The metaverse is a 3D version of the Internet that’s being touted as the next big thing. Tech giants are pouring billions into building technologies that will give us the ability to hang out in these virtual worlds — a lot like Second Life, Habbo Hotel, Minecraft, Fortnite and many other popular games. The difference is that the metaverse will also allow you to interact with people and make money — using virtual currency backed by blockchain technology, or crypto.
The emergence of metaverse technologies is transforming business and personal lives in profound ways, according to research from tech industry analysts Gartner and Forrester. They characterize these technologies as “tech themes” that include spatial computing, digital humans, shared experiences, gaming and tokenized assets. The virtual and augmented reality technologies that are making these worlds possible are also changing the way we work and live.
For example, virtual workspaces are allowing teams to collaborate from anywhere in the world without having to physically be together. Businesses are already starting to use the metaverse for collaboration with customers, partners and other stakeholders. They are also using the technology to create simulations that help them train and sell to clients and to assess operations remotely.
It’s important to remember that the metaverse is still in its infancy. There are many technical barriers that need to be removed before it can fully take off, but it’s clear that the metaverse is a growing trend. The accelerated pace of 5G connectivity and the availability of headsets and gloves that enable immersive experiences are just two of the many factors driving metaverse growth.
In addition, the cost of creating and developing VR is declining. Back-end engines are knocking down barriers to creation, and the availability of high-resolution graphics is enabling a transition from 2-D Internet spaces to 3-D metaverse worlds. Edge computing is enabling data to be processed locally rather than in the cloud, solving problems of bandwidth and latency. And hardware devices are merging the physical and virtual worlds, with VR headsets such as the Oculus Quest 2 shipping ten million units in 2021 and new devices including gloves and bodysuits gaining traction.
These changes are creating a world where you can do virtually anything you can imagine, with your avatar and persona representing you. You’ll be able to play and hang out in social media and virtual workplaces, travel in a global metaverse of shared experience and even purchase real estate in these worlds with crypto currency.
The metaverse will become a place where you can be yourself and build a new life, just like the real world. It will be a fun, exciting and adventurous place where you can meet people from all walks of life and find an endless number of things to do. You will be able to make money, trade crypto and goods, and share your creations with others in the metaverse. And you’ll be able to move your avatar from one virtual world to another with the click of a button. metaverse