replacing-them-ft-kevin-williams.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}