Known as the biggest upcoming revolution in the world of technology, Metaverse is the future we all are waiting for! Metaverse is a term coined by Neal Stephenson and used to describe a virtual reality (VR) environment in his 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash. The word “metaverse” combines the prefixes “meta” and “universe,” indicating a layer of reality beyond physical reality. It is a blockchain-based virtual reality platform that integrates digital and real life spaces. The goal is to bridge the gap between online and offline worlds, making social interactions more meaningful. But there are still many questions which arise as to what all will be the characteristics of the metaverse?
Thus, to answer such questions we have curated a list of 10 Things You Need To Know About Metaverse. So, let’s get started!
Please watch the video till the end to make the most of it.
10Explored via Everyday Technology
One of the most important characteristics of a metaverse is that it can be explored via everyday technology. You could explore it using a computer, gaming console, mobile, wearable technology or other device, experiencing 3D graphics and sound along the way. The idea is that this makes you feel more present in the metaverse, and presumably less present in the everyday physical world.
9Mirrorworld
The term-mirrorworld was first popularized by Yale computer scientist David Gelernter. A mirrorworld is a digitally rendered version of the real world where there are virtual counterparts of real-life people, places, and things. According to Kevin Kelly, you can interact with it, manipulate it, and experience it like we do the real world. You will also be able to search physical space as we might search a text — “find me all the places where a park bench faces sunrise along a river.” You can hyperlink objects into a network of the physical, just as the web hyperlinked words, producing marvelous benefits and new products. Mirrorworlds are often found in sci-fi, including Netflix’s Stranger Things, The Matrix film series, the novel and film Ready Player One. will reflect not just what something looks like but its context, meaning, and function. The metaverse is a mirrorworld designed to precisely reflect the physical world, or resemble an entirely invented world one might encounter in a video game.
8Skeuomorphic design
Next characteristic of the metaverse is that it possesses a skeuomorphic design. The term skeuomorphic essentially means that virtual objects are made to closely resemble real-world ones. Virtual things ought to be related to physical things. This solves most basic questions we humans need for orientation, expectation of behavior and feel of materials, and structural concepts of balance and stability. A pillar in Metaverse is certainly not necessary, but from the experience standpoint, it might provide a sense of stability and safety by analogy with real circumstances. Skeuomorphism will be a powerful tool to make people adapt and feel at home to the metaverse. The metaverse resembles the physical world, in that it will often appear tethered to the physics and designs of our reality, but it doesn’t have to be identical to it.
7Uses Digital Twin Technology
A digital twin is a virtual version of a real-life object or structure. The term was first introduced in the 1991 book Mirror Worlds by David Gelernter, digital twin technology was first used by NASA (PDF) to run simulations of space capsules in 2010. It means a digital portrayal of objects, services, and processes we have in the real world. It may have buildings, wind turbines, locomotive engines, Healthcare services, etc. In simple terms, one can perceive it as a computer program employing real-world data to produce simulations. The generated output would predict the performance of a particular product or process. Microsoft, in particular, has emphasized the need for digital twin technology in building the metaverse.
6Available all the time
This means the virtual world is available whenever you want to visit it. You can change it by adding new virtual buildings or other objects and importantly, the changes remain in place next time you visit. You might be able to take up residence and own a bit of it. The metaverse will rely on your user-generated content – your digital creations and personal stories – in the same way social media does today.
5Consists of Avatars
An avatar is your persona in a virtual world. This digital rendering of your appearance may look like you, resemble a cartoon (as popularized by Snapchat’s Bitmoji and Apple’s Memoji), or appear as fantastical as Fortnite’s “skins.” Individuals exposed to the world of gaming know this fancy term of portraying one’s identity in the real world. Metaverse will hold a similar context to the avatars. It can be taken as a digital resemblance of one’s appearance, expression, and emotions that uniquely identifies the person. Microsoft has taken a step forward towards a metaverse environment by introducing 3D avatars. These animated versions can depict people in 2d and 3d meetings. So, you can use them behind your voice if you can’t or don’t want to turn your webcam for a meeting. Interesting right?!
4Buying and selling of things
Not only property, but you can also own and retain assets that will have value in the real world. There is a specific type of metaverse which uses what is known as a blockchain technology. Blockchain is most simply defined as a decentralized, distributed ledger technology that records the provenance of a digital asset. In simpler words, users can buy virtual land and other digital assets using cryptocurrencies, and those purchases would be recorded.
3Mixed Reality
The metaverse is a coming together of a number of technologies to produce a vast, rich, 3D environment. Technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and voice interfaces will enable humans to explore this new medium together. The goal is to create a “virtual universe” where users can sign up and live their own personalized virtual life according to their own tastes and needs. Rather than existing as just another “social network,” Metaverse seeks to provide an open source infrastructure which users can customize and develop according to their individual needs.
2Immersive
The metaverse includes all the virtual spaces that people can access through digital technology. The immersive metaverse specifically involves the metaverse that provides users with immersive experience. It’s an entire universe that extends into the virtual world and also to other humans in our physical reality. It currently includes both virtual and augmented reality. Within the metaverse you can create images, text, and audio. It is not limited by physical boundaries. It is a type of parallel universe where people are able to meet each other through avatars or virtual characters. It also has the ability to make records of what happens in this parallel universe which can be accessed at any time in the future.
1Indefinite
The topmost characteristic of a metaverse is that it is indefinite. This is what sets it apart from a virtual world or reality. It is a living experience that exists consistently for everyone and in real-time. The metaverse is also expected to be its own, fully functioning economy and would be open to all. The metaverse, much like the universe, is an indefinite domain of continuously growing shared spaces. Objects will transfer seamlessly between environments through augmented reality. Your digital self will remain congruent across the boundaries we set on the current version of the internet as if your LinkedIn profile served as an identical form of identification to your driver’s license.
Hope you enjoyed our list of 10 Things You Need To Know About Metaverse. Tell us in the comment whether you found this video useful and do not forget to give this video a big thumbs up!