Weekly Metaverse Digest #1: virtual concerts, metaverse HQ for Vice Media, spending 100 days in the metaverse
Metaverse is a buzzing world, with many actors (from big tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft to smaller communities of tech enthusiasts), a myriad of technologies (AR, VR, BCI, you name it), and an infinite number of applications in entertainment, workplace, and classroom.
While the metaverse as “the new Internet” is not there yet, researchers and computer scientists are building its pieces.
To keep track of the innovation, challenges, and growth of the metaverse, oVice is starting a weekly newsletter, covering news, thought-provoking posts, exciting videos, and insightful podcast episodes on metaverse.
Metaverse pulse check: top news to follow
1. Tencent files for a patent related to virtual concerts in Metaverse
Despite the government’s anti-metaverse stance, Chinese-backed Tencent is bringing virtual concerts to the metaverse. Previous events hosted by the company were a huge success, with over a million fans showing
2. Samsung is reportedly building an AR headset for metaverse
The word on the street is, the Korean tech giant is ready to storm into the space. The company’s CEO has hinted at an ambition to release an AR headset that could hit the market in the nearest future.
3. Meta says its metaverse ambitions won’t be possible without better cellular networks
Floating in space, joining virtual concerts as a hologram, and time travel that would let us experience historical events — these are just a few bold innovations Meta teased in October 2021.
Looks like a “reality check” could be hindering these ambitions. Last week, Zuckerberg stated in a recent interview that only drastic improvements in telecommunications can enable the metaverse.
4. The Sandbox metaverse hits 2M users, begins K-pop partnership
The introduction of the metaverse sparks a renewed interest in NFTs (not that they ever died out to begin with). From buying memes and watching the rich guys build collections of absurdly expensive items, non-fungible tokens might evolve into a valuable component of a metaverse infrastructure.
Sandbox is already putting this innovation to good use — the company started selling event passes as NFTs.
5. BIG designs virtual office in the metaverse for Vice Media Group
BIG — a Danish design architecture company — is making it big (pun intended) in the metaverse right now. The team put 3D design, VR, and AR together to build a virtual office for Vice Media Group.
The project is intended as a playground for learning and learning how to use metaverse. It is an ambitious and expensive feat.
If you want to set up a more affordable and accessible virtual office, check out oVice, a 2.5D space that brings remote teams closer and makes offices fun again.
Reflecting on metaverse: best weekly articles
1. Will the Metaverse Include Our Dogs?
In case you didn’t notice, the world loves dogs. Statistically, over 471 million people keep one (and many of those who don’t wish they could). It’s not surprising that we want to bring our pets to the metaverse — but will they even come close to the real things?
Check out the answers to these and other questions in the post. Maybe one day we’ll find out whether androids actually dream of electric sheep.
2. College could take place in the metaverse, but these problems must be overcome first
During the pandemic, college education hit a rough patch, with tuition fees going up and student satisfaction tumbling.
Can metaverse be the band-aid patching up the challenges of online education? There’s hope, but the new Internet still has a lot of growing up to do.
3. Future Returns: Making Sense of the Metaverse
The market is hyped about metaverse: it’s an $8 trillion opportunity that’s always on the tip of everyone’s tongues.
In fact, everyone is so excited about what’s to come, it’s getting increasingly hard to get a cool-headed understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the metaverse. This Penta article is doing just that in this short, to-the-point story.
4. Are We Ready To Enter The Metaverse? Three Challenges Marketers Can Expect To Face
Right now, most metaverse discussions are technology-driven: how much computing power we need, how the hardware will evolve over time, and which tech giant will lead the race of metaverse adoption.
There’s room for many more metaverse discussions. Impactful conversations are happening in marketing, such as Lisette Hyuskamp, a Forbes Council member outlining the challenges marketers will need to deal with, in her latest post.
5. Why brands are buying land in the metaverse and how they are doing it
What is the playbook for real estate in the metaverse? Ad Age went out to explore the rules, prices, and approaches brands use to invest in virtual land and expand their presence in the digital space.
Let’s hear from the metaverse: latest podcasts
1. Building the open metaverse | Immersive Storytelling
In the latest episode of Building the Open Metaverse, Rob Bredow, an Oscar-nominated VFX supervisor explains the evolution of visual effects and shares his vision of the future of immersive storytelling.
2. Into the Metaverse (by Bloomberg Intelligence) | The Metaverse ETF Boom is No Virtual Reality
WIth crypto and blockchain at the foundation, the financial sector is embracing the metaverse with open arms. ETFs (exchange-traded funds) have a particularly impactful presence — with over 14 funds launched to enable metaverse trading.
Rebecca Sin, an ETF analyst for Bloomberg Asia, is discussing what it means for the sector in Bloomberg’s podcast on the metaverse.
3. Phillip Wang: Making the Metaverse Open and Accessible
To build the metaverse as the “new Internet” we need to focus on its accessibility. Right now, only privileged minorities can invest in AR headsets and other technologies needed to explore the virtual worlds freely.
Are there ways to open the metaverse to everyone? That is exactly the question the latest episode of Hello Metaverse is answering.
4. Welcome to the Metaverse | Why VICE Built Their Metaverse HQ in Decentraland with Global Executive Creative Director of VICE / VIRTUE Morten Grubak
For the tech and business communities, VICE’s shift to the metaverse is both a long-haul investment and a gamble — exciting in every way.
How does the company themselves feel about their new virtual HQ? Morten Grubak, the Global Executive Creative Director of Vice, shares the first-person view.
5. This Week in the Metaverse | Feb 28, 2022
The new episode of the weekly Metaverse digest in the podcast space gives in-depth rundowns of the latest news. The last episode covered NFTs, voice-driven metaverse, regulations, and much more — tune in to stay on track of the metaverse whirlwind.
A glimpse into the future: videos on Metaverse
1. I Spent 100 Days in the Metaverse
In the future, most of us are expected to hang out in the metaverse a lot but, at the moment, only a few can allow themselves to be roaming the virtual world for months. If you are curious what spending 100 days in the metaverse feels like, check out the video Ryan Trahan made about it.
2. What Will the Metaverse Look Like in 10 Years?
To some of us, the metaverse feels like a game (Fortnite or World of Warcraft) or a social opportunity (hosting virtual events and catching up with friends in cool avatars). There’s a lot more beneath the surface: a new economy, job market, and way of life.
If you are wondering about the end game for the metaverse, this video on the future of the concept is an excellent starting point for looking into the future.
3. Mark Zuckerberg: Meta, Facebook, Instagram, and the Metaverse
If we want to learn more about the metaverse, why shouldn’t we listen to the man who started a lot of talk about it?
Before the interview came out, Lex Fridman promised to ask Mark Zuckerberg even the uncomfortable questions — and he delivered in this two-and-something-hour interview on Facebook, Meta, and the metaverse.
4. The Metaverse: Future Or Farce? | Answers With Joe
In his new video, Joe Scott delivers a round of “Answers with Joe” on the metaverse. He gives no-nonsense, unbiased comments on Meta’s involvement in the space, VR, Web3, and many more things the Internet is buzzing about.
5. Metaverse News Update | HTC Viveverse + Sandbox Season 2 & Decentraland Fashion Show
The round-up of metaverse news covers HTC Vive, Sandbox Season 2, eBay crypto Adoption, and other events that are pushing metaverse to become the best version of itself.
Before we wrap up…
There you have it, the first round of our metaverse-themed digest. Every Monday we will be sharing the latest news with the community — subscribe if you want to follow these pulse checks.
If you are a team leader or a business owner eager to expand metaverse to your office, then oVice is a great fit for you. It is a virtual office space that brings connectivity and ease of in-person communication to remote work. It is accessible to companies, classrooms, and event managers with no need for VR sets.
Take a tour of the platform for free — we’ll be there to show you around.
