Facebook metaverse: keys to understanding the new bet of the social network

The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, presented his company’s commitment to the metaverse, a virtual place that will allow endless possibilities and that will be the “future” for human interaction.

Here is the announcement that Facebook made regarding its metaverse and its name change:

What is the Facebook metaverse?

In his presentation this Thursday, Zuckerberg showed several examples of what in his opinion should be the future of humanity in the “metaverse”, in which they would be dressed in digital clothing that they would buy within that same universe and attend events such as concerts.

For Zuckerberg, who revealed the company’s idea of ​​the metaverse in the framework of the Connect conference on augmented reality and virtual reality, the “metaverse” to which he wants Meta, the new name of the company, to allocate a large part of your investments for years to come.

The users of the, to be really present with the rest of the people in a virtual room, and not just in front of a screen, as is the case today, says the firm.

How will it work?

The presence of the metaverse will be supported by a series of elements, such as the virtual space, provided by solutions such as; an avatar, which more than an image will be a three-dimensional living representation of the user, capable of reproducing their gestures and facial expressions, and with customization possibilities; and elements to decorate the virtual space.

These elements will be the foundation of the digital economy that Facebook plans to develop with the metaverse. that users can buy to decorate their spaces or customize their avatar and share with other users.

What relation will there be to the ‘outside world’?

In this context, Zuckerberg has stressed the importance of interoperability, which will be the feature that or take them out. It will also be important that this environment is safe, and for this he has underlined the need for privacy and security to accompany the development of the metaverse from the beginning, offering options such as blocking users or being able to be alone if you want.

What devices will be needed?

The metaverse will require the use of a, which in addition to allowing communication with others, will also be used for video games or for physical exercise. Another option will be the use of, for example, for work, since they can display a digital desktop before the user’s eyes, with the possibility of interacting with 3D models or holding meetings with other colleagues in the form of a hologram.

The interaction with virtual objects or the voice to control the environment will allow to merge the physical world with the digital one. And for this the company has announced new tools (SDK) so that developers can work on their mixed reality experiences for the metaverse. The Spark AR community now has more than 600,000 creators.

When will the metaverse be available?

The metaverse is a long-term project, but its development will depend on specific hardware designed for it. In this sense, the company has advanced and will allow the avatars to reproduce eye contact and expressions in real time thanks to the sensors it integrates. This equipment will show the image in high resolution and mixed reality.

He has also mentioned the work that they are doing in their, which they approach from two perspectives: how much technology can be put into standard glasses and how that technology can be made miniaturized enough to fit. This is due to the number of sensors and elements that must be integrated without exceeding 5mm in thickness.

This hardware will be accompanied by new interfaces that detect the movement of users, not just their facial gestures, to recreate the interaction.

Will it be free?

Zuckerberg has argued that the metaverse will be beneficial to society, the economy and the environment. But it has highlighted the role that it will have especially in the economy, with the ecosystem of creating products, services and experiences that it will allow to create.

A few days ago, the CEO of Facebook, it would work as the internet does now. However, the firm will bet on the personalization of the avatars, for which it will put clothes and various elements on sale, as video games such as Fortnite currently do.

Name change

Zuckerberg announced that the company he runs, owner of the social network that bears his name, Instagram and WhatsApp, among others,

The change affects only the umbrella company of all these applications, so that the social network will continue to be called Facebook and the change, in practice, will have almost no effect for the vast majority of users.

It is a move very similar to that carried out by Google in 2015, when it restructured the internal organization of the company and created a parent company, Alphabet, with several subsidiaries that include Google itself, Waymo (the autonomous vehicle division ) and the internet provider Google Fiber, among others.

The name change will begin on December 1, when the firm that is now listed under the acronym FB will be listed under MVRS.

In mid-October, Facebook announced the creation of 10,000 new jobs in Europe in the next five years, precisely with the aim of shaping the “metaverse”.