NapulETH - Dracula and Vlad in mixed reality on Meta Quest 3

From September 12 to 14, 2024, as Metagate we were technical partners of NapulETH in the fantastic location of Santa Maria La Nova.

For the occasion, we have brought a mixed reality experience on a headset Meta Quest 3 with a very particular theme. It would seem that in the cloister of the structure there is the tomb of the famous Vlad III of Wallachia also known as Dracula. 

A technical level, we believe we have achieved a level of interaction and storytelling that is truly effective both in enhancing the location and in surprising the visitor with timing that is consistent with these goals. We are particularly happy about this because it is something we have been pursuing for 2 years of developments and events, and we finally have the devices and skills to amaze.

We took the opportunity to highlight this element of history and fantasy. In particular, we decided to clearly separate the two aspects of the character, so that Vlad could tell the story of why he was in Naples, while with Dracula we were able to use our imagination to create an interactive and gamified activity.

We have therefore decided to bring to mixed reality the bust of a talking statue of Vlad, which could be questioned about its origins through an interface. Additionally, to highlight the ancient Greek prayer (probably Orthodox) present in the inscription, we played a bit with artificial intelligence. We tried to complete the missing parts of the prayer and then set it to music using AI in the style of 15th-century Orthodox sacred music. The result was surprisingly engaging and helps the visitor to get into the spirit of the experience and the character.

Another interesting detail of Vlad's tomb is the dragon in bas-relief (a symbol of Vlad), at whose feet lies a shield with 3 stars, one of which is upside down, perhaps symbolizing a curse.

 

DRACULA
In the mixed reality experience related to Dracula, we adopted a more gamified approach. We included an avatar of Dracula who cares for his "children" when we approach him. At the same time, 3 cursed bats and a crossbow with stakes appear. The player can then (thanks to the hand tracking of the Meta Quest 3) pick up the crossbow with one hand, load the stakes with the other, aim and... shoot! Once all 3 bats are hit, Dracula surrenders, and a cursed star lights up on his tomb, which we can turn to open his sarcophagus! Inside the sarcophagus appears the commemorative POAP NFT of the experience, redeemable by the player.

This is the mixed reality experience created by us at Metagate on our Meta Quest 3, but what did we bring home from NapulETH? (besides the weight...)

The environment was that of web3, so on one hand, people were generally facilitated in managing digital experiences, but on the other hand, we know how demanding a nerd can be in terms of quality. We are therefore very happy to have received a considerable amount of "WOW, how cool!!".

Another point we take home is that people (even those with a VR headset) have no idea of the level of immersion and interactivity that can be achieved with mixed reality using Meta Quest 3 (not Apple Vision PRO). Therefore, we must continue to push in the direction of trying, and we really suggest to everyone to "see to believe"!

Hand tracking and passthrough (as already highlighted in the Video Città article) are the 2 main elements of this success; the UI/UX and multiplayer remain the next big challenge to optimize along with persistence.

In the near future, as Metagate, we have important integrations on our roadmap for even more immersive and interactive experiences, but we are aware that there are several other sources of innovation that are about to be unlocked, allowing for things that are still science fiction for most people.