When Zhang Ling (CEO of Digital Domain Space) was selecting a suitable headset for DD Space, the company’s offline VR entertainment venue, he faced a daunting challenge. One day, the R&D team approached him and said, “Mr. Zhang, we’ve found an excellent headset—lightweight, high-resolution, and fully compatible with our equipment.” Zhang Ling asked, “What’s the company’s name?” The team replied, “3Glasses.” Zhang Ling thought to himself, “That’s quite a mouthful.”
At the time, Digital Domain Space (“DDS”) had already been established in October 2017. Backed by Digital Domain Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 547), a leader in innovative visual effects and one of the world’s largest virtual reality experience providers, and supported by investments from prominent institutions like Poly Capital and Hony Capital, DDS aimed to build China’s largest VR content distribution platform and gather the world’s finest VR content, creating a new social entertainment platform based on cutting-edge technologies like VR, AR, MR, and Avatars. The mysterious headset in question was the Blue Crystal S2. Its release caused a sensation in the VR/MR hardware industry, marking a significant leap forward in domestic VR hardware design and functionality. Later, during a dinner with Digital Domain’s senior executives, Zhang Ling mentioned to Xie An, the current CEO of Digital Domain, “There’s a Shenzhen-based hardware company called 3Glasses whose headset is a perfect fit for us. I hope we can explore deeper collaboration.” Xie An turned to Zhu Xi, Digital Domain’s Chief Strategy Officer, sitting beside him, and they exchanged a knowing smile. This conversation eventually led to one of the largest cash acquisition deals in VR industry history. From then on, 3Glasses became part of Digital Domain, jointly committed to developing the “Oasis” VR ecosystem. At 5:30 PM Beijing Time on August 22, 2018, Digital Domain’s strategic launch event concluded amidst awe and the constant click of smartphone cameras. The event’s impact far exceeded its intended purpose. Digital Domain’s leadership, partners, and investors, driven by a shared vision for the future of virtual technology and humanistic values, not only showcased the company’s years of technological and content but also ignited boundless imagination for the future virtual world of “Oasis.”For the past 25 years, Digital Kingdom has been dedicated to the perfect fusion of art and technology, creating numerous acclaimed masterpieces. The visual effects of classic films such as *Titanic*, *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, *Fast & Furious 7 & 8*, and *Ready Player One* have earned this top-tier effects production company 9 Academy Awards and over 100 internationally renowned accolades, including honors from Cannes and Sundance.
However, Digital Kingdom’s ambitions extend far beyond this. To integrate global top-tier visual effects into the Chinese market, Digital Kingdom has recently made a comprehensive entry into China. The company is optimistic about the prospects of VR development with the advent of 5G and aims to pioneer the construction of the ‘Oasis’ ecosystem depicted in *Ready Player One*, connecting the entire virtual reality industry chain to become the creator of the ‘Oasis’ world. This vision seeks to immerse everyone in the infinite possibilities of a futuristic virtual world. To achieve this, Digital Kingdom has strategically expanded and integrated technologies over the past few years, refining four core business models to seamlessly connect scattered technological innovations with commercial logic. Among these, 3Glasses shines as a brilliant pearl in this valuable necklace. With 16 years of industry expertise and relentless exploration, 3Glasses has developed 285 patents, 70% of which are inventions, making it the VR technology company with the most patents in China. In hardware R&D, 3Glasses launched Asia’s first and the world’s second mass-produced VR headset (October 2014), the world’s first ultra-light (246g) 2K-screen mass-produced VR headset (June 2015), and became one of Microsoft’s first MR headset partners (December 2016), jointly releasing China’s first MR headset with Microsoft (December 2017). In terms of business models, 3Glasses pioneered the experiential point model (arcade industry + VR) in 2014, consistently leading the direction of the VR industry. Its diversified industry solutions have made it one of the rare cash-flow-healthy companies in the virtual reality sector. Digital Kingdom’s Chairman, Chou Yung-ming, praised 3Glasses as an experienced VR company, focused and progressive, continuously delivering outstanding VR hardware products. CEO Wang Jie stated that 3Glasses focuses on hardware, industry solutions, developer support services, and offline channel technical support—but not content. The collaboration with Digital Kingdom creates industrial synergy, achieving a 1+1>2 effect. Within Digital Kingdom’s envisioned ‘Oasis’ VR ecosystem, 3Glasses and Digital Kingdom Space (DD Space) will leverage Digital Kingdom’s robust content production capabilities for deeper industrial upgrades, forming a closed-loop VR industry chain.With technological advancements, VR/AR has emerged as a new medium for creative expression, offering immersive and interactive possibilities for film content creation. Following the Sundance Film Festival showcase ‘Micro Monsters,’ Digital Kingdom is set to release its original VR production ‘Mountain and Sea,’ directed by Mr. Yifu Zhou, the company’s Visual Effects Director, Vice President, and Head of Greater China Film and TV Visual Effects. This project aims to enrich the immersive entertainment experience with high-quality content.
The partnership with 3Glasses extends Digital Kingdom’s VR capabilities from content to hardware, paving the way for a comprehensive VR industry chain encompassing ‘hardware + content + channels.’ Leveraging its expertise in VR/MR technology, hardware capabilities, and content platform, 3Glasses will serve as the hardware gateway for Digital Kingdom’s ‘Oasis Ecosystem,’ bridging the virtual and physical worlds. At the Digital Kingdom 2018 Strategy Launch Event, Ms. Jie Wang, Founder and CEO of 3Glasses, and Mr. Ling Zhang, CEO of Digital Kingdom Space, highlighted the synergy between Digital Kingdom’s creative prowess and 3Glasses’ hardware expertise. Combined with DD Space VR theaters’ exclusive distribution channels, this collaboration positions Digital Kingdom as a key driver in advancing the VR industry.
