We meet on Zoom or perhaps in Second Life . We hang out in “ Fortnite .” We may even watch our favorite pop stars perform live on a virtual stage in 3D avatar form , or we may join the entire family on a virtual reality ( VR ) hot air balloon ride . Virtual experiences have become a part of our everyday lives .
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But what if our physical and digital lives — and spaces — constantly intermingled , regardless of our device preferences ? What if we could interact in real time while hopping seamlessly in and out of our physical reality and multiple 3D virtual worlds , without friction or a starting and ending point ?
This idea of the two converging realities describes the metaverse — or at least one version of it . While the buzz around the metaverse is creating a fair amount of excitement , the concept itself remains a bit fuzzy . But even if the vision — or the definition — varies , many see the potential of the metaverse to become another touchpoint , a ubiquitous part of our lives .
But what will it take to get there ?
THE METAVERSE ’ S EVOLVING AND DIVERGING LAYERS At its core , the metaverse is not unlike the internet : It ’ s a collection of protocols , environments , digital assets and mediums that combine to create an interactive experience .
Peter Howard compares the current state of the metaverse with the emergence of the internet in the 1990s . Howard , who teaches digital business and leadership at Boston University ’ s Questrom School of Business and is executive director of the Questrom Digital
Business Institute , notes that , back then , everything from websites to payments were inconsistent and even clumsy at times .
“ Although the idea of the metaverse is not new and has been evolving for years , we ’ re still at the beginning of a new evolution of the digital experience ,” he says .
What the actual metaverse experience may look like is a much-debated subject . Some view it as fully immersive and VR-driven ( think of the movie “ Ready Player One ”). Others believe it could simply be a 3D digital overlay on the physical world — more along the lines of augmented reality ( AR ).
Regardless of the format , providing the experience requires some core components such as infrastructure and content . Beyond that , what technology experts believe is needed for the metaverse to reach its full potential depends largely on the version of the metaverse to which they subscribe .
INFRASTRUCTURE BASICS Martin Sawtell , an AR / VR expert who worked on “ Ready Player One ,” believes that the film ’ s fully immersive version of the metaverse is impractical in most use cases . Sawtell , who is now XR ( extended reality ) director of the Experience Innovation Group at Dell Technologies , looks at the metaverse in terms of what he calls spatial
ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRY CAMPBELL