

Tech companies still have to figure out how to connect their online platforms to each other. "A lot of the metaverse experience is going to be around being able to teleport from one experience to another," Zuckerberg says. For those who can afford it, users would be able, through their avatars, to flit between virtual worlds created by different companies. The headsets cost $300 or more, putting the metaverse's most cutting-edge experiences out of reach for many.
#New meta meaning software#
Facebook has launched meeting software for companies, called Horizon Workrooms, to use with its Oculus VR headsets, though early reviews have not been great. Instead of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could join them in a virtual office. The metaverse also could be a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the coronavirus pandemic. Things like go to a virtual concert, take a trip online, view or create artwork and try on or buy digital clothing.

What will I be able to do in the metaverse? "It's the next evolution of connectivity where all of those things start to come together in a seamless, doppelganger universe, so you're living your virtual life the same way you're living your physical life," she said.įacebook unveiled its new Meta sign at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. It also will incorporate other aspects of online life such as shopping and social media, according to Victoria Petrock, an analyst who follows emerging technologies. Essentially, it's a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices. Zuckerberg has described it as a "virtual environment" you can go inside of - instead of just looking at on a screen. Think of it as the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. And some who've been thinking about it for a while have concerns about a new world tied to a social media giant that could get access to even more personal data and is accused of failing to stop the proliferation of dangerous misinformation and other online harms that exacerbate real-world problems. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Thursday announcement that he's changing his company's name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, might be the biggest thing to happen to the metaverse since science fiction writer Neal Stephenson coined the term for his 1992 novel "Snow Crash." But Zuckerberg and his team are hardly the only tech visionaries with ideas on how the metaverse, which will employ a mix of virtual reality and other technologies, should take shape. The term "metaverse" is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry's imagination - so much so that one of the best-known internet platforms is rebranding to signal its embrace of the futuristic idea. Essentially, the metaverse is a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play.
