Meta verse

The term "metaverse" has its origins in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash as a portmanteau of "meta" and "universe." Various metaverses have been developed for popular use such as virtual world platforms like Second Life.[5] Some metaverse iterations involve integration between virtual and physical spaces and virtual economies,[1] often including a significant interest in advancing virtual reality technology.[6][7][8]

The term has seen considerable use as a buzzword[4][9] for public relations purposes to exaggerate development progress for various related technologies and projects.[10] Information privacy, user addiction, and user safety are some of the concerns within metaverses, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.[11][4][12]

Several components of metaverse technologies have already been developed within modern internet-enabled video games.[5] The 2003 virtual world platform Second Life is often described as the first metaverse,[13][14] as it incorporated many aspects of social media into a persistent three-dimensional world with the user represented as an avatar. Social functions are often an integral feature in many massively multiplayer online games. Technology journalist Clive Thompson has argued that the emergent, social-based gameplay of Minecraft represents an advanced analog of a metaverse.[15] Similar statements were made for the game Roblox,[16][17][18] which has since employed significant usage of the term in marketing.[19] Other claims of developing a metaverse include the games Active Worlds,[20] The Palace, and Fortnite.[21]

In 2019, the social network company Facebook launched a social VR world called Facebook Horizon.[22] In 2021, Facebook was renamed "Meta Platforms" and its chairman Mark Zuckerberg[23] declared a company commitment to developing a metaverse.[24] Many of the virtual reality technologies advertised by Meta Platforms remains to be developed.[25][26][27] Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen criticised the move, adding that Meta Platforms' continued focus on growth-oriented projects is largely done to the detriment of ensuring safety on their platforms.[28] Meta Platforms has also faced user safety criticism regarding Horizon Worlds due to the occurrence of sexual harassment on the platform.[29][30]

Microsoft acquired the VR company AltspaceVR in 2017,[31] and has since implemented metaverse features such as virtual avatars and meetings held in virtual reality into Microsoft Teams.[32][33]

Proposed applications for metaverse technology include improving work productivity,[34][35] interactive learning environments,[11] e-commerce,[11] real estate[11] and fashion.[36]

Access points for metaverses include general-purpose computers and smartphones, in addition to augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, virtual reality (VR), and virtual world technologies.[7]

Dependence on VR technology has limited metaverse development and wide-scale adoption.[7] Limitations of portable hardware and the need to balance cost and design has caused a lack of high-quality graphics and mobility. Lightweight wireless headsets have struggled to achieve retina display pixel density needed for visual immersion,[37] while higher-performance models are wired and often bulky. Another issue for wide-scale adoption of the technology is cost, with consumer VR headsets ranging in price from $300 to $1,100 as of 2021.[6]

Current hardware development is focused on overcoming limitations of VR headsets, sensors, and increasing immersion with haptic technology.[38]

There has been no wide-scale adoption of a standardised technical specification for metaverse implementations, and existing implementations rely primarily on proprietary technology. Interoperability is a major concern in metaverse development, stemming from concerns about transparency and privacy.[39] There have been several virtual environment standardisation projects.[40][41][42][43]

In a January 2022 interview with Wired, Second Life creator Philip Rosedale described metaverses as a three-dimensional Internet that is populated with live people.[44]

Universal Scene Description is a specification for 3D computer graphics interchange created by Pixar and supported by Blender, Apple's Scenekit and Autodesk 3ds Max. The technology company NVIDIA announced in 2021 they would adopt USD for their metaverse development tools.[45]

OpenXR is an open standard for access to virtual and augmented reality devices and experiences. It has been adopted by Microsoft for HoloLens 2,[46] Meta Platforms for the Oculus Quest,[47] and Valve for SteamVR.[48]