Into the Metaverse

[Moriarte]

Popularised by Snow Crash, a 1992 sci-fi novel by Neal Stephenson, the metaverse refers to a collection of shared online worlds in which physical, augmented, and virtual reality converge. People can hang out with friends, work, visit places, buy goods and services, and attend events. (c) India Times

The Metaverse could ultimately become a multi-trillion dollars market as it transforms our lives. The Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF META provides exposure to globally listed companies who are actively involved in the Metaverse. NVIDIA, Microsoft, Roblox and Tencent are its top holdings currently. (c) NASDAQ

"I believe we're right on the cusp of it. [...] There will be many types of metaverses, and video games are one of them, for example. [...] We'll see this overlay, a metaverse overlay if you will, into our physical world." - on when and how a metaverse will become real. (c) Jensen Huang, CEO Nvidia

“It’s a virtual environment where you can be present with people in digital spaces. You can kind of think about this as an embodied internet that you’re inside of rather than just looking at. We believe that this is going to be the successor to the mobile internet." He then declared Facebook not to be a social network, but “a metaverse company". (c) Mark Zukerberg, CEO Facebook

If you want a further look at the scope of application I suggest this short article:

https://www.wundermanthompson.com/insight/building-the-metaverse

There you have it. Pillars of technological community are conspiring to sell us the new version of connected world, this time with augmented and virtual realities and no doubt utilising the metaverse money - bitcoin, ethereum, etc. Much like the famous authors of old predicted, some of us (the successful and prosperous ones!) are going to live it out in virtual worlds.

Hyped much?

 

[warpus]

They are really going to have to improve VR tech for any of this to be appealing to the average person. The last time I played VR games I got sweaty like a half an hour into the session and had to take the headset off for a bit and regroup. The graphics were also not 100% convincing, as they are a lot worse than what you get in your average desktop (nonVR) game. The cables getting in the way is annoying too. Don't get me wrong, it's fun times, but it just seems like we're nowhere near "plugging in" to some sort of a virtual world for long periods of time.

Why can't we spend USD in the metaverse, btw?

 

[Broken_Erika]

The question is how long until we get holodecks?

 

[Moriarte]

Why can't we spend USD in the metaverse, btw?

Nah, USD is for boomers. The cool girls and boys of tomorrow are going to deal in dogecoins.

They are really going to have to improve VR tech for any of this to be appealing to the average person.

Right, I fully agree. Having spent at least a hundred hours in various VR headsets I can confirm that technology is very much in it’s infancy. It is uncomfortable for longer stretches, many people report headaches, nausea and exhaustion. And while unbelievably fun at times, it is very raw. Headsets are getting lighter with every new iteration, some, like Oculus quest are even wireless, but at this point the resolution takes an even bigger hit when it’s wireless. Speaking of resolution. If you’ve ever got accustomed to 2k and 4k monitors, looking through modern VR helmets is a joke. Yes, there is a sense of immersion, like REALLY sitting in the cockpit of MiG-29 or Eliteangerous spaceship, feeling every tilt with your senses, but the graphic processing capabilities just aren’t there yet, unless you have the skills to repurpose a crypto mining farm into the gaming powerhouse.

 

[AmtrakQuebec]

VR goes in cycles... every ten years or so they "think" they are close to getting it right, ever since the first VR headset back in the 60's.

 

[Birdjaguar]

idk, walking around outside, even if it is my own neighborhood, is still pretty nice. If it is someplace exotic and I am with a person I like, well, then that can be extraordinary! No equipment needed.

 

[Gelion]

There you have it. Pillars of technological community are conspiring to sell us the new version of connected world, this time with augmented and virtual realities and no doubt utilising the metaverse money - bitcoin, ethereum, etc. Much like the famous authors of old predicted, some of us (the successful and prosperous ones!) are going to live it out in virtual worlds.

Hyped much?

Buying make-believe experiences with make-believe money? Sounds logical. Unless it is required to turn on my laundry I will pass. If not, I will pay with my Minecraft castles. They got to be worth something, right?

 

[Farm Boy]

The question is how long until we get holodecks?

I want Quark's version, I think. Not Picard's.

 

[EnglishEdward]

I tried that Second Life thingy once

 

[amadeus]

Someone tried to show it to me years ago but I thought it looked like SimCopter.

 

[Broken_Erika]

bah! get a sega genesis VR headset!

 

[Moriarte]

idk, walking around outside, even if it is my own neighborhood, is still pretty nice. If it is someplace exotic and I am with a person I like, well, then that can be extraordinary! No equipment needed.

Well, you’ve probably been to more than a few places and watched some glorious sunsets, but consider this: one can visit the Sistine Chapel in VR in the middle of a pandemic. Or a virtual concert of their favourite rock star along with millions fellow fans. One may even become the closest they can to a combat pilot, while living in some slums on the outskirts of town N. That too can be extraordinary, just needs some equipment. And it’s a cheaper form of entertainment than visiting exotic places. Not that I have anything against visiting exotic places, the point is - at some stage this form of digital entertainment is going to become irresistible to many young people.

 

[amadeus]

At some point for me, there’s a greatly diminishing return. I’d rather continue on with looking at an abstraction—a book, or a picture, or hear a sound. Pretending I’m there, it gives me an unsettling feeling that I’m already not here.

I’m already an abstraction.
I’m already VR.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Well, you’ve probably been to more than a few places and watched some glorious sunsets, but consider this: one can visit the Sistine Chapel in VR in the middle of a pandemic. Or a virtual concert of their favourite rock star along with millions fellow fans. One may even become the closest they can to a combat pilot, while living in some slums on the outskirts of town N. That too can be extraordinary, just needs some equipment. And it’s a cheaper form of entertainment than visiting exotic places. Not that I have anything against visiting exotic places, the point is - at some stage this form of digital entertainment is going to become irresistible to many young people.

For those not millennials, we have lived most of our lives in an analog world and have built our lives mostly around that. For those under their early 40s, digital stuff is much more real and important. It is your future more than mine. At some point VR will seem real and worthy of replacing the real thing. I expect to miss it, but who knows. The real Sistine chapel from the floor vs 4k digital video vs today's state of the art VR? There are choices.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I want Quark's version, I think. Not Picard's.

The only reason you won't find Quark's programs on the Enterprise is because 24th-century Starfleet is so morally sanitized. Even on Voyager... yikes. Whoever thought up the Flotter setting for Naomi Wildman has a very childish view of children. Even Miles and Julian were looked down on for their adventure and sports holoprograms, not to mention Tom Paris' holoprograms (I must be the only Star Trek fan on the planet who doesn't mind the Fairhaven episodes).

 

[AdamCrock]

There you have it. Pillars of technological community are conspiring to sell us the new version of connected world, this time with augmented and virtual realities and no doubt utilising the metaverse money - bitcoin, ethereum, etc. Much like the famous authors of old predicted, some of us (the successful and prosperous ones!) are going to live it out in virtual worlds.

Hyped much?

What do I care ? (...) pain, horror and even agony is just data among the senses....