Without any doubt, the “Metaverse” can be termed as the hottest word of the decade. It has instantly become a subject that is as controversial and as exciting at the same time. Companies like Meta and Microsoft have started to invest huge amounts of money and resources to become the leading players in the industry. They believe that the Metaverse will completely replace the internet in the future. Facebook even changed its name to “Meta” indicating its commitment to the Metaverse and is being considered as the pioneer of the technology.
According to the statement by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, “Metaverse is essentially about creating games. It is about being able to put people, places, things [in] a physics engine and then having all the people, places, things in the physics engine relate to each other. You and I will be sitting on a conference room table soon with either our avatars or our holograms or even 2D surfaces with surround audio.”
What is the Metaverse technology?
The idea behind Metaverse is to create a space where virtual stimulation is created for the user that feels exactly like the real world. Companies have been making substantial efforts to make the imagined world feel even more real. The Metaverse depends on physical and audio mediums that create a desired stimulation for the user. Example – Virtual Reality Headsets.
What is the next step?
With the integration of mixed reality tech, a person can use real-world objects to trigger virtual world reactions. According to Meta, technology that merges the virtual and physical worlds will soon be a reality. Its virtual reality headset Oculus provides the user with a virtual experience that is enhanced by the real-world sense and touch.
Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, which was introduced in 2019, is still not designed to suit the general audience and is more suitable for a professional workplace. Though the big players of the industry believe that Metaverse will completely replace the internet in a few years, experts believe that currently it looks more like an advertisement gimmick and needs more research and development.