Tech giants have deployed Meta Universe to enter the "start-up period" this year
Just wave your hand or snap your fingers, the desired information will appear in front of your eyes, and you can proceed to the next step.
——In the near future, people may really enter a new world where the virtual and reality in science fiction movies can be switched at any time.
Following the PC-connected desktop Internet era and the smartphone-connected mobile Internet era, "Meta Universe" detonated the imagination of the next era of information interconnection, creating an ideal virtual world through the perfect connection between virtual and reality.
The core of Meta Universe is the development of XR technology and equipment.
What is the development trend of this industry?
A few days ago, Deloitte released the "Meta Universe Series White Paper: Global XR Industry Insights" to interpret the current hottest "Meta Universe" and how to create a new environment where users, family, friends, pets, favorite items and experiences are all virtually connected .
Imagination and Reality
The meta-universe concept detonates the market
In March this year, the listing of Roblox, a sandbox game platform, made the concept of Metaverse detonate the market. The market value of nearly 40 billion US dollars opened up the imagination of the "Metaverse" industry; subsequently, Facebook changed its name to "Meta" to further stimulate The market’s enthusiasm for the meta-universe concept quickly pulled the science-fiction meta-universe concept into real life.
In China, in August of this year, Bytedance invested heavily in the acquisition of Pico, a leading VR (virtual reality) start-up company hardware equipment company, which once again sparked heated discussions in the market.
Apple, Facebook (renamed "Meta"), Microsoft, Google, Huawei, Tencent, and ByteDance have built an XR ecosystem and strategically positioned the "next-generation settlement platform".
The white paper pointed out that the intergeneration of virtuality and reality is the key feature of the metaverse, which is embodied in six core elements, including immersion, virtual identity, digital assets, real experience, virtuality and reality, and a complete social system.
In the future, the development of Metaverse will move from real to virtual, realizing the digitization of real experience; on the other hand, from virtual to real, realizing the real digital experience.
Among them, the process from the real to the virtual is the process of improving the perception of reality and efficiency.
For example, vocational education introduces application scenarios such as simulation and simulation workshops, builds virtualized scenarios, provides students with real technical action guidance and training, and provides efficient practice methods.
For another example, in the future, AR glasses can be used to provide road navigation functions through the glasses screen while the human eye observes the actual road.
Another example is the scene depicted in the movie "Ace Agent": through AR glasses, people from all over the world can have a meeting in the same virtual office.
The process from virtual to real is the process of creating and opening up new production and consumption scenarios.
For example, the mobile game development company Larva Labs creates "Meebits" virtual characters for sale as virtual artworks.
There are also many virtual idols, which have been "breaking the circle" after several years of development.
The concept has germinated
This year enters the "start-up period"
The white paper believes that the various digital and intelligent concepts that have emerged in the industry can be regarded as the buds of the metaverse. In the next 5 to 10 years, with the further maturity of related technologies and the continuous deepening of the metaverse concept, it is expected to enter the initial stage of development.
The embryonic stage is from 2016 to 2020. Although the concept of meta-universe has not yet appeared, different industries are making some attempts at single-point online, digital, and virtualized technologies.
For example, Boston doctor training company Osso VR has developed a series of software that can create virtual operating rooms, so that doctors can safely carry out more and more complex surgical operation training; Nintendo developed the mobile game "Pokemon GO" through the The application of AR technology on smart phones enables the discovery of virtual Pokémon images in the physical world, and entertaining games such as capture and battle.
The initial stage is from 2021 to 2030. Its essence is the further in-depth application and technological precipitation of online, digitization, and virtualization in different industries, realizing each independent meta-universe based on a single industry, and forming a decentralized and single meta-universe. The stage of industry, multi-center small ecology.
In the industry meta-universe, it mainly realizes the application of basic technology, and goes deep into the vertical industry to form the whole industry chain and the whole industry virtual application.
In the consumer meta-universe, it mainly realizes the further deepening of various independent IP virtual experiences, continuously develops and optimizes hardware devices that connect the physical and virtual worlds, enhances the realism of virtual experiences, and gradually builds a virtual social system.
For example, the originator of the meta-universe game "Roblox", players can realize the real economic exchange between the virtual and physical world through the exchange of game currency and real currency.
The development stage will start in 2031, and its essence is that metaverses of different independent industries will gradually open up data and standards to achieve a similar integration stage.
For example, the industrial Internet in different industrial fields may gradually unify data standards and merge to form an industrial meta-universe, and smart communities, smart buildings, and smart transportation may gradually unify data standards and merge to form a smart city meta-universe.
For individuals, multiple scenes and virtual elements in virtual life will "break the wall" to build a complete virtual life scene and content, and realize the circulation and sharing of virtual assets and information on multiple platforms. Marvel heroes, Monkey King and The virtual concert of the Korean girl group may appear in the same virtual time and space.
XR equipment is the key
Domestic and foreign technology giants have layouts
Extended reality is the entrance to the exploration of the metaverse, and the extended reality device (XR) is the key device for the metaverse to connect virtual and reality.
The so-called XR refers to the combination of reality and virtuality through a computer to create a virtual environment for human-computer interaction. It includes VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), etc. The collective term for technology.
The white paper believes that the supporting technical points that need to be realized in the initial stage of Metaverse are the construction and development of infrastructure and equipment. XR is a key product at this stage and needs to complete product development and application of basic functions.
Facebook, which started from social media, is an important evangelist in the XR field. It acquired Oculus in 2014 and then spared no effort to lay out the XR ecosystem: hardware, software, content, and application fields are fully cultivated.
In 2019, Facebook released the VR social platform "Facebook Horizon" and officially launched it in 2020. This is considered by the outside world to be an important step towards Metaverse.
In Horizon, users can create characters, meet with friends, and entertain. Everyone has the ability to build their own unique content, bringing great imagination to Facebook as the next-generation social platform.
Among domestic companies, XR is one of Huawei’s key technologies for strategic reserves: in terms of hardware, the first VR glasses were released in 2016, and headsets supporting mobile phones, computers and Cloud VR terminals were also launched in 2017, and products will be further strengthened in 2020. In terms of performance, VR game packages were released; in terms of software, a general AR engine was released in 2018, and a new AR content development tool was launched.
Tencent puts forward the concept of "True Internet" in 2020, which is aimed at developers' underlying platforms to open up key links such as hardware, software, and content.
In February 2020, Tencent participated in the US$150 million Series G financing of "Meta Universe's First Share" Roblox, and was the sole agent of Roblox's product offering in China.
In April 2021, its 48.4% gaming company Epic received a new round of US$1 billion in financing, mainly for the development of Metaverse; in November, its investment company invested in the purchase of a part of Ultraleap, a British manufacturer with XR haptic simulation technology. Equity.
In addition, Alibaba and Baidu are also deploying related ecosystems to varying degrees in the XR field.
At present, Ali’s XR entrance is more about future shopping. From the “Buy+” plan announced in 2020 to Ali’s “God of Creation”, investment in Magic Leap, and the upcoming VR payment, it can be seen that Ali has set the first for XR. Application scenarios.
Baidu reorganized the business of Baidu VR browser, which was launched in 2018, and added open technology platforms, VR advertising platforms, VR industry solutions, etc., and expanded from a single App application to an ecological gathering place for Baidu's VR projects.
In addition, many hardware manufacturers are also making efforts in hardware development, upgrading and content construction to accelerate the development of the industry.
The game takes the lead in "out of the circle"
Online concert attracts tens of millions of netizens to join in
In terms of application, Roblox, the "Meta Universe Concept First Unit", was listed on March 10, 2021. As one of the world's largest interactive communities and a massively multiplayer game creation platform, Roblox is actively deploying in the VR field and opening VR as early as 2016 It has gradually realized the cross-platform and cross-device adaptation of VR games. Gamers can experience VR games through computers, mobile phones, Xbox, Oculus and other terminal devices.
There are also more and more XR applications in the video entertainment field.
In April 2020, American singer Travis Scott held an online virtual concert in the popular shooting survival game "Fortress Night", using XR technology to present the performance throughout the whole process, attracting more than 27.7 million players to watch.
XR also brings great value in the medical industry.
In surgical operation training, XR technology can immerse the trained doctors in virtual scenes through display, touch, force feedback and other equipment, perform surgical operations and exercises, and experience the real clinical operation process, which can effectively improve the doctor’s diagnosis and formulation The ability of treatment plan can also greatly reduce the cost of equipment and specimens in traditional training.
In addition, XR will also play an important role in telemedicine and improvement of diagnosis and treatment technology to improve the problem of uneven medical resources.
Text/Reporter Chen Si