It seems like everyone is talking about the Metaverse right now.
Promised to deliver a new level of “embodied internet” and digital experience to consumers and businesses worldwide, the Metaverse could change the way we live forever.
Countless leading technology companies are already investing in their vision of the metaverse, placing more time and effort into the development of everything from XR technology to open software, blockchain tools, and artificial intelligence.
Today, we’re going to be looking at just some of the most innovative names in the Metaverse you should be keeping an eye on as we move ahead into 2022.
Meta
Meta, previously Facebook, is perhaps the name most associated with the age of the Metaverse right now.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the “embodied internet” as he calls it, was so significant it prompted him to completely rebrand the “Facebook” company into the new “Meta” organisation, focused on building and shaping the Metaverse.
Since changing its name, Meta has doubled down on its vision of a connected world and has begun investing more time and money into everything from virtual reality, to augmented reality and smart glasses.
Meta will definitely be one of the top companies to watch as we continue to define and understand the future of the metaverse.
Microsoft
Microsoft has been investing in aspects of the metaverse for some time now. Namely, the company has a strong presence in the Mixed Reality environment, thanks to offerings like Microsoft Mesh, and the phenomenal Microsoft HoloLens headsets. These tools are likely to play a part in some experiences of the metaverse in the years ahead.
Recently, in 2022, Microsoft announced its decision to purchase game company, Activision (Blizzard), for $75 billion.
According to Satya Nadella, this purchase was another step in the right direction towards a metaverse-focused future for the brand.
Unity
As one of the market leaders in the development of extended reality software, Unity has quickly refined its focus on the Metaverse in recent months.
The company hopes to be one of the major brands responsible for helping to build “Metaverse” experiences in digital environments. Unity believes immersive technology like 3D, and XR will be essential to the metaverse environment.
Recently, the company announced a new series called the “Metaverse Minute” to draw attention to some of the industry leaders building digital twins and unique solutions with Unity technology.
As attention for the Metaverse landscape continues to build, there’s a good chance we’ll see a lot more noise from Unity.
Magic Leap
One of the leading pioneers in smart glasses and AR technology, Magic Leap could have a valuable part to play in the future of the Metaverse.
Since Peggy Johnson arrived as the new CEO of the company in 2020, the brand has been hyper-focused on demonstrating its value in the business world. According to Peggy, we’re already in the early stages of the metaverse, and tools like Magic Leap’s headset will be essential to building this environment in the future.
Magic Leap and Johnson believe the Metaverse will be powered heavily by the use of AR technology and innovations.
With so much focus on the Metaverse from their CEO, it seems likely that Magic Leap will continue to expand its investments into the environment in the years ahead.
Apple
Ranked among of the leading technology companies in the world, Apple always seems to be on the cutting edge of the latest trends, including the transition into the Metaverse.
Recently, the company has made a number of announcements which could indicate more investment in this environment. For instance, Apple is currently working on its own set of AR smart glasses.
CEO Tim Cook has also apparently mentioned the Metaverse is something Apple is keen to explore going forward. Cook has said that the Metaverse has a lot of potential, and is very interesting to the company, so they plan on investing accordingly going forward.
Similarly to Apple, Google is another major technology giant which has been quietly working on pushing itself further into the Metaverse.
It was one of the first companies in the world to introduce us to Augmented Reality glasses – even if they didn’t turn out to be much of a success at the time.
Currently, Google is working on developing a new set of AR glasses specifically focused on the enterprise, which could be valuable to its future Metaverse investments.
Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai has also announced the company is looking at blockchain and decentralized environments – another important area of exploration for anyone considering the metaverse. The company appears to be working on keeping pace with rivals like Apple, but it may not be ready to catch up with Microsoft yet.
Varjo
Varjo is a natural contender for the Metaverse market, as a leader in the extended reality landscape.
Recently, the company introduced its new Varjo Reality Cloud platform, to make real-time reality sharing and teleportation more possible for companies in the future. According to the brand, Varjo’s vision for the metaverse involves elevating humanity’s ability to connect, communicate and create.
More recently, Varjo also received a 20 million Euro financing bundle from the European Investment Bank, to help increase its research into the metaverse environment.
Plus, the company has already begun working with companies on building virtual reality “head offices” in the metaverse for distributed teams. There’s no doubt Varjo will have a significant role to play in the Metaverse.
HTC VIVE
HTC VIVE’s focus on the metaverse centers around providing people with the virtual reality headsets and tools they need to step into immersive experiences.
The company introduced the “Vive Flow” lightweight headset as the ultimate “companion for the Metaverse” designed to improve wellbeing and good health in today’s hybrid work environments.
It will be interesting to see of VIVE continues to increase it’s focus on this marketplace as it continues to go head-to-head against other brands like Meta and Varjo in the years ahead.