There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the concept of the Metaverse. As with any emerging technology, speculation abounds as to whether this will fundamentally change society or it’s just a fad.
There’s no doubt of the Metaverse being real, or at the very least, the intention of there being such a concept. One of its biggest proponents is the company formerly called Facebook, now Meta. If its current name doesn’t give it away, it’s one of the foremost proponents of a Metaverse.
Even though any real-life application of the Metaverse is in its initial stages, a common question is if it will be a mobile experience too, or if it will be confined to the realm of VR devices.
But What Is It, Exactly?
It’s not surprising that not many understand what the Metaverse is. The term has been used for so many marketing ploys and shady proposals that nobody knows exactly what it entails.
Shortly, the Metaverse will be a virtual “universe” which might replace our current concept of the Internet. Nowadays, people “use” the Internet for social interactions, searching, buying and more. You’d also do those things in the Metaverse, but you’d be “inside” the Internet. This means virtually visiting places or meeting with others.
Of course, each company has its vision of a Metaverse, and nobody knows if there will be just one Metaverse, several independent ones, or if they will be somehow intertwined. There are fears of a single company monopolising the Metaverse too.
Enhanced Gaming, Casino or More?
It’s easy to mistake the Metaverse for “better gaming.” For instance, when you want to play online casino games today, you pick your favourite mobile casino, register and play.
The Metaverse version of an online casino would be you visiting with a virtual character, your “avatar”, the virtual casino floor and enjoying the games as if you were there.
So far, it looks like we’re describing a simple VR (Virtual Reality) experience. However, it goes far beyond that. Your account might be a gateway to your bank, where you could deposit funds while talking to a bank clerk. Your interactions might also give you some sort of points, which you could use later in other virtual places.
The key here is connectivity, more than VR. It would also enhance real-life places and situations. For example, just by looking at a building, you might get on-screen info on what offices there are, their schedule, and more.
The Metaverse on Mobile
Of course, mobile users are the main target for this concept, but how can a mobile Metaverse work? After all, you would need VR or AR (Augmented Reality) gear to enjoy its features.
This is a complicated subject because the mentioned gear has issues. VR goggles are expensive and cumbersome, and health concerns surround them. AR seems a reasonable compromise since you can simply point your phone camera as if it were your own eyes to have at least some kind of Metaverse-like experience,
It would also cater to a much broader consumer base, including people from countries with reduced connectivity and VR devices that are too expensive. Some incursions into this field came from video games such as Pokemon Go.
In this game, players use their phones to visit real-life locations. Augmented Reality made it possible for Pokemon to appear on some sites, and players could interact with them through their phone screens to catch them. The “Metaverse” factor was that the Pokemon on any given site was the same for all players.
What Would It Take For the Metaverse To Go Mobile?
The computational power to entirely create a Metaverse is far beyond what the entire planet currently utilises, so how and when it will become a reality remains to be seen.
The Metaverse would need some kind of app to be available for Mobile. This is a complicated task since this app should act as a gateway between the different Metaverse areas. It would, by design, offer fewer features than VR software could.
There are currently some incursions into Metaverse apps. Besides the Pokemon Go example, VRChat is another one. This allows users to access 25,000 worlds created by the community. These Metaverse apps allow one to experience the virtual worlds via an avatar, much like a videogame, but with real-life consequences.
The Meta App
The most comprehensive current example of what the future holds for the Metaverse on Mobile is the Meta app called Horizon Worlds. This app has more than 300,000 users who have created more than 100,000 virtual worlds.
You can attend concerts, events, play games, build structures, and explore the environment. Even though it started as a VR-only app, work is being carried out so it can also be used on phones while maintaining most of its features.
There’s no doubt that the Metaverse if it ever becomes the new paradigm, will be available on mobile too. It’s only a question of “when” rather than “if.”