The term “Metaverse” has been used to describe a virtual world composed of VR and AR to form an alternative universe, as we have discussed in previous articles devoted to the Metaverse. Metaverse is “an even more immersive and embodied internet,” as Facebook (now Meta) CEO Mark Zuckerberg put it.
Imagine yourself in your living room, donning your headset or goggles, and entering the virtual world. You can transport your virtual self into a 3D environment by simply toggling a switch and begin exploring it. At that time, you can communicate with other people utilizing the same technology.
Now, as long as these stories are plausible in the real world, the simplest way to define the Metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds that coexists with the real world.
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Why is the Metaverse Important?
When Facebook revealed in October 2021 that it would change its name to Meta and invest at least $10 billion in the concept, “Metaverse” instantly became a household word. Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Qualcomm are all investing billions of dollars into the idea alongside Meta. McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, has confidently predicted that the metaverse economy could be worth $5 trillion by 2030. However, other industries like gaming, entertainment, education, and Metaverse marketing are poised to become just as vital as e-commerce.
The term has been adopted by businesses to describe a wide range of web-based services that offer users a better experience. For example, virtual dressing rooms, virtual operating rooms, online video games like Fortnite, and emerging virtual workplaces like Microsoft’s Mesh or Meta’s Horizon Workspace. As companies jostle for position, the current iteration of the Metaverse is evolving into a multiverse characterized by a proliferation of metaverses with limited interoperability.
Some pushback has resulted from people needing to be more optimistic about the Metaverse and deeply uncertain about its eventual trajectory. Experts in the field are still determining if the Metaverse will drastically differ from our digital experiences or if the general public is willing to spend hours each day wearing a headset and exploring a virtual world.
However, others in the future studies community argue that even though the Metaverse is still in its infancy and there are significant technical barriers to overcome, the Metaverse will eventually come to fruition. It will come in with a roar and a clap of thunder.
According to Dave Wright, chief innovation officer of IT provider ServiceNow, quoted in TechTarget’s “History of the metaverse explained,” “it is clear that it is one of the most highly anticipated technology evolutions of the coming decade.”
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How Do You Get Into The Metaverse?
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) are two technologies that have been deemed crucial to the expansion and improvement of the Metaverse.
“Virtual reality” uses computer-generated imagery to create an immersive, realistic experience. Virtual reality (VR) headsets are now the norm for experiencing this facsimile of reality. For a more realistic experience in a virtual setting, haptic devices like gloves, vests, and even full-body tracking suits can be used.
When compared with virtual reality, augmented reality provides a shallower experience. With the help of a lens, it superimposes digital information on top of the physical world. Users are not prevented from interacting with the physical world. The augmented reality game Pokémon Go was an early adopter. Common examples of augmented reality in consumer products include Google Glass and car windscreen displays.
Gaming platforms like Roblox, Decentraland, and Minecraft offer metaverse-like experiences currently accessible via a web browser or mobile app and a reasonably fast internet connection.
The Requirement for Computation in the Metaverse
It will necessitate additional services and a reliable and low-latency communication system in the Metaverse. Extensive computing in the Metaverse will be necessary to provide the Metaverse’s resource-intensive services.
In the Metaverse, there are three main services that have significant computing requirements. These are enumerated and defined in greater depth below.
- Physics Calculation
- Rendering
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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How Do You Need to Prepare for Metaverse Exploration?
As a result of Metaverse’s expected high computational power, you may find yourself shoving your laptop or desktop under the shelves. There’s no way around needing a supercomputer for this. The performance of a supercomputer is much higher than that of any commercially available computer at present. Instead of measuring processing speed in Gigahertz (GHz), the Metaverse will start using FLOPS (floating-point operations per second), the standard unit for supercomputers.
What is a Supercomputer?
As its name implies, a supercomputer is an extremely powerful computer. This performance, which is orders of magnitude better than any consumer laptop or desktop PC on the market, can be used in several ways, including the processing of massive data sets and the inference of important insights. These machines can perform extremely complex computations because they are composed of many individual computers working in parallel.
The term “floating point operations per second” (FLOPS) is commonly used when discussing the processing power of modern supercomputers. High-end processors are often measured in FLOPS.
Put, floating-point numbers—including extremely long ones—have decimal places. FLOPS is a useful unit of measurement for computing tasks that require processing large amounts of data or performing complex calculations. That’s how it reveals how well a computer will do with those tricky calculations.
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What Are the VR/AR Hardware Requirements for the Metaverse?
A VR or AR headset is required to enter metaverse platforms. Despite their differences in capabilities and hardware, all headsets feature displays for both eyes and the ability to connect to your computer via a cable or wirelessly. You’ll also need a reliable internet connection if you want a pleasant time in the Metaverse.
In 2023, metaverse-style graphics should be within the capabilities of even the most basic VR/AR headsets. With the release of the Metaverse, one billion users is an early target for Meta. They need to provide the appropriate settings for this to happen. Images and demonstrations of metaverse-like environments today typically feature simplistic, cartoonish layouts and avatars that demand less computing power to render.
Innovative AR/VR Systems
Existing technology may consist of a bulky head-mounted display connected to a computer using a lengthy cable (in most cases). However, the Meta Quest and its Air Link technology show that the wireless future of headset connectivity is already here. In addition, parts and designs are getting smaller, sleeker, and more refined over time, which means the same visual effects can be achieved from a closer distance. This points to a future where more people will be interested in using AR/VR technology.
We anticipate that Meta will soon release the Meta Quest 3, a low-cost virtual reality offering. Like the Meta Quest Pro, but cheaper, a slimmer profile and lower cost are to be expected. Apple is rumored to be releasing its own VR headset, but little is known about it. The estimated $2,000 puts it out of reach for most people, but we can only know once the final product is revealed.
Future That’s Not So Distant
Humanity cannot afford to wait any longer. The first tentative steps into this promising cyberspace have been taken. For instance, work is progressing on the artificial intelligence (AI) research supercluster (RSC) supercomputer that will power Meta. The RSC supercomputer will expedite artificial intelligence research to create the Metaverse. To be more precise, RSC will be used to develop cutting-edge AI models that will make it possible for hundreds of languages to create innovative forms of augmented reality.
Metaverse promises a new era of utopian convergence technology, but before we can fully embrace it, we must reevaluate the ethical implications of adopting it and similar technologies.
Also Read: Is Google building a Metaverse?
Use Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Computing to Get Ahead of the Curve
The advent of the Metaverse will drastically alter our conventional methods of interacting with and using computers. While the specifics of a metaverse-filled world remain unknown, we can be confident that developments in virtual reality and augmented reality hardware will track closely with the introduction of virtual world environments.