An interoperable foundation for the metaverse
The Hindu
As various Big Tech players are building their own versions of an extended virtual reality, the need for a common standard is being addressed by open-source platforms and other stakeholders
From a futuristic idea in the novel Snow Crash three decades ago, the metaverse has now come of age. Metaverse projects are booming, and large tech firms have thrown plenty of money into a yet-to-be-fully understood digital fantasy land.
Starting with Facebook, now renamed Meta Platforms, companies have invested millions to build online universes where people can meet and talk to each other virtually. Meta has set aside $10 billion to buy and develop hardware and software to provide VR (virtual reality) capabilities within the metaverse.
Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai has also expressed his interest in augmented reality (AR). The search giant could soon augment some of its apps for users to experience in a virtual setting. The company’s Maps AR, or Live View feature, shows superimposed details (like arrows) on the app when users are walking or looking for direction. It has also invested nearly $40 million in a private fund toward projects in the metaverse. Compared to Meta’s investment in the metaverse, Google’s is small, but not negligible.
Microsoft, a long-standing player in AR/VR, is also moving fast into the digital land. It comes to the online universe through the gaming channel. The software maker has splashed $70 billion to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. The video gaming company’s popular titles will help the cash-rich Windows maker corner a big part of the virtual reality space.
Chip makers are also investing in building semiconductors to power the 3D world. Nvidia is putting GPUs in consoles, PCs and laptops. Qualcomm is busy building extended reality to enable device makers to power their gadgets for people to view the metaverse in action. The chip maker is also working alongside Microsoft to advance AR-related interfaces.
With hardware and software makers coming together, the race to the metaverse feels like the Gold Rush of 1849. This time around, there won’t be any physical gold to mine. And this digital land is unlike the wild wild west of the 19th century. The treasure here is the digital footprint users will leave behind as they play games and socialise. For example, picture a school science exhibition where different groups of students are showcasing their projects. Each one of them highlights a particular concept in science. That is exactly how the metaverse looks now. Each company is building software or hardware for the metaverse on its own.
But to make all of it work in sync, interoperability between various software and hardware is key. There has to be a set of commonly agreed upon protocols to make the metaverse work, just like how Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) enabled the Internet to go live four decades ago. Such protocols help us in connecting to a WiFi network from home and office without changing our devices.