LensLinks: Issue 68

A blockchain news roundup, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
January 10, 2023

Today in LensLinks:

  • Is Apple Coming for Meta?

  • Next Gen of Immersive Gaming

  • Ethereum Eye Feb for Public Testnet for Shanghai Upgrade

  • Bitcoin Blasts Through $17K

  • Blockchain Games vs DeFi Wallets: Who is Winning?

  • Trad Banks and the Metaverse

  • Most Exciting Technological Advancements in the DeFi Scene

  • Crypto Trading Volumes Falling. Are Institutions to Blame?

  • RETRO: SNL Skit Explains Crypto Art and NFTs

  • WHAT DO THINK OF THIS OPINION PIECE??? TO BECOME MONEY, BITCOIN REQUIRES INTEGRATION WITH NEW SOCIAL SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY

QUOTABLE...

"This paints an incredible picture of a strong buy wall at current market prices and suggests a strong bottom is forming."

- FundStrat's Sean Farrel

NOTABLE...

Meta has a big new problem for its VR aspirations—Apple's coming for the throne

And that could impact Meta’s plans for dominance of the metaverse.

https://fortune.com/2023/01/09/apple-vr-headset-mixed-use-debut-wwdc-2023/

Apple has cast a shadow over the virtual and augmented reality worlds for the past two years without releasing a product, but in the coming months, that anticipated threat is expected to become a real one, which could impact Meta’s plans for dominance of the metaverse.

 Metaverse & Gaming

How this Metaverse Shooter is Defining the Next-Generation of Immersive Gaming | HackerNoon

Next-Generation of Immersive Gaming: Player Ownership, NFT Marketplaces and DAOs

https://hackernoon.com/how-this-metaverse-shooter-is-defining-the-next-generation-of-immersive-gaming

Video gaming has come a long way, evolving from 2D arcades to real-life simulators, now to Play and Earn games that reward users. The latest gaming industry stats indicate that over 214 million Americans play video games, with the average player being 35 years old. In Europe, over 50% of the population is actively involved with immersive video games, with genres such as free-to-play team-based games on the rise.

Immersive gaming is a catch-all term that includes VR and AR experiences. However, the next level of virtual game experiences is more than that. It’s a culmination of Web3 technologies democratizing how people play and interact.

Here are 3 significant innovations defining the future of immersive gaming.

 Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

Ethereum developers eye February public testnet for Shanghai upgrade

The Shanghai upgrade of the Ethereum network in March will focus exclusively on ether (ETH) withdrawals.

https://www.theblock.co/post/200005/ethereum-developers-eye-february-public-testnet-for-shanghai-upgrade?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Quick Take

  • The planned Shanghai upgrade of the Ethereum network will focus exclusively on ETH withdrawals.

  • Developers are planning to release a public test network for the Shanghai upgrade by the end of February.

Crypto Trading

Bitcoin blasts through $17,000 amid wider market rally

Cryptocurrencies and traditional markets rose, continuing Friday's optimism.

https://www.theblock.co/post/200124/bitcoin-blasts-through-17000-amid-wider-market-rally

Quick Take

  • Cryptocurrencies and traditional markets rose, continuing Friday’s optimism.

  • Silvergate was among the few losers.

Metaverse & Gaming - A Little More...

Blockchain Games Have Twice the Number of Unique Active Wallets as DeFi – Report

Blockchain games continue to make headlines while DeFi struggled in 2022. But the question arises: can the hype continue in 2023?

https://beincrypto.com/blockchain-games-twice-number-unique-active-wallets-defi/

How are traditional Banks making use of the Metaverse

Read on to learn more about the Metaverse and its relationship with Banks. Some banks have fully embraced it, while others remain wary.

https://www.esports.net/news/traditional-banks-metaverse/

Blockchain, Tokens & Defi - A Little More...

Could Ethereum Hit $3,500 in 2023? | The Motley Fool

The cryptocurrency could be ready for a big comeback in 2023. Here's what would need to occur for that to happen.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/01/09/could-ethereum-hit-3500-in-2023/

Most Exciting Technological Advancements In The DeFi Scene - techbuzzireland

Most Exciting Technological Advancements In The DeFi Scene

https://techbuzzireland.com/2023/01/09/most-exciting-technological-advancements-in-the-defi-scene/

Crypto Trading - A Little More...

Crypto Trading Volumes Falling as Institutions Exit But Some High Conviction Retail Are Entering

The crypto market already has a number of challenges, and the current low level of trading activity is only adding insult to injury.

https://www.business2community.com/crypto-news/crypto-trading-volumes-falling-as-institutions-exit-but-some-high-conviction-retail-are-entering-02601375

First Mover Asia: Bitcoin Eclipses $17K, Breaking Out of Three-Week Trading Range

Since mid-December, bitcoin had failed to finish a trading day (universal coordinated time or UTC basis) over $17,000, and now analysts wonder if the largest cryptocurrency has formed a market bottom after a horrendous 2022.

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/01/09/first-mover-asia-bitcoin-eclipses-17k-breaking-out-of-three-week-trading-range/

Industry Retro (How far we have come)

Watch 'Saturday Night Live' explain the multimillion-dollar phenomenon of crypto art and NFTs in an Eminem parody

Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon broke down nonfungible tokens to a parody of an Eminem song — and the internet loved it.

https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-crypto-art-nft-nonfungible-token-skit-2021-3

A skit on "Saturday Night Live" took on explaining the concept of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, and crypto art.

The show breaks down the meaning of NFTs to a parody of Eminem's "Without Me."

In the skit, hosted by former cast member Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon plays US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The former Federal Reserve chair presents to a college class when a student played by Pete Davidson asks her what an NFT is.

ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)

To Become Money, Bitcoin Requires Integration With New Social System Technology

Bitcoin and Lightning Network technology alone will not be enough to change our financial system. New social systems are needed too.

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-must-integrate-as-a-new-innovative-social-system

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