REK’s phydigital sports arenas prove the future of sports is mixed reality

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

By combining virtual and physical worlds together REK have created something potentially awesome …

Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, read our codexes, or browse my blog.

Cix Liv, the developer behind YUR Fit and Liv, has announced his third company will be launching under the name REK and will carry the mantra of “sports of the metaverse.” In a series of Tweets, Liv lays out big ambitions for the fledgling platform which include creating an entire metaverse where people can both watch and join in on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) sports in real-time with real people.

In the teaser below, Cix Liv and his business partner, Bart Trzynadlowski — an ex-Apple AR engineer — can be seen throwing virtual fireballs at each other while physically dodging their opponent’s attacks on what appears to be a racquetball court. Both are wearing an Oculus Quest 2 and are using the Quest 2’s controllers.

The Future of the Metaverse, by Keynote Speaker Matthew Griffin

Liv encouraged interested players to join up on REK’s Discord channel and to sign up for beta access to the program at the REK website. Liv says that REK will be rolling out to cities across the country, starting with the first event in California this May. It could very well become one of the best Quest 2 games if for no other reason than its unique concept.

Liv specifically highlights that REK will be different from other VR fitness or sports platforms by using real people and real places for the events. Additionally, REK’s sports won’t just be limited to ones where a physical ball is in play. Rather, Liv is encouraging players to use their imaginations, going so far as to compare REK’s VR metaverse with sports that took place in the Tron series of movies.

Previously, in December, Liv posted a teaser using Snap Spectacles which showed him pumping iron with Thor’s hammer to charge up a lightning blast. Liv had previously had his YUR Fit app sherlocked by Facebook and is branching out to a concept that’s more complex than previous efforts. There’s little doubt that REK will feature some interesting, non-traditional sports when it debuts.