The current internet experience is two-dimensional(2D), meaning you browse and scroll through it on a screen, but the metaverse is 3D. You’ll be walking through it via connected headsets or glasses.
It is unclear whether there will be one metaverse or many different separate metaverses, but this seems to be the one constant: The metaverse is an immersive next-generation version of the internet, likely rendered by virtual or augmented reality technology.
Mark Zuckerburg’s version
Zuckerburg’s Metaverse gathers an image of virtual everything: You attend work meetings as an avatar using the VR headset and use a device on your wrist to secretly text friends. When you go outside, you’ll wear smart glasses that offer augmented reality as well as record what you see and hear. The metaverse will be accessible through phones, computers, wearable tech, and headsets (or a combination of these) and it will be where you work, shop, exercise, socialize, watch movies, and games.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The metaverse is a shared virtual environment that people access via the Internet.
- Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are combined in the metaverse to create a sense of “virtual presence.”
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes augmented reality glasses will eventually be as widespread as smartphones.
- In October 2021, Facebook announced plans to create 10,000 new high-skilled jobs in the European Union (EU) to help shape the metaverse.
What Is the Difference Between AR and VR?
- AR uses a real-world setting while VR is completely virtual
- AR users can control their presence in the real world; VR users are controlled by the system
- VR requires a headset device, but AR can be accessed with a smartphone
- AR enhances both the virtual and real-world while VR only enhances a fictional reality
The Origin
The word was forged in a 1992 sci-fi novel, Snow Crash, written by Neal Stephenson. In the book, the Metaverse is the sum of virtual and augmented realities concentrated on a super long “Street” through which people walk as avatars and can access using goggles and plugging into terminals. Public terminal users are rendered as blurry black and white avatars while those who pay for private terminals are rendered in full color and detail. Since then, the word “metaverse” has been used to describe all kinds of initiatives focused on creating a more permanent virtual reality that bleeds into our physical lives.
Similarity of Concept
One of the most-cited examples of the metaverse is Second Life, an alt-reality computer game where you play through an avatar and could do just about anything like build a house or get married.
Today, Roblox and Epic Game’s Fortnite are often roped into metaverse conversations and some say are way closer to making the metaverse happen than Zuckerberg’s Meta. Both games meet the criteria of being persistent virtual worlds, they each have millions of players that gather to both play and socialize, where there is some persistence in objects (clothes and skins) and payment (Robux and V-Bucks). Fortnite’s Ariana Grande concert event was attended by millions and along with customizable avatars and emotes, these events are fostering some sense of “presence”.
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG): MMORPGs are interactive games that form the basis of what many feel will be the metaverse. Millions of people interact in shared spaces—playing games, building things, visiting virtual shops, and even going to concerts. Examples include Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, or the NFT-based Axie Infinity.
Terms Related to Metaverse
Avatar: An avatar is your persona in a virtual world. This digital rendering of your appearance may look like you, resemble a cartoon (as popularized by Snapchat’s Bitmoji and Apple’s Memoji), or appear as fantastical as Fortnite’s “skins”.
NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens): An NFT is a digital asset that represents real-world objects like art, music, in-game items and videos. They are bought and sold online, frequently with cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency: A cryptocurrency is a type of currency that uses digital files as money. Usually, the files are created using the same ways as cryptography (the science of hiding information). Digital signatures can be used to keep the transactions safe and let other people check that the transactions are real.
Blockchain: A Blockchain is a method of storing a list of entries, which cannot be changed easily after they are created.
So far we can only imagine the Metaverse. The big technology companies are continuing their efforts for its implementation. But hopefully, soon we will see its execution.
