Let’s talk about the onslaught of metaverse hot takes from this week. As soon as Mark Zuckerberg’s statement left his lips, the internet reeled under the weight of half-knowledgable pundits that spewed views on its future. Every immersive term and phrase fell under the planet-wide umbrella of ‘the metaverse,’ prompting nonsense over sense as people scrambled for quick-fire internet points. And as the week closed, and millions of laptop lids shut for the weekend, many took a sigh of fresh air and wondered, ‘now what?’

The hype will wither to a cooler stance soon. We’re seeing the baying waves of discussions, as people reel to and fro between discussions and formulate what the metaverse actually is. The key thing to remember is that a lot of the hard work has already been done, and there is already a wealth of information to learn more about the topic. Everyone has come across Matthew Ball, but I highly recommend browsing this depository of articles and learn more than you can ever think about the topic. 

What I hope is that the content will eke its way across the ‘net, and the industry finds its shape. We’re all in the early days, and what we see is the formless future. Think of it as speculating on a TV show that has been commissioned to release in ten years’ time; sure, we know some bits and bobs, but who knows what the final product will look like. 

The most important thing to remember is that no one knows what the metaverse will look like. Most established professionals agree that we don’t know entirely what the first version of the metaverse will look like, but there is general consensus on what principles will underline its future. The difference is that some principles will be more valued than others; on my side I hope for interoperability, perhaps over an OpenXR standard. 

The nice thing about being at the beginning of a new industry is that we have the power to shape it as we like. I don’t want to sound like an anime protagonist, but the future is truly ours for the taking. And the next right step is to ensure we cut the bull, share good-quality information, and see where the train ride goes. On my side, I want to distinguish between multiple micro-metaverses, and the larger macro-metaverse that many people talk about. Full piece here, if you are curious. 

The Immersive Wire is a twice-weekly newsletter that covers and analyses the latest VR and AR trends. Subscribers receive a digest on Wednesdays, and a longer read on Sundays. 

Read by over 3,400 VR/AR professionals each week.

The post Separating sense from nonsense regarding metaverse discussions appeared first on Virtual Perceptions.