Easy-to-understand explanation of important points and possible changes in the future Metaverse

What is the metaverse definition?

Metaverse is a coined word that combines meta (transcendence) and universe (universe). The Metaverse is a virtual space where you can communicate with other users using avatar characters that represent yourself. In the 1992 sci-fi novel “Snow Crash,” American author Neil Stevenson called the virtual space Metaverse Development Company, where characters interact as avatars, and is said to be the birth of the word.

What is the difference from conventional virtual spaces?

Second Life, which started service in 2003, is known as a pioneer of virtual space. In Second Life, it was possible for users to interact with each other through 3D avatars that became users’ alter ego, and to increase profits through the purchase and sale of various products, services, land, etc. that existed in the virtual space. It attracted attention, but its popularity has greatly stalled since then.

Why Second Life is losing users

The reason why users are leaving is that users need a high-performance PC to enjoy Second Life, and there are many cases where charging is required to do something in the virtual space. In addition to being big, it is said that there were many cases where even if you actually started it, you didn’t know what to do because there was no purpose like an RPG game. In addition, the specifications of Second Life at the time only allowed a maximum of 50 people to enter a single space called a SIM, so interaction with users was not so active, which is said to be one of the reasons why people got tired of it.

Evolution of new visual technology that greatly supports the realization of the Metaverse

However, in the modern age, more than ten years after the start of Second Life services, various new technologies are supporting efforts to realize a more realistic Metaverse. Examples of such technologies are VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality).

For example, in VR, we have created a 360-degree aurora viewing experience with a sense of realism, making it possible to enjoy a new experience of enjoying the aurora viewing in a virtual space together with other users. In addition, such exchanges with other users are not limited to special events such as aurora viewing and sports broadcasts, but in recent years various activities related to daily life and business have been expanding in virtual space, and the Metaverse has become popular.

Background of Metaverse attracting attention

Now let’s explore why the metaverse is getting so much attention. There are three main reasons why the Metaverse is currently attracting worldwide attention.

Background 1: The old Facebook changed its name

The first background is the name change of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), a major technology company that operates Facebook and Instagram. The company announced its name change to Meta Platforms in October 2021, and revealed that it would shift the focus of its business from traditional social media to Metaverse Development solution construction and related services.

The company, which is attracting worldwide attention as a part of GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) or GAFAM (a name that adds Microsoft to GAFA), has abandoned the company name that it has been using since its founding in 2004 to take up the Metaverse market. showing a willingness to go to the market had a big impact on the market.

By combining the latest technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) with the know-how cultivated in the operation of social media so far, the company aims to build a Metaverse as a place to provide new interaction experiences. It has been with.

Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, indicated his intention to invest about $10 billion (about 1.3 trillion yen) in Metaverse-related businesses in 2021 alone at the time of the company name change, but at the moment it is still far from profitable. It has been with.

Background 2: Development of technologies such as VR, AR, and XR

The Metaverse is starting to attract attention as a practical service next, and it can be said that the development of visual and video technologies such as VR, AR, and XR is catching up with the world view of the Metaverse.

Especially in the fields of vision and images, where technology has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, it has become possible to realize one after another what was technically difficult 10 years ago when Second Life was introduced. For example, with current VR technology, not only can you move your avatar, which is your alter ego in a virtual space, on a 2D screen, but by wearing special goggles, you can experience a more realistic 3D experience and gestures and gestures. Communication is becoming possible. The VR-compatible head-mounted display “Meta Quest” (formerly Oculus Quest) series

developed and provided by former Oclulus (currently Meta Quest), a subsidiary of Meta Platforms, has multiple cameras mounted on the front of the product. Hand tracking technology is used to track the movements of a person’s finger joints. With this technology, the movements tracked by the camera can be analyzed in real time by AI, and a 3D model of the hand can be created. It is also possible to reflect In fact, Meta Platforms has already released a metaverse office “ Horizon Workrooms “ in August 2021 that combines the VR compatible head-mounted display “Meta Quest 2” . Horizon Workrooms is characterized by the fact that people can gather and work in the same place in the virtual space by using avatars that can move more like humans.

Notable Trends Driving the Metaverse

Now that we’ve seen the background to the metaverse’s attention, let’s explore the trends driving it. The annual report “ Technology Technology Vision 2022

“, which summarizes the latest trends in technology, announced in March 2022 by major consulting firm Accenture , lists the metaverse as the most important trend of the year. The 2022 edition of the report is rightly titled “Meet Me in the Metaverse” and specifically introduces the following four notable trends that will boost the Metaverse: Source: Accenture, “ Technology Technology Vision 2022 “

1) WebMe

First of all, WebMe can be interpreted to mean something like “me in the metaverse”. In recent years, a new trend called Web3 (Web3.0, distributed Internet), which is called the Metaverse or the next-generation Internet, has emerged in the Internet world. In light of this situation, Accenture points out in the same report that ``the Internet itself is now required to be reconsidered.’’

Furthermore, with the advent of new technologies and services, people’s digital experiences are undergoing major changes, and people are now working in virtual worlds in ways they had never imagined before, for various purposes such as commerce and games. It’s becoming It can be said that WebMe is a term that captures the new trend of yourself working in such a virtual world.

Accenture points out that as the use of the Metaverse Application Development Services spreads, companies will be forced to rethink their traditional online strategies centered on the web and mobile. Furthermore, in fact, in the company’s survey, 95% of business executives answered that “Future digital platforms must provide a consistent experience and interoperate customer data across different platforms and spaces.” .

2) Programmable World

The next trend to watch is that the real world is becoming programmable. This represents a world in which various technologies such as 5G, AR (augmented reality), and IoT are incorporated into the real world in which we live, overlapping with the digital world. If this trend accelerates, it may become possible to program the real world in the future by controlling, customizing, and automating digital technology.

Also, if personalization progresses in the real world in the future, there is no doubt that there will be more opportunities to come into contact with items and information that individuals like. Then, for example, it may happen that personal preferences and service usage trends on the Metaverse are reflected in the real world.

3) The Unreal

The third trend is that the real world is increasingly filled with human-like machines and information. In fact, technology is currently developing to make data and content generated using AI (artificial intelligence) look as close to the real thing as possible, and unrealistic things are mixed in various data. A world is about to arrive.

Also, such unreal things will be everywhere in the future, whether in the real world or virtual worlds like the Metaverse. Already in the real world, fake information called deepfakes, which are precision-processed images and videos using AI, are circulating, and bots that automatically spread fake news on SNS (social media) are becoming a problem. .

It is highly likely that the trend of consumers and companies utilizing AI in their daily lives and businesses will continue to accelerate in the future, but the ability to discern what is real and what is fake will become more important than ever. The same can be said for the world of the Metaverse.

4) Computing the Impossible

The fourth and final trend is ‘computing that makes the impossible possible’. This indicates a world in which the development of new machines, such as quantum computers, that break through the limits of the computational processing power of conventional computers, will make it possible to solve previously unsolvable problems in the future.

For example, Mars, a major US food company, is collaborating with Microsoft and Accenture to utilize digital twins as part of its Metaverse-related initiatives. Digital twin is a technology that reproduces data collected from the real world on a computer like a twin, and analyzes and operates it. It is said that they are working to improve productivity by strengthening simulations that incorporate disaster risks and other factors, and by measuring the further visualization of production routes from the place of origin to the place of consumption.

Future development

The ultimate goal of the Metaverse is to reproduce a virtual space as close to reality as possible. Of the five human senses, the current Metaverse can only capture “sight,” “hearing,” and even a part of “tactile.” However, as a future direction, efforts to incorporate the human sense of touch into the Metaverse will progress as technology advances.

And although it may be difficult to come up with a concrete image yet, there is a possibility that a world awaiting us beyond that will incorporate even “taste” and “smell” into the Metaverse.

If that becomes possible, the Metaverse will be as close as possible to the real world. As a result, the boundary between reality and virtual space will become more and more ambiguous. As a result, a new world may be born in which a real-like virtual space and a virtual space-like reality coexist.

Conclusion

This time, we introduced the Metaverse Token Development Company, which has been attracting attention from various industries in recent years. Our company, SHIFT ASIA, develops and develops software in Vietnam that flexibly responds to the business needs of our customers, and we also handle many software tests and developments that take CX and UX into consideration. In addition, many engineers are working hard to acquire new technical knowledge and skills every day so that they can keep up with the latest trends such as the Metaverse introduced in this article.

Please see the details from the tab menu on the top menu for specific services and introduction examples of SHIFT ASIA, and feel free to contact us anytime if you have any questions.