What is Metaverse and How to Access it in 2022
Are you still confused about what exactly is the metaverse? Don’t worry. We’re sure you are not alone.
Since Facebook first talked about it in October 2021 and announced it was rebranding its mother company to Meta in a push to focus its attention on the metaverse, metaverse remains a vague and complex term to this day. There is no 1 clear definition of it yet, just like when the internet first came out and no one had a full grasp of what this new technology can do and how it would change the world.
Nevertheless, a lot of big tech companies are talking about it and have started investing billions of dollars in it.
Meta, for instance, has already invested a total of $10 billion into acquiring and developing both hardware and software for the metaverse. Microsoft acquired the video game developer and publisher Activision Blizzard with a $70 billion deal to secure a major spot in the metaverse.
Many more big companies like Roblox, Google, and others also jumped on the bandwagon.
A lot of resources are being put into the metaverse, but one main question remains: What really is the metaverse?
In this article, we will explore the definition of the metaverse and how we can access it.
Table of Contents
What’s the difference between AR and VR?
What is the metaverse
The metaverse that everyone is talking about is like a digital parallel universe to real life. Everything we experience in real life and real-time becomes a fully immersive virtual experience in a digital reality, an experience as engaging as the real thing.
Still unclear? Let’s explore the meaning of the metaverse from different points of view.
CEOs of big tech companies are defining the metaverse as the virtual world that is the next phase of the internet.
Users that have already experienced it are describing it as a virtual world in which a person has a digital version of himself called Avatar. In this world, your avatar can do almost anything you can imagine just like in real life: getting together with friends and family, working, learning, playing, working out, and shopping.
As for its economy, it is digital as well, of course. Metaverse is a decentralized world in which cryptocurrency is exchanged.
From a technical point of view, the metaverse is an immersive digital reality that combines aspects of social media, online gaming, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) to allow users to virtually interact with their environment and each other.
So, to access this new virtual world, you need AR or VR devices.
What’s the difference between AR and VR?
To better make sense of the metaverse and how you can be part of it, you need to have a clear understanding of what VR and AR mean first.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Let’s start with AR. Think of Pokémon GO. It is a great example of augmented reality. AR is a technology that morphs the real world by projecting visual elements, sound, and other sensory input to it through a phone’s camera or video viewer. It is a virtual addition to the real world that aims to enhance a user’s real-life experience.
Virtual Reality (VR)
As for VR, it is entirely virtual and enhances fictional realities. 3D game worlds and virtual cities are a form of VR. Virtual reality takes real-life components and produces a similar computer-generated simulation of them.
As we already mentioned, one of the main characteristics of the metaverse is that it is a combination of both AR and VR.
So, to access it, you need VR special equipment such as computers, sensors, VR headsets, and gloves. Or, you can use devices that can get you access to AR such as AR glasses, computers, smartphones, and consoles.
How to access the metaverse
Destination: the metaverse. Means of travel: AR and VR devices. Everything is clear, right? Not so much.
The term “metaverse” that everyone is talking about today is not represented by one space nor owned by one company. We’re talking about a group of tech companies that are morphing their apps into immersive virtual experiences for their users. Each company, therefore, is creating its own metaverse environment. In fact, when you switch apps in the metaverse, your avatar will change form based on the graphics of each app.
So, to enter the metaverse, you have to access one of the metaverse apps. Below, we listed some of the best apps of 2022.
1-Decentraland
Decentraland is one of the biggest metaverse apps today. In this decentralized virtual world, you can create your very own avatar, and you can build, buy, and sell artwork, virtual real estate, as well as NFTs.
Decentraland is easy to access since it’s a browser-based platform. It is the best metaverse platform for virtual land investing. Within this world, land is structured as NFTs and is called LAND.
To buy LAND, you must have a meta mask extension browser installed on your device and then link it to Decentraland.
2-Horizon Worlds
Horizon Worlds is Meta’s official debut in the metaverse. It was launched back in August 2020.
It is a social virtual reality platform built for Oculus, Meta’s VR headsets. In Horizon Worlds, users can interact with each other online in an infinitely customizable space.
Users can visit different locations and participate in social activities with other users, such as meetings, concerts, or stand-up comedy shows.
Aside from socializing, Horizon Worlds gives users the ability to create content. Everything in Horizon Worlds is built within it, from new worlds to objects, sculptures, and sounds. Select creators can also sell their creations inside the app.
3-The Sandbox
The sandbox is a decentralized NFT gaming metaverse, providing a way for users worldwide to express their creativity. In the Sandbox, you can own land, build and play games, and create and monetize digital assets.
‘Voxels’, which are much like the 3D cubes in Minecraft, are used to create in-game structures. Once a structure is made, it can be assembled as an NFT that can be sold to others.
The native cryptocurrency of the Sanbox is called SAND.
4-Roblox
Roblox is an online platform, or rather a game development platform where users can play and create their own games and interact with games created by others.
Accessing the Roblox metaverse does not require any heavy investments in AR and VR technologies. You can access this world through the Roblox mobile app.
In short, the metaverse is an immersive digital reality, where users can fully participate in social activities, all from one place.
For now, it is clear how you can access it: through apps involved in the metaverse. And we can see that the creators of these apps are pouring a lot of money into this new technology, even though it’s still in its early stage.
Can we take this as a sign that the metaverse is the new future?
Not necessarily. The metaverse’s future prospects are still debatable. It still has a lot of obstacles to overcome, from the additional hardware and greater computing power needed to access it to the creation of one avatar for each individual and giving it the ability to move from one place to another (or from one app to another) without changing form, and many more obstacles.
Whether it actually exists yet or not, the metaverse is all the rage these days. It could someday replace the current marketplace and many businesses are already investing in it.
Marketers and advertisers that haven’t already accommodated this new technology should start right away and keep track of the latest market changes. Head to our blog, discover our latest articles, and stay updated on the latest trending topics in the digital world.