Metaverse is basically a virtual 3D connection with the various social media sites and platforms in which one can create any hypothetical thing that we wish to use AR/VR devices.
- Metaverse basically focuses on creating a separate virtual world for users based on their thinking and augmented reality. Metaverse uses to create 3D avatars for the users to represent themselves in their virtual world by means of virtual reality to create an alternative world for the uses to exist within it.
- Metaverse is made possible by combining multiple elements that require virtual reality and augmented reality that enables the users to exist within the digital parallel universe and do whatever they want like studying, playing, attending meetings and concerts, even traveling, etc.
- Metaverse is applicable to buying virtual 3D goods for our avatars, playing online immersive games, using E-commerce platforms to try the product in the Metaverse before even actually ordering it, and buying cryptocurrency tokens.
- Metaverse is made possible by using Virtual reality devices that support the users to take them to a 3D environment. It also makes use of the various motion tracking sensors that are attached to the user’s hands to be able to interact with the virtual objects in the Metaverse.
Why Does Metaverse Involve Holograms?
The metaverse technology basically revolves around bringing the hologram and the AR to the users. For example – popular gaming brands like Niantic and Roblox are working on bringing the holograms of the user’s favorite gaming characters to real life by introducing them using the holograms to their users and fans.
- This hologram technology allows users to have the ability to convert their services and the things they need in real life into three-dimensional images.
- It also brings the capability of the user to coexist in the real world by meeting with the holograms of their favorite anime, cartoons, or gaming characters to real virtual reality using the three-dimensional images created using holograms.
- Also, many organizations are working to bring the web engines that support the use of the importing of virtual reality on their desired products and services.
- It allows the users to basically have the ability to convert the real-life photos and images to a sort of 3D images that can be displayed on a virtual reality headset to the users.
- Holographic displays have the ability to showcase the users about the metaverse technology in such a manner that the users feel that they really coexist with the virtual reality three-dimensional images that are shown as a hologram in the metaverse on these high-quality displays.
- These advanced holographic displays and devices have the capability of projecting three-dimensional digital images which always gain the attention of the audience that loves using the gaming and entertainment industry.
- At the same time, these holographic images cause huge damage to the eyes of the users if they are used for a prolonged period of time by causing some physical damage and discomfort.
Technologies Used in Metaverse
Basically, the types of technologies used in metaverse are as follows:
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Hardware: The type of hardware used in the metaverse will be a pair of glasses that will be used to create a 3D virtual reality image in front of the eye of the users. These pair of glasses form a three-dimensional image on the screen on the hardware of the metaverse. It may be a pair of AR spectacles or a virtual reality headset like the Oculus Quest 2. These hardware devices play an important role by giving an immersive experience to the users about them so that the users feel that he is really in person next to what is happening on these pair of virtual reality glasses.
- Software: Popular game development engines like Unity, Amazon Sumerian, and Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) are someone of the most powerful sets of VR development tools. They allow the real-time rendering of visuals in the graphics used to display virtual reality to the users. These software tools have the capability to initiate high-fidelity real-time graphics, and artistic tools and graphics. They have the compatibility with all popular VR platforms like Oculus, Sony, etc.
Metaverse Ecosystem
The Metaverse ecosystem is basically a self imaginary experience for the users which allows them to interact with two people using the metaverse technology. The metaverse ecosystem basically deals with the creation of online virtual reality rooms where the users will share their thoughts and ideas and communicate with each other on the metaverse in virtual reality. For example – Roblox allows its users to create online rooms while playing games for interaction with the users within the Roblox ecosystem of the game. This creates an immersive ecosystem for the users to pursue and create the characters and stories for the interaction between the users and their avatars.
What’s the Metaverse Like Right Now?
- Metaverse is yet incomplete and it is just a buzz for the future of living in virtual reality.
- Various companies like Meta and Microsoft have claimed that it may take 5-10 years for the development of the Metaverse with the advanced features for the users.
- Metaverse requires high-level data transfer speeds and those AR/VR devices infrastructure that have high-performance efficiency in order to deal with the massive size of virtual reality software. Till now, 5G has not been launched in most countries and most people don’t have access to VR devices.
- Currently, Metaverse is not fully prepared for the users, but they are some fields where Metaverse has taken the lead.
- In the gaming industry, many multiplayer games have taken the lead in the Metaverse like Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite as well. Games in the Metaverse enable to create a personalized avatar for each user and make them fight with other users’ avatars in virtual reality.
- Many businesses are approaching hosting online 3D virtual events for games, music concerts, and conferences. Companies like Roblox, Epic Games, and Unity have hosted music 3D virtual events in their games and also created live costumes for their avatars and live sports tools virtually.
- Meta and Microsoft are working together on the Metaverse to bring social media and their customers to experience virtual reality and interact with it.
When Can We Expect to See It?
Metaverse already exists in apps and games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite for the avatar creation of the characters by the users. But this level of Metaverse is currently only introductory so it will require most probably 5-10 years to set up completely before the entire technology evolves to its next level. Also, the recent Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard indicates that now more and more game companies are focusing their products in the metaverse so that they can maintain a streaming source of revenue from them. The metaverse is not ready yet and it is in its beginning stage, so the metaverse will basically change how we connect, interact, work, and play. However, it will take us a few years to gain expertise and experience in the use of metaverse in our daily lives.
Applications of Metaverse
- Virtual Reality: Virtual Reality is the main backbone of the Metaverse. Metaverse enables the users to interact, socialize and collaborate with each other using 3D virtual reality. The users can interact and play with each in the digital world by attending music concerts and conferences, playing football virtually, and even more. Anything that we can do in real life is possible in the Metaverse using virtual reality.
- Video Games: Multiplayer battle royale games like Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite have brought new features into the gameplay that make it more immersive than ever before. Users can customize their avatars by making virtual items and then fight with other people in the game in the 3D surroundings using the Metaverse.
- Events: Due to Covid, people have now chosen to attend music and launch events virtually instead of risking their health. Music events, cultural events, and other technical events can be conducted on the Metaverse just like what happens in the real life. People can socialize and interact within the 3D space of the event.
- Buy and Sell: Metaverse enables users to buy and sell interactive virtual things online. People can now buy and sell virtual fungible tokens like NFTs and also try new items. We can try new clothes on our avatars using Metaverse just like what happens in the real life.
- Enhanced Social Media Experience: Now social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter will become more and more immersive as the metaverse arrives because the users will have the ability to enjoy the content now in virtual reality using 3D images.
- Online Education: Now the students can create their own customized avatars in online classes and now they can understand the topics taught in the online classes using the immersive learning experience with the help of the use of virtual reality in teaching the students.
Real-Life Examples
- Fortnite Concerts: Users can now enjoy concerts with their friends online through the use of metaverse technology. Fortnite allows its users to hold and attend the various music and culture concerts and events in its game so that the paid users can now attend them with their community of people online to ensure the virtual reality connection through the use of the metaverse technology.
- Virtual Real Estate: We can now use the metaverse technology in order to enable the purchase and sale of virtual real estate through the use of cryptocurrencies. Virtual real estate is an important source of investments for an upcoming investor because more and more people are getting interested in the metaverse and NFTs.
- Ready Player One: This film uses metaverse technology to showcase to the users the true capacity of the metaverse technology. The touch-sensitive gloves and virtual reality headset used in the film give us a slight glimpse into what the future of the Metaverse looks like.
- Second Life: Second Life is one of the examples of a gaming metaverse, where the users have the ability to create their own digital avatars and characters to host their online open gaming world with the help of metaverse technology.
- The Sandbox: The Sandbox is basically a virtual reality metaverse that allows users to experience, explore and play in a three-dimensional world. It also allows players to create their own digital avatars and characters to host their online open gaming world with the help of metaverse technology. Users can also buy some NFTs for the in-game purchases for customizing their characters.
- Decentraland: A piece of virtual real estate property on Decentraland was auctioned off for a price of $2.4 million. Decentraland is one of the best metaverse examples to acknowledge the true potential of metaverse technology.
- Illuvium: It is an open-world role-based game that uses the Ethereum cryptocurrency-based Blockchain network and it is expected to be released in 2022. Here, the users search for the collecting NFTs, which represent each Illuvial.
Metaverse and the Challenges Ahead
- Privacy: The Internet is not safe nowadays because most companies are misusing their user’s information for targeting them with misleading ads. Hence, it is a big concern that these companies will use the Metaverse as an opportunity to earn more money as they could get a lot of information about the users which was not available before.
- Discrimination: Metaverse will create more discrimination and prejudice in society as only a few people will be able to access it due to a lack of resources and money.
- Women and Child Safety: Metaverse has caused huge damage to women and child safety issues in the past. Incidents have reported severe crimes against women and children in the Metaverse 3D virtual world. It is one of the most affecting concerns about the Metaverse.
- User Addiction: People are more addicted to social media life. No one wants to live in real life and enjoy the people in personal relationships but people love to interact with each other online virtually. Metaverse will further degrade this and lead to more user addiction in the society with irresponsible lifestyle.
- Law and Jurisdiction: Metaverse currently doesn’t have any laws, rules, or jurisdictions enforced on it. When so many people will use the Metaverse, then there are high chances that crime will exist in the Metaverse and hence there aren’t currently any laws that deal with the law and justice in the Metaverse.
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