VR and the Metaverse
In the previous chapter, we addressed how AR will be used in the Metaverse, and we made it clear that there was a solid place there for AR. The reason why this point had to be made is because the Metaverse initially was thought of as a VR-only domain. This comes directly from Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash, where people use VR to access the Metaverse, a term that Stephenson coined himself. So, when we talk about the Metaverse started bubbling up after the Oculus DK1 headset came about, it was assumed that VR was the unique way to access the Metaverse.
What is it about the VR that still clearly anchors it in the Metaverse? The idea is that the Metaverse is an alternate 3D reality where you can immerse yourself, taking you away from the real world. This alternate reality could be a completely fantastical one where the rules of physics do not apply, where there are creatures that have been created by humans, and where there are...
