Metaverse fever spurs competition to develop headsets among major tech companies
Metaverse fever spurs competition to develop headsets among major tech companies
By uavtechnology
08 Mar 23
Ihor Bulyhin / Shutterstock.com
Facebook promoted Metaverse to the world by changing its name to "Meta" and airing commercials featuring comical VR (virtual reality) characters. What happened was what could be called a “modern gold rush.” Game makers and others have been using VR and AR (augmented reality) for a long time, but Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that the metaverse is the future, and it will grow into a tremendously large industry in the future. Companies are rushing to make inroads into this potential field. Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta are each in a fierce race to make their VR/AR headsets affordable and popular with consumers. However, it may be possible to participate in and enjoy the Metaverse without using head-mounted devices such as eyeglasses. When it comes to the Metaverse, some might think Zuckerberg and Meta own their own virtual reality, but that's not the case. The Metaverse is as wide open as the Internet. Some entrepreneurs are already bold enough to build or buy real estate in the metaverse. Andrew Kiegal, CEO of Canadian company Tokens.com, has purchased virtual real estate worth around $2.5 million on the 3D world platform Decentraland. Purchases on Decentraland are made using tokens from the blockchain Ethereum. Sebastian Borje, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox, which operates a Metaverse where you can play games in virtual space and trade the items and facilities you create, said that Decentraland is a “digital nation.” ', he says. The Sandbox recently raised $93 million in a funding round led by SoftBank Group's Vision Fund 2. Big techs are also preparing headsets and other equipment so that they can fully experience the world of the Metaverse. Meta's Oculus Quest 2 is one of the most affordable VR headsets in the $300-$400 range, and it works well.