Metaverse: Live, Immersive Extended Reality
Metaverse refers to technologies that provide people with experiences to become part of connected digital worlds. A combination of the Greek word meta—which means beyond—and the word universe, it's pretty much an extension of the real world.
Real people use online games and apps to enter and interact with others in these 3D "worlds," where they represent themselves as avatars. The activities in these virtual communities reflect those in the physical world. Players can create items, sell or buy them, and invest and reward others. The Metaverse seamlessly blends games, virtual reality, live-streaming, cryptocurrencies, and social media as players move across an ecosystem of competing products. For instance, a player who acquires a digital art piece from one game, which is developed by a certain company, can use the same item in another game made by a different company.
Unlike more common digital games today, things happen in real-time in the metaverse—no pauses, game overs, or resets. Moreover, fast internet connections and powerful virtual reality headsets provide immersive experiences, including 360-degree views of the digital environment. Haptic gloves and jackets offer a physical sense of touch.
Some tech giants and investors consider the metaverse the next wave in computing technology, which began with mainframes before moving on to personal and mobile computing.
Key Pioneers and Movers in the Metaverse
Even before Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook to Meta in 2021, other companies have been at the forefront of metaverse development. Here are some of the leading pioneers and early movers:
Epic Games
Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite, a multi-player shooting game released in 2017. It has evolved into a digital events place where users can attend dance parties and virtual music concerts.
Epic Games continues to provide end-to-end solutions for both developers and non-creatives to make, distribute, and operate games and other content. Its developers can move across brands and platforms, including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, PC, iOS, and Android.
Microsoft
The leader in work-related software, Microsoft saw the bright prospects of metaverse early on with its 2014 acquisition of Minecraft, created by Stockholm-based Mojang in 2009. Players move in a Lego-like environment, where they "mine and craft" materials into tools they can use to build their own world and defend themselves against monsters. CEO Satya Nadella was vocal about the company's intention to stay ahead of the pack in the metaverse when he announced the 2022 takeover of Activision Blizzard, which is the creator of Call of Duty, Diablo, and Overwatch.
Roblox
Roblox, which initially released its game with the same name on PC in 2006 before becoming available on mobile and Xbox, hosts around 50 million user-created games. The cute and colorful appearance of the mini-games it offers has made Roblox a big hit among kids. "Adopt Me," which simulates caring for pet animals, and "Brookhaven," a role-playing game where players can style their homes and vehicles, are some popular examples.
Developers can sell items (usually accessories for an avatar) while players can buy and resell them. Premium subscribers can convert the digital currency from this game (called Robux) into real money as long as they meet the age criteria (13 years old and up) and have earnings of at least 100,000 Robux in their account.
Players can join forums to meet new friends. They can also invite friends to play a game using Roblox's messaging system.
Nvidia
Nvidia, one of the industry leaders in graphics processing units that power gaming PCs, is also deep into the metaverse. It has been working for years toward the launch of Omniverse™. With its beta version introduced in 2020, this simulation and collaboration platform can create tools with practical uses in the real world, such as 3D avatars with virtual assistant capabilities. Founder and CEO Jensen Huang said Omniverse will be available as an open-source tool to individual creators.
Niantic
Niantic is the software development company best known for making the 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game Pokemon Go. Unlike most metaverse advocates, however, founder and CEO John Hanke believes in bringing people closer to the real world than the other way around. The company conveyed this in its 2021 "Meet You Out There" campaign, emphasizing AR's capability to enhance real-world experiences. Weeks before the campaign, it released the Lightship AR developer kit.
Meanwhile, it expects to fully roll out its bitcoin-collection AR game called Fold, which will be available via app in 2020.
What Do You Need to Play Metaverse Games?
To play the most basic games, you'll need the following:
A reliable internet connection
The faster the speed of your internet package is, the better.
A virtual reality headset
VR gadgets can run into thousands of dollars but you have options—from Google Cardboard (which makes use of your smartphone and a cardboard viewer) to headsets connected to a PC (Valve, Sony, HTC, and HP) or console and wireless units (Oculus Quest).
PC or mobile device
If you won't be using a stand-alone headset, you'll need a PC or smartphone on which to connect your headset.
Blockchain wallet
You'll need a blockchain wallet if you'd like to play metaverse games that involve the use of cryptocurrencies or digital money.