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Greetings, fellow travelers! Today, we are going to embark on a journey into the strange and wonderful world of the Metaverse.
So what is the Metaverse?
If you're not familiar with the term, the Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented realities, and the internet. Essentially, it's a virtual reality where people can interact in a simulated environment as if it were real life.
Where did this idea come from?
The idea of the Metaverse has been around for decades, with roots in science fiction literature and virtual reality gaming. The term itself was coined by science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash.
A few works of fiction have included the Metaverse as a major setting:
- "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson: In a future where humans can enter the Metaverse and interact with each other in a fully immersive virtual world, a young hacker must team up with a skilled warrior to take down an evil corporation threatening to crash the entire system.
- "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline: In a dystopian future where people escape their miserable lives by logging into the virtual reality world of the OASIS, a young man embarks on a journey to find a hidden Easter egg left by the creator, which will give him control over the entire Metaverse.
- "The Matrix" by Lana and Lilly Wachowski: When hacker Neo discovers that the reality he knows is actually a simulated world created by sentient machines to keep humans docile, he joins a rebellion to bring down the Matrix and free humanity from its virtual prison.
- "Ghost in the Shell" by Masamune Shirow: In a future where humans can enhance their bodies with cybernetic implants and enter virtual reality, a cyborg detective must hunt down a hacker known as the Puppet Master who has the ability to enter and manipulate people's minds in the Metaverse.
- "Reamde" by Neal Stephenson: When the virtual reality MMORPG T'Rain is targeted by a group of terrorists, a group of players and employees must team up to stop the attack and save the Metaverse.
- "The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin: When a secret military project opens a portal to a parallel universe, humanity must grapple with the consequences of contact with an alien civilization that has created its own Metaverse.
- "The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson: In a future where nanotechnology has revolutionized society, a young girl is raised by a sentient A.I. tutor in the virtual world of the Feed, but when she is forced to leave and interact with the real world, she must navigate dangerous political factions and uncover the truth about her own identity.
- "The Altered Carbon Series" by Richard K. Morgan: In a future where human consciousness can be transferred into new bodies and uploaded into the Metaverse, a former soldier is brought back to life to solve a murder case, but uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the entire system of immortality.
- "The Cyberiad" by Stanisław Lem: A series of interconnected stories about Trurl and Klapaucius, two brilliant constructor robots who create and solve problems in a virtual reality world for the amusement of their human creators.
Why are we talking about it now?
In recent years, the concept of the Metaverse has gained more mainstream attention with the advancements in mixed reality and video game technology. Companies such as Epic Games, the creators of the popular video game Fortnite, have announced plans to build towards a Metaverse in the future. They envision a virtual world where players can not only play games, but also shop, attend events, and socialize with each other in a fully immersive environment.
One company that has been making waves in the Metaverse space is Meta (formerly Facebook). They are a technology conglomerate that produces the Meta Quest VR headset (formerly Oculus) and are working on building the Horizon metaverse, a virtual world that will be accessible through VR and AR glasses. Horizon launched with mixed to negative reception, but it is still in development and may improve over time.
Other companies, such as Magic Leap and Alibaba, are also working on creating their own versions of the Metaverse. Magic Leap is developing a mixed reality platform that allows users to experience virtual objects and environments as if they were really there, while Alibaba is focusing on creating a virtual shopping experience in the Metaverse.
It's clear that the concept of the Metaverse is rapidly gaining traction and we can expect to see more and more companies jumping on board in the near future. It will be interesting to see how this technology develops and how it will shape the way we interact with each other and the world around us.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of the Metaverse and its origins. Do you have any thoughts on the concept of the Metaverse or the companies working towards building it?
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