The metaverse is in the air. Mark Zuckerberg is making headlines for taking a wide-eyed virtual visit to France and Spain, but Fortnite may be besting Meta when it comes to entertaining content. Over at Microsoft, the company is focused on enterprise applications, but Match Group has (mercifully) ditched plans for a dating metaverse.
If you’ve been nodding along and hoping that eventually people will stop talking about the metaverse, we have good news and bad news. Metaverse news is only going to increase. This is obviously the bad news. In better news, we have a quick primer to help you with the basics. So here are your questions (hopefully) answered.
Hi.
Hi.
Can you uh direct me to the metaverse?
I’m a little confused.
Me, too.
Do you think the metaverse is an actual place?
No, no. (pause) Isn’t it?
It’s not. But I think I can help you out.
Thank you. That is a huge relief. I think I’m supposed to show up for work there or something.
Well, that’s possible but they probably don’t expect you there today. Let’s try to get this sorted out, though.
I appreciate it.
First of all, the metaverse definitely isn’t an actual physical place. That’s the whole point really. It’s a 3D virtual world that is sometimes rendered in VR or AR. Think of it as a more immersive way to experience the internet.
I am already immersed in the internet and I don’t like it. It can get worse?
Much.
I kind of feel like I’m returning to the beginning here but how do I get to the metaverse? Is there a button I can push that takes me there?
There is not. The metaverse isn’t one central location. It’s spread out across different sites and platforms that you can reach with computers, phones, and VR headsets. So you have to know where you want to go and then figure out how to get there.
Say I wanted to get to work?
If you’ve been invited to a meeting in the metaverse, it’s probably on Meta’s Horizon Workrooms or Microsoft Mesh. In which case you’re going to need to set up an account and create an avatar. Don’t worry too much about your outfit since like in the real world, no one wears pants at work in the metaverse. Though that’s because in these offices, no one has legs. You don’t need a VR or AR headset, but to really feel like you’re “there,” you may want to use an Oculus Quest 2 in Horizon Workrooms or a HoloLens 2 on Mesh.
Wait, what is that image of?
That is the workplace of the future or even present, according to Meta.
It’s scaring me. Can we move on to something else?
Sure.
Say I wanted to go somewhere more fun. Or just someplace where people had legs. What are my options?
There are lots of other places to visit in the metaverse that you might find more appealing than a Mark Zuckerberg-monitored memoji workplace. Among them is Roblox, which is primarily a games platform but also hosts events like concerts and fashion shows. If you love buying and selling unreal real estate, Decentraland is awash in highly questionable investment opportunities. You can set down roots in The Sandbox, which started out purely as a game but is now sort of an open-world environment. And, we have to mention, Meta also has Horizon Worlds, which is a recreational space where you can see Post Malone in VR or try out a tight five at The Soapstone Comedy Club.
If I were to visit those places, would I have legs? Do I look the same from metaverse to metaverse?
The avatars in Horizon Worlds are half the avatars that those in other metaverses are. In some metaverses, you’re restricted to avatars created in the world. But you can create a cross-platform avatar that should work in most places with services like Ready Player Me.
What should I wear? Can I buy clothes in the metaverse?
You don’t have to worry about finding something to wear in the metaverse. Just about how much it’s going to cost you. High-end brands have boutiques all over the metaverse. Gucci has an entire town where you can now buy a fragrance to wear there. You might even run into its spokesperson, virtual Miley Cyrus.
Does the metaverse take cash?
The metaverse takes cryptocurrency.
Say no more.
Gladly.
Where did this idea for the metaverse even come from?
The name and the idea came from the book Snow CrashSnow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Its hero protagonist, named Hiro Protagonist, lives in dystopian Los Angeles where he delivers pizzas in the real world but is, well, a hero in the metaverse.
That sounds a little like Ready Player OneReady Player One?
More than a little.
I don’t really want to go to the metaverse anymore.
Then my work here is done.