The Year 2022 will be the most significant in the metaverse's history.
The year 2022 is shaping up to be the most important for "the metaverse," or software and hardware that allows users to play or work in virtual 3D spaces. Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all preparing to launch new products. According to reports, Apple will unveil a high-end headset that combines virtual reality and augmented reality.
Image Credit : Yves Herman | Reuters
As Facebook parent Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Google prepare to release new hardware products and software services in what has previously been a niche market for early adopters, 2022 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for "the metaverse."
The term "metaverse" refers to software and hardware that enable users to play or work in virtual 3-D spaces, as well as to pull information from the internet and integrate it with the real world in real time. For the time being, the metaverse may be accessed via smartphone, but supporters believe it will eventually be experienced via advanced virtual reality or augmented reality headsets.
Big Tech firms are betting that gadgets that transport their users into enhanced or imaginary worlds will create the largest new software market since Apple introduced the touchscreen smartphone in 2007. If the metaverse takes off, it's possible that everyone who owns a smartphone today will also own a pair of computer glasses or a virtual reality headset in a few years.
In a December note, Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan wrote, "Large tech platforms (which benefited from the rise of mobile computing apps) now look toward augmented reality as the next computing platform shift." He believes it is the "next logical shift in consumption patterns" and will usher in new industry leaders.
Companies are pouring money into prototypes and foundational technologies in preparation for a virtual battle when their products hit the market.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that up to $1.35 trillion will be invested in developing these technologies in the coming years.
Facebook is completely committed to metaverse technologies. Indeed, it changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect the company's new focus.
Meta has an advantage over its Big Tech competitors: According to IDC, it currently manufactures and sells VR hardware and will account for 75% of the market in 2021.
Meta hasn't released any sales figures for Quest. However, Qualcomm, which manufactures the Quest's chip, estimated that the company had shipped 10 million units by November. Those aren't smartphone numbers, but they're significant — and they've been boosted by major TV ad campaigns promoting the hardware.
Meta intends to release another virtual reality headset this year, dubbed Project Cambria. According to Facebook, the device will have hardware that improves "mixed reality," or the use of cameras on the outside of a VR headset to pipe the real world into the viewer. According to Meta, it will also include face and eye tracking, making the device more responsive to the user's commands.
The most popular app in Apple's U.S. App Store on Christmas was the Oculus virtual reality app required to use a Quest 2 headset, an imperfect but meaningful indication that many people found virtual reality gear under the tree.
Meta's foray into the market early on has provided the company with an early look at what software users want to boot up on their headsets. This month, it launched Horizon Worlds, a social platform where users can attend comedy shows and movie nights within Facebook's virtual world.
Meta has acquired several companies that create popular apps for Oculus headsets, the most notable of which is Supernatural, a workout game in which users hit floating blocks in time with a beat.
This strategy may be subject to antitrust scrutiny. According to The Information, the Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into the $400 million acquisition, The Information reported.
Credit : metaverse-india.com
