What I'd Like to See in the Metaverse

Yesterday I posted about the Metaverse. Today I would like to dive a little deeper and share what I would like to see. Given the recent pandemic we all have learned a lot about our tolerance for staying inside. I recently visited Disneyland and chose the dates I did because it was supposed to be empty. Everyday it was crowded and full to capacity because travel restrictions have lifted and that is what people want to do: visit places they haven't been able to because of COVID-19. I also recently tried to book a trip to Zion National Park as it has been a few years since I have been there. Hotel rates are $600-$700 per night in the town just outside the park because so many people want to visit. In order for me to stay home and spend more time inside, the Metaverse better offer something really special and unique.

I love skiing in the winter and rock climbing in the summer. I also enjoy spending time on my bike or sailing. How can you create a world that has a better experience than the activities I enjoy outside? Let's start with exercise.

Today I went for a beautiful bike ride at lunch. Soon the weather will turn ugly and while I have the equipment to ride outside in the pouring rain, I will probably ride inside on my stationary bicycle. Currently I just put in my ear buds and listen to music. I don't use my over-the-ear headphones because they get all sweaty and nasty. I doubt I would ever put on virtual reality (VR) goggles for the same reason. Perhaps I could set my indoor bike up in front of a TV and bike in a virtual world. I have an unused 60-inch television in my office that I could use for such a purpose. Furthermore it is capable of 3D movies and could create a wonderful indoor biking experience. While that does require glasses, I wear sunglasses on my daily ride and so it wouldn't be that much of a bother. The important thing to remember is that I can't be expected to wear cumbersome goggles while I exercise.

I mentioned how I visited Disneyland a few weeks ago. How much is it worth to me to visit an online version of the park in the Metaverse? Probably not much even though you wouldn't have to wait in line for hours on end to ride the rides. There is something about having the wind in your face and feeling the motion of the roller coaster as you experience Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, or Thunder Mountain Railroad. That would be hard to replicate at home even with smart devices like an Internet-controlled fan or a perfectly timed bucket of water. However the more gentle rides like the Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, or Snow White could become a more magical experience than they are at the theme park. I also would like to see earlier versions of the park. Perhaps even visit the park I remember as a child. I would pay real money to experience opening day at Disneyland which is something only possible in VR.

My daughter has a shirt that says, "Hike the Crimson Canyon of Mars National Park." We have robots on the red planet right now collecting high-quality images of our planetary neighbor. NASA could easily put together a VR experience without the unnecessarily long and dangerous space flight to get there. That is something I would like to see. I would also like to see all of the places in the world that are difficult or dangerous to visit. I have sailed a relatively small boat through several massive storms and I don't want be put in such a dangerous situation again. However I wouldn't mind being able to appreciate the power of Mother Nature from the comfort and safety of my living room.

Unfortunately the visions I am describing do not suit the tastes of all. There are bound to be online destinations that offend in the same way we have websites of the same genres now. As I said yesterday, the Metaverse is here now and so hopefully we can apply some of the same barriers to keep our children from wandering into the dangerous destinations soon to arrive.

What is the Metaverse

Today I watched a presentation on the Metaverse and the speaker began by talking about what it is not. He prefaced those remarks by saying that he would be breaking a fundamental rule by so doing. I don't fault him for it as quite a few people are trying to define what it is and a number of companies are working to help create it in the hopes of making large fortunes.

Before continuing  I have to go back a few years when Facebook changed it's name to Meta. Facebook was created as an online social site where people could go share the highlights of their lives. With the passing of time they realized that people will continue to evolve with how they interact online and it is no coincidence that Meta is one of the leaders promoting the Metaverse. It would not surprise me if they try to trademark the name as it so closely matches their own company name.

Ultimately the Metaverse is already in existence and is simply how we interact online. Just as any technology evolves, so will the Metaverse. Right now we use a computer, tablet, smartphone, or game console to interact online. Those tools that we use will evolve to include virtual reality (VR) headsets and augmented reality (AR) glasses. There will be other inventions to come along so that it might evolve into an environment similar to the OASIS from the movie Ready Player One. Unfortunately that is our interpretation of the Metaverse and most likely it will be different. Just as we currently have multiple devices capable of browsing the Internet, the Metaverse won't require VR glasses, they will just be helpful to get the full experience of the environment.

One of the topics that surfaced in the presentation I watched included current video games. There are a number of wondrous worlds created for the latest video games and it would be enjoyable to spend more time in them. Often times we are rushed through the action adventure story and never get the chance to stop and enjoy the environment we are in. I feel that way about my current game, Horizon: Forbidden West. While I could just stop, sit on a rock, and watch a sunrise in the game, there isn't enough sensory stimulation in my current interface to make me want to stop. Perhaps that will be there in the future.

There are some other video games that could become building blocks to the Metaverse. The two big ones mentioned are Roblox and Minecraft. Both allow you to build and create things. I always tell people that Minecraft is like Legos without the mess. The reason they are important is that they show how users can add to their existing game environment. Imagine being able to create your own world and then watch how popular it becomes as others come to explore it. It reminds me of my YouTube channel and the importance of acquiring new viewers. Of course some will want to keep their worlds to themselves but there is an inherent trait in most to share their art with others.

Right now the Metaverse is in its infancy and is built on the current Internet infrastructure. It is how we interact socially online and will grow and blossom as we create more content for it. Will any one company control it? I hope not. I also hope that it becomes a benefit for us instead of another waste of time.

Virtual Reality: A New Way to Watch Videos

This past weekend I wanted to do some research on an area that interests me: 360-degree video also known as virtual reality or VR. There are a number of videos on YouTube filmed using 360-degree technology. So I loaded the YouTube application on my PlayStation 4 Pro and put on my PlayStation VR headset. I could have also done the same thing with my Google Cardboard and a smartphone so PlayStation hardware is not required. You can also use an HTC vive or Oculus Rift.

YouTube has a whole section of 360-degree videos with lots to choose from. I like to rock climb in the summer and so I selected a video on one of the USA's toughest climbs. Even though the video is in 2D and VR is capable of 3D, I still felt immersed in the action. Rather than having to scroll around with a mouse to see different perspectives, I could just turn my head. I found it so interesting I had my youngest daughter who is a professional rock climber watch and later my wife. Both found the VR experience significantly better than viewing something similar on a flat TV or computer monitor.

I spent about an hour watching VR videos and have decided that I much prefer a low-quality VR video to a well-made TV documentary. I have to confess that most of the videos I watched were documentaries. I tried watching one Star Wars fan film and while it was put together very well, didn't appreciate it as much as the other real-life experiences I enjoyed.

During my weekend research I could only find one 3D VR video and it documented a fashion shoot. Normally I wouldn't have bothered as I am not interested in watching models parade in front of the camera, however, I discovered something very important. When we take a 3D object like a human being and flatten it into a 2D photograph, we distort the person much more significantly than I realized. This is where we get the phrase, "The camera adds 10 pounds." While I enjoy watching 3D movies and even have a 3D television, a VR experience puts you much closer and I realized how skinny most fashion models are. I actually found them to be much too thin and unattractive.

Another thing I noticed during my hour-long journey through VR videos is that you don't know where viewers will be looking. If you want to put text on the screen, you have to put it in multiple places. One video only placed it where they expected you to be looking. If I looked somewhere else, I had the potential to miss it. Other videos placed the text in 3 different areas so I had a much higher chance of seeing it. I appreciated that as it gave me the freedom to look around all of my surroundings and not have to focus on one area.

I think virtual reality has the ability to change the way we watch videos. While I am not sure I want to watch a full movie in VR, I do think that travel videos and documentaries are much better with the technology. Now if I can only create a huge playlist of skiing videos, I might be able to make it through the summer.