news hardware Metaverse: These 4 giants are building the virtual world of tomorrow
We’re witnessing the early days of the metaverse, but it’s already the subject of large capital inflows that don’t necessarily reflect the reality of the sector. With an estimated market volume of 5,000 billion dollars by 2030, several players are interested in the chance of a future virtual world in 3D – and this despite the current reluctance of the majority. Here are 4 giants who have already made it their passion for years to come.
If a few years ago the project of a 3D digital environment was just a script, since the name change from Facebook to Meta the project has become more tangible. In fact, almost a year ago, the group proudly showed their ambitions for the Metaverse by changing their name.
With this ambitious approach, Meta wants to become a precursor to the Metaverse. A not insignificant initiative considering that the social network has a total of three billion users.
There are several approaches around the famous Metaverse. Specifically, Meta wants to develop this world from the perspective of social interactions. Meta’s goal is therefore to create a 3D Internet augmented with virtual reality. With the takeover of the VR headset company Oculus, the guideline seems to have been found.
“You can think of the Metaverse as an Internet incarnate, where you’re not just watching content, you’re there… It’s a new phase of interconnected virtual experiences using technologies like Virtual Reality and Reality Enhanced. explains Mark Zuckerberg.
In this digital world, people can meet and exchange ideas. Horizon World, Meta’s metaverse, already features several virtual reality activities. In these, you can work, play or even chat in a 3D VR room.
But despite the multitude of possible interactions, the metaverse is often criticized for its graphics…
Nvidia’s mission is to make the Metaverse a little more realistic to convince more users. Who better to give the virtual world the realism it needs than a graphics hardware company?
With these graphics cards, the company could be the ideal candidate to provide the processing power needed to create a large realistic virtual world – which is the main argument for a future metaverse.
With this logic, Nvidia has already seized the opportunity of the metaverse through several initiatives.
With its graphics collaboration platform Nvidia Omniverse, the company has launched a variety of innovative new tools aimed at supporting the development of immersive 3D spaces. In particular, these programs, intended for creators and developers, will make it possible to make the digital world more realistic.
In this Omniverse kit there are tools to meet the expectations of Metaverse users, namely the quality of avatars and their interactions. According to Nvidia, developers will use their tools to offer users the ability to create true “accurate digital twins”. Specifically, the kit enables the development of an immersive experience by enhancing the animation of faces during social interactions in the Metaverse. In this way, users can reflect their emotions as faithfully as possible via their avatar in the virtual world.
Plus, the company is close to other Metaverse giants. Notably, Nvidia has borrowed hardware for Meta’s supercomputer: Research SuperCluster (RSC). In this respect, it does not seem unlikely that a synergy will be used with regard to a future metaverse.
When talking about the Metaverse, it’s hard not to mention the case of Epic Games. With its Battle Royal Fortnite, the publisher has been able to create multiple immersive experiences, particularly through virtual concerts. It’s clear that Epic Games won’t stand aside when it comes to developing a metaverse.
First, the video game giant regularly invests in the sector. Earlier this year, Epic Games raised $2 billion from big names to fund the development of a future metaverse. The company also recently participated in raising funds from Hadean, a London-based start-up specializing in Metaverse infrastructure.
Also, Tim Sweeney never hid his ambitions around the metaverse. Last August, the head of Epic Games expressed a desire to build a common platform for brands. The CEO’s vision speaks of a metaverse that breaks away from monopoly – ubiquitous on the Web2.
Therefore, Epic Games could participate in the development of an ecosystem that allows all developers to create a virtual world according to their rules. This idea of a “metaverse of metaverses” would theoretically offer the possibility of having gateways between digital worlds as well as interoperability of elements.
Founded by Bill Gates, the company reveals a more technical ambition when it comes to the metaverse. The solution proposed by Microsoft mixes reality and virtual to provide tools for businesses. In other words, Microsoft’s Metaverse enables industrial companies to increase their efficiency in production or repair chains.
The computer giant relies on augmented reality embedded in HoloLens helmets – Microsoft’s VR helmets. With this type of functionality, for example, employees can be guided virtually without having to leave the assembly line of a product.
The project is well advanced as Kawasaki is one of Industrial Metaverse’s customers. Holosess augmented reality glasses offer employees additional tools when assembling robots. Companies like Heinz and Boeing also use Microsoft’s Industrial Metaverse.
The Metaverse project represents a colossal construction site. Despite the giants working on it, not all aspects can be handled by a single entity. This makes these four giants part of a collective of multiple companies working to set standards for the Metaverse of the future. The organization, called the Open Standards Forum, seeks global agreement on the metaverse of the future. This alliance includes several giants such as Nvidia, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, Epic Games or Adobe.
