THE METAVERSE

The metaverse is the convergence of the internet and an immersive virtual three dimension world that is facilitated by the use of virtual or augmented reality headset. The users of these headsets navigate the metaverse using a variety of inputs; which maybe the user eye movements, feedback controllers or voice command. The headset immerses the user into this three dimensional virtual world creating a sense of physical presence; hence an artificial sense of reality in a virtual world where anything can happen.

The metaverse will enhance our present sense of human reality in a variety of ways; this may include for example, remote interaction about the workpace, school, shops. games and other aspects of human interaction. But the expected application of metaverse is beyond our wildest imagination; Musicians and entertainment labels are experimenting with hosting concerts in the metaverse. The sports industry is following suit, with top franchises like Manchester City building virtual stadiums so fans can watch games and, presumably, purchase virtual merchandise.

Perhaps the farthest reaching opportunities for the metaverse will be in online learning and government services.

This is the popular conception of the metaverse: a VR-based world independent of our physical one where people can socialize and engage in a seemingly unlimited variety of virtual experiences, all supported with its own digital economy.  Meta thinks it will include fake houses, you can invite all your friends to hang out in. Microsoft seems to think it could involve virtual meeting rooms to train new hires or chat with your remote coworkers.

The metaverse concept has become an umbrella term that floats over the big connected multiplayer worlds, including Fortnite, or Minecraft, or Roblox, or VR apps like Rec Room, VRChat and Microsoft’s AltspaceVR. But it aspires to be a stand-in for all your virtual tools, headset or not.

The shift to the idea of metaverses is basically a way of including multiple devices and platforms, and not insisting people use a particular gadget. Again, think of Fortnite. Or, again, Roblox. Or Minecraft. Or, in a sense, most apps we use now. But in this case, we’re talking about ones with their own deep social world.

Most metaverses being discussed are massively multiplayer spaces with avatars and worlds and persistent players or creative tools. Facebook’s upcoming social platform, Horizon, is an example of this: The avatar-based app will work in VR, but Facebook intends for it to work in AR as well, and on regular laptops and phones. Microsoft’s AltSpaceVR is already like this.

VR is a lot of things right now, but it’s not very massively social because most people don’t have VR headsets. Companies are struggling to find tools that loop all the other phone and computer experiences together with VR and AR ecosystems. Microsoft has been working on this for years, but still hasn’t cracked it.

Microsoft’s recent push is for AR that also works on phones in addition to the Hololens; Apple’s focus is on AR on iPhones and iPads; Facebook is integrating Oculus with the rest of its non-VR social apps. It’s easy to see a common thread here. You’ll never be able to get everyone into VR headsets. Or, AR smart glasses. Just like not everyone will wear a smartwatch, or wear AirPods, or play a Nintendo Switch.

The cross-platforming of virtual things is a lot of what seems to be the goal of the metaverse. I think of VR headsets and AR glasses as eventually becoming headphones for our eyes, a more immersive and portable alternative to a monitor. Put it on, take it off, pick whatever tool works. Most of the metaverse initiatives are aiming to be around no matter what type of computer you choose.

According to Motley fool “The metaverse could be a 800 billion dollars trend by 2028, according to a study by emergen research, up from a paltry 48 billion dollars today. Whether this precise prediction plays out over the next several years remains to be seen. But suffice it to say that many people agree that the metaverse is a big trend to watch this decade.”

Additional material from

The Convervation and Wired