How important is VR to the metaverse?

When it comes to how we live, work and stay entertained, there is no doubting how crucial technology is now. This is easy to see in the music industry, where modern innovations such as streaming have transformed the sector. Of course, tech such as sequencers and drum machines has also enabled the electronic dance music genre to become established.

The latest technological innovation set to alter music is the metaverse. This should not only bring about change in how music is posted online but also how fans consume it. Beyond this, the metaverse is set to have a major impact on other industries like gaming and how we use the internet in general.

When people talk about this subject, they often mention VR. As shown at https://gryvr.pl/, virtual reality is a huge breakthrough around the world in terms of tech and has plenty of useful applications. One of these is how it can help the metaverse function – but exactly how key is VR to this?

What is the metaverse?

Before we dig deeper into VR’s crucial role in the metaverse, it is worth pinning down what it is. This is set to be the next step forward for the internet and how we use it. It will see us logging on to a truly immersive 3D world of digital platforms that we can experience in an ultra-realistic way. The metaverse will also enable us to interact with other users online in a more realistic manner. In many ways, it is simply the next development in how we do things online.

What are the different metaverse examples to know about?

Although the metaverse is a general concept around how the internet might work in the future, there are a few distinct examples to know about.

The most popular one is Meta’s (previously Facebook’s) metaverse. This encompasses a set of interconnected digital worlds which people can become immersed in after logging on. It is set to enable you to engage with family, friends and other people online but with a real-time, real-world feel. Although not ready to jump into as yet, the zest CEO Mark Zuckerberg has for this project seems likely to make it a popular metaverse option.

When talking about different examples of metaverse’s or how they work, the functions NFTs should have in these online spaces warrants a mention. This is because NFTs will enable people to legitimately own digital assets (such as audio files, image files and digital artwork) when navigating the metaverse. By enabling this ownership, it should see people able to spend NFTs whilst online and see them emerge as a key future digital currency.

How key is VR to the metaverse?

This is the million-dollar question but one that is pretty simple to answer. In short, virtual reality tech is essential for the metaverse to function. Without VR to power it along, this next-gen version of the internet will not be able to offer the level of promised online immersion.

But why is this the case? As noted above, the metaverse will see us logging on to a dynamic virtual world online, which puts us right into the heart of the action. This is simply impossible to achieve without first donning a VR headset. In addition, VR software will be needed to create the online world the metaverse inhabits and communicate with the VR headsets that users wear.

Is VR tech ready for this?

The modern VR industry has come on in leaps and bounds recently and this bodes well. Apple’s new VR headset, for example, looks set to be a stunning product and one that should easily allow us to access this new way of doing things online.

The quality of VR headsets in general has also gone up over time – and the price has gone down. This means more of us can afford the kit we need to access the metaverse, and the products on the market have the features needed for us to do so.

What type of VR environments could the metaverse deliver?

Although it is fine to talk about dynamic 3D worlds that users can become truly immersed in online, some concrete examples of how this all works in terms of VR are worthwhile. For music fans, this could mean virtual online concerts, where you can engage with other fans virtually and catch a gig.

Work could be another success story on the metaverse that uses VR to offer new horizons. Virtual meetings, for example, could see you don a VR headset to engage with colleagues in a much more realistic way.

VR tech is key to the metaverse

As the above shows, VR really is essential to the metaverse and the foundation on which it will operate. Without this tech to help it run, the metaverse would be dead in the water. Expect to hear more about both as 2022 moves forward.

Image Credit: James Yarema on Unsplash