The word " Metaverse "Metaverse" has become quite popular lately, and you may have seen it pop up in articles about virtual reality or augmented reality. But what exactly is the Metaverse, and why be interested ? Let this article answer your questions. The metaverse is a digital universe that exists beyond the boundaries of a single VR world or AR app. In simpler terms, it's a shared space where avatars can explore and interact with each other, regardless of the experience Individual RV or AR they are using at the time. To understand why this is important, let's take a step back and look at the current state of VR and AR technology.
What is the metaverse?
The term "metaverse" comes from a theory about the future of online communication: we will go beyond virtual worlds (like Meta, formerly the famous Facebook Mark Zuckerberg's) and augmented realities (like Snapchat) of today to enter a single virtual universe where all these experiences exist together.
In other words, the metaverse is a digital universe that exists beyond the boundaries of a single virtual world or a single augmented reality application. To be clear, the metaverse is not a single product or service, but rather a conceptual framework for building virtual worlds and social interactions. In this context, the word "metaverse" is meant to evoke the idea of a "second universe" that builds on our current experiences, rather than the classic definition of "above" or "beyond" something else.
Does the metaverse exist?
In theory, yes. But in practice, the metaverse remains a rather elusive concept and it still exists only in the form of concepts and theories. It is likely that we will live in one world in the future, but it remains to be seen whether we can do so safely. The first step towards the emergence of a metaverse was taken a few years ago, when Facebook announced its "social virtual reality" project.
It was followed in 2017 by the creation of the "Oculus Quest 2″a headset that allows users to explore a virtual world through avatars. But the concept was quickly abandoned because it was not mature enough to be commercialized. There are other examples of similar projects, but they were all failures.
How does the Metaverse work?
The Metaverse is powered by distributed registry technology blockchainwhich enables the creation of completely open and transparent peer-to-peer networks without centralized control or failure points. This technology works in a similar way to a peer-to-peer network as BitTorrent, where each participant in the network contributes to the health and functionality of the system as a whole.
And, like the Internet, no one entity owns or controls the network. Each user of the network retains control of their own data, and can choose to share and communicate with others as they see fit.
In a metaverse powered by blockchain, these networks decentralized connect to each other in a way that allows users to travel seamlessly between them. To simplify, imagine that you have created a virtual world that you invite other virtual and physical experiences to join. By linking your virtual world to other virtual worlds in the metaverse, you and your users can travel between these worlds with very little friction. You can also create or find brand new experiences in the metaverse and take them with you when you travel between worlds.
Understanding the metaverse: Why is it important?
The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with technology and each other, and VR and AR companies aren't the only ones looking at it. Facebook, Google and Amazon are all exploring ways to bring a similar experience into our daily lives. All of these companies started as purely digital entities, but have since expanded into hardware and physical spaces like retail stores.
So what will happen when the Internet goes beyond the computer screen and into the real world?
- We can expect to see entirely new social experiences, amplified and democratized creativity, and entirely new ways of making a living.
- Indeed beyond the possibility to work in new virtual spaces it will also be possible to invest money differently via blockchain and crypto just like we do in the stock market today.
- In addition, the NFT bring a scarcity effect that will have weight in the game ecosystem in particular.
The objectives of the Metaverse
The goal of the metaverse is to create a single platform that invites all forms of VR and AR to exist in one place. A single platform allows users to travel between virtual experiences as easily as they travel between websites on the internet. It also allows developers to create VR applications and AR systems that are interoperable with each other, using a single set of tools and resources across their entire portfolio.
Having a single network enables faster adoption and a broader user base, which increases value for developers and other stakeholders. All of this leads to better, more inclusive, more interesting and more accessible experiences for everyone. To get to the point, you can discover the best platforms to access the metaverse on our dedicated folder.
What is virtual reality?
The virtual reality (VR) is an artificial environment that you experience as if you were actually there. It uses a combination of computer-generated images (CG) and special hardware to produce an immersive experience with real-time 3D images and sound, which you watch with a headset or glasses.
Virtual reality occupies an important place in the metaverse because it currently offers the most complete and immersive experience. Unlike augmented reality, which introduces a computer-generated image into the real world, VR transports you to a completely different place. Virtual reality is the ultimate experience: it has the ability to transport you to a whole new world. As the internet continues to expand beyond the computer screen, VR will become an even more important part of the metavers and the Internet as a whole.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on the real world. Unlike virtual reality, which transports you into a completely new digital world, AR allows you to stay in the real world, but with computer-generated images and additional information displayed by a device such as a smartphone, glasses or headset. Imagine looking at a building and being able to see directions, opening hours and other information about it appear as if they were hovering above the building.
The augmented reality is a great way to enhance the real-world experience, and it's also a key element of the metaverse. Unlike virtual reality, AR does not transport you completely into another world. Instead, it adds digital information, images and animations to the real world. AR is designed to be used anywhere and everywhere, making it an excellent method for enhancing the world around us.
How to get to the metaverse?
The best way toaccess the metaverse is to use a metaverse browser. A metaverse browser is a software application that allows you to navigate and interact with the different virtual worlds of the metaverse. One of the first and most popular metaverse browsers is called Riftwalk and is available on Oculus Store and Steam.
Riftwalk allows you to navigate between VR and AR experiences, create your own personal avatar, invite friends to spend time in VR, etc. There are also many other VR and AR headsets that have their own browser to access the metaverse. Over time, the number of experiences available in the metaverse will increase. As the number of users grows, more and more developers will create new experiences for the metaverse.
To conclude on the metaverse
If you are an experienced user of AR and VR, you can easily understand how the two technologies complement each other. Gaming headsets can provide a realistic experience at a level of detail that is not possible with virtual reality and vice versa. In short you will have understood the metaverse is the combination of virtual reality and augmented reality, the advantages and opportunities of the metaverse technology are numerous and we will see on the next years it is certain a strong craze for this new world.
