You may have just heard that the metaverse will usher in a new era of digital connection, virtual reality, and e-commerce.
Tech companies are placing large wagers on it: Microsoft’s significant acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion indicated its intention to strengthen its position in the interactive entertainment industry.
Before this, Facebook’s parent business was renamed Meta, a significant component of founder Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plans to redefine the social media platform as “a metaverse corporation, forging the future of social interaction.”
Nike has filed new trademarks to sell virtual Air Jordans, while Walmart is ready to provide virtual products in its online stores using its cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
As a professor of journalism who has researched the future of immersive media, I concur that the metaverse offers revolutionary prospects. I also see intrinsic obstacles on its path to widespread acceptance. What is the metaverse, and why is it touted as a game-changing innovation?
Getting into the metaverse
The metaverse is “a network of 3D virtual worlds that are interconnected.” Users traverse the metaverse utilizing their eye movements, feedback controls, or vocal instructions while wearing a virtual reality headset to access these worlds. The headset immerses the user, creating what is known as presence, which is achieved by producing the physical feeling of being physically there.
To observe the metaverse in action, we might examine famous massively multiplayer virtual reality games such as Rec Room or Horizon Worlds. Players utilize avatars to interact with one another and change their surroundings.
However, the applications extend well beyond games. Leading sports organizations, such as Manchester City, are constructing virtual stadiums so that supporters can watch games and, presumably, purchase virtual goods. Musicians and entertainment companies are experimenting with metaverse performances.
Online education and government services will likely offer the most far-reaching prospects for the metaverse.
This is the typical image of the metaverse: a VR-based world distinct from our physical one. Individuals may engage in a seemingly infinite variety of virtual activities, all supported by its digital economy.
Beyond virtual reality
However, obstacles must be surmounted before the metaverse may attain widespread worldwide acceptance. And a significant barrier is the “virtual” portion of this cosmos.
While VR is a significant component in the recipe for the metaverse, access to the metaverse is not (and should not be) restricted to VR headsets. In a way, anybody with a computer or smartphone may participate in a metaverse experience, such as Second Life. In light of VR’s ongoing struggle to establish market acceptance, providing broad accessibility is essential for the metaverse to function.
In a short amount of time, the VR market has witnessed tremendous breakthroughs. A few years ago, anyone interested in virtual reality at home had to pick between costly computer-based systems that required the user to be connected or inexpensive but severely restricted smartphone-based headgear.
Now, inexpensive, ultra-high-quality, wireless, portable headsets such as Meta’s Quest series, which has swiftly become the industry leader in home VR, are available. The visuals are exceptional, the content library is more extensive than ever before, and the gadget is less expensive than most video game consoles. So why are there so few VR users?
On the one hand, global sales of VR headsets have been increasing, with 2021 being a banner year for headset producers, who saw their highest sales since 2016’s flurry of major brand VR gadget introductions. However, they only sold around 11 million units globally.
According to estimates, it can be challenging to get people to utilize their gadgets, as just 28 percent of VR headset owners use them every day. Numerous opponents of technology have noted that the long-promised VR popular revolution has mostly failed to materialize.
Virtual movement, real pain
Numerous issues, including lost marketing opportunities and manufacturing hurdles, have contributed to VR’s lack of widespread adoption. However, VR is feasible to be intrinsically undesirable to a substantial proportion of individuals, especially for frequent usage.
Despite significant advances in screen technology, many virtual reality (VR) equipment users experience “cybersickness” — a sense of nausea similar to motion sickness.
According to studies, as long as VR demands the usage of huge headsets, physical pain in the neck may continue to be a concern. In addition, research indicates that women feel significantly higher degrees of discomfort because the headset’s fit is tailored for men.
In addition to the physical difficulties of using VR, it is also isolating: “Once you put on the headset, you are disconnected from the world around you,” explains digital technology professor and researcher Ramona Pringle.
Undoubtedly, some are driven to VR to enjoy enhanced escapism or interact digitally with others. However, this detachment to the actual world and the unpleasant sensation of isolation from people may be a significant obstacle in convincing people to voluntarily wear a headset for hours.
There are fantastic, mediated worlds everywhere.
Augmented reality (AR) experiences may be the key to unlocking the metaverse’s full potential. AR enables users to interact with a virtual environment while maintaining a sense of presence in the real world by using their smartphone (or another device) to augment their perception of the physical world in real-time.
A metaverse centered on augmented reality would not be a whole new digital universe; it would overlap with our actual one. This form of the metaverse may genuinely have the power to alter our way of life.
For our metaverse developers at New York Software Developers, the Metaverse, cyrpto and NFTs are a way of life. Contact us today to discuss your next metaverse development.
