A Metaverse is a network of 4D virtual worlds focused on social connection. In futurism and science fiction, it is often described as a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual and augmented reality headsets. Wikipedia
Metaverse is the next big thing or just hype?
The metaverse is an extension of our reality that allows you to enter a virtual world and experience things that you would not normally have the opportunity to do in real life.
For a starter, you would require a virtual reality (VR) headset to join the metaverse. Good-quality VR headsets are expensive. Sure, they’re still cheaper than buying a smartphone, but given that smartphones are more useful and can be used for a wide range of applications, people would rather buy a phone.
First challenge
One could consider buying a VR headset that allows you to use your phone to join the metaverse, but don’t expect the experience to be as good as getting a dedicated VR headset.
The second challenge is access to the internet
The reason why social media in its current format is popular is that people have access to the internet even in remote areas of the world, but in most places internet is very expensive, and staying in a VR world, walking around, and exploring virtual reality can drain your data.
In most developing countries, many people who use social media rely on internet packages that offer limited internet access. The package can be finished within a day or a week depending on your usage. So, the need to stay connected to the internet to use the metaverse makes it limited to only some people.
Loading 3D animated models with high-resolution textures can drain your data very quickly, so many people would not go for this option.
Limited interactive content
Another challenge is the limited interactive content. If you have used VR before, you’ll notice the lack of content even though VR has been around for over 2 decades. It’s still being developed and has currently a very limited number of games and applications, which doesn’t make the experience very thrilling.
Most of the games and apps that already exist are expensive for regular users, who would join mostly for free content.
The Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenge is achieving realism in the quality of the graphics in the metaverse. In fact, the graphics in the world’s first 3D animated movie, Toy Story, which came out in 1995, still look better than most of the content you see in the metaverse.
Don’t expect to see quality graphics like the ones you saw in Ready Player One, because displaying such graphics requires high processing power that current VR headsets don’t have. Displaying high-quality graphics can also heat the system, forcing the hardware to shut down.
Reality is important
Finally, the vast majority of us enjoy interacting with one another in person. It is what distinguishes us as humans. Sure, you might enjoy being in the metaverse for a while, but human connection and interaction with people in the real world are still important; otherwise, the world will be very dystopian.
Our reality needs people to function properly, so if everyone stops experiencing real life and replaces it with a virtual one, expect the collapse of society.
Final Thoughts
We all love technology, and I don’t see the metaverse becoming a worldwide phenomenon anytime soon, but I could be wrong. So, how about you? Are you excited about the metaverse? If so, how many hours would you spend there and what would you like to see? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
