350 million people already inhabit the metaverse, 43 digital worlds currently in existence. Fortnite and Roblox games are the ones preferred by users. A few months after the launch of the only metaverse concept by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, which was followed by similar announcements from other technological giants, this is the world map of the new virtual dimension with which we will be confronted in the world work and entertainment over the next three to five years.
The map and portals
The map was developed by the Italian technology expert Vincenzo Cosenza, it returns with figures and analysis the current situation and is part of an Observatory on the metaverse. “We are still in an initial phase of development of these worlds, but the most innovative companies are already experimenting with how to relate to consumers in these immersive places,” he explains to Ansa Cosenza. The map considers digital universes dedicated to the consumer world, dividing virtual worlds based on the access technology (browser / app and virtual reality devices) and the technology of the internal economy of the metaverse (blockchain or not).
At the moment the largest group is the one in which virtual worlds are most easily accessible, through a browser or by downloading an app for desktop or mobile device. It includes a large variety of solutions, even those from many years ago, such as Active Worlds and Second Life. Inside there are also applications designed for the little ones such as Gaia Online, Woozworld, Avakin Life, Roblox, Minecraft. In addition, there are also games that have a social component such as Fortnite. The most used environments are Roblox (which is estimated to have 210 million monthly users), Fortnite (270 million) and Minecraft (170 million).
Zuckerberg’s glasses
Mark Zuckerberg focuses on augmented reality glasses, the gateway to the metaverse, and would like them to be the next iPhone in terms of impact on the market. To reveal the intentions of the founder of Facebook is the site The Verge which publishes the indiscretion of a project on which the parent company Meta is working.
It’s called Project Nazare and is developing a pair of high-tech glasses whose first generation should see the light by 2024, a second version with a lighter design in 2026, followed by a third version in 2028. “He wants them to be a new moment. iPhone, ”a company employee told The Verge. According to the site, the CEO of Meta also sees the augmented reality glasses project as a way to break free from the control of Apple and Google, which currently dictate the rules that apps like Facebook must respect to stay on mobile phones.