For the second time, Facebook connect was conducted virtually. The main theme of the event revolved around the Metaverse, its development, and its features. However, it ended with Facebook’s rebranding to ‘meta’. Here’s a detailed scoop on what happened at the event.
Facebook is now Meta
While expected, one of the most shocking announcements from Facebook’s Connect 2021 event was Facebook’s name change and rebranding. “To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build, I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta,” announced the CEO. Mark Zuckerberg assured that they are still the same company but, with new additions. He also explained that the word ‘meta’ means beyond. After all, Facebook is a story that grew from a dorm room. It grew beyond imagination and it is in their essence to move beyond what’s possible. They want to move beyond screens and what is physically possible. And, in Zuckerberg’s words, “ future beyond one company.”
“Metaverse first, not Facebook first. That means that over time you won’t need a Facebook account to use our other services. As our new brand starts showing up in our products, I hope people around the world come to know the Meta brand and the future we stand for,” he explained. “As we embark on this next chapter, I’ve thought a lot about what this means for our company and our identity. Today, we’re seen as a social media company. Facebook is one of the most used technology products in the history of the world. It’s an iconic social media brand,” he added. Hence, all apps under the Facebook umbrella will now be owned by Meta. Zuckerberg believes that “what we are building and technology can make life better.” The company will also be investing $10 billion in Reality Labs to build the Metaverse.
What is the Metaverse?
Despite the sci-fi origin of the word, the Metaverse is the next evolution for the internet and communication. This year’s Connect conference focused on the Metaverse. According to Zuckerberg, the Metaverse is the next step in communication and the next version of the Internet. While the making of this VR/AR world is still in progress, some of its building blocks are already here or in the making. “We’ll be able to express ourselves in new ways,” said Zuckerberg. The tech billionaire took time to go into details and chat with experts and department heads of the various components of the Metaverse.
Connecting with people and having a presence is one of the main focuses of the project. The Metaverse is a great place to get together with friends and family and spend time with them. “You’ll see all the subtle ways people communicate,” said Zuckerberg. After all, unlike 2D screens, people are no longer on a small grid. We can communicate as though we are in the same room. “In the metaverse, you’ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine — get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create — as well as completely new experiences that don’t really fit how we think about computers or phones today,” said Zuckerberg.
Avatars are another crucial feature of the platform. They are not just a way to identify yourself but to express and try different things, a ‘virtual wardrobe’ in simpler words. Zuckerberg added that one can have various avatars and modes for work, hanging out with friends, meeting family and even playing games. Additionally, you can also bring items such as skins and accessories from other games.
More on the components of the new online home
The Metaverse comes with home space. It is your personal bubble that you can leave if you wish to connect with others. The home space is customizable and a great place to invite people or hang out.“ Your home is your virtual space, from where you can teleport to other places. It’s like clicking a link on the internet,” said Zuckerberg.
The ‘Horizon home’ will be the Metaverse home space for now. However, ‘home’ will have a social space in the coming days, on the other hand, horizon world’ is where one can build homes and jump into it various realms with people. One can play games, explore forests, swim in the Great Barrier Reef, and more. The Horizon workrooms were released earlier this AR/VRA space for collaboration and working. The tech platform announced that they are bringing in new ways of customization for Quest device users. “Our hope is that within the next decade, the metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce, and support jobs for millions of creators and developers,” said Zuckerberg.
On the other hand, the platform will now revolutionize gaming, attending Concerts or even looking at art. Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the iconic ‘Grand Theft Auto San Andreas’ will make its debut in the gaming space. Making augmented reality for tours is also in the works. The Horizon marketplace will also feature artists, creators, and several other ways for businesses to flourish. Since the pandemic forced people indoors, people have been working out and staying active with Quest. They assured that working out will also receive upgrades in the days to come.
Not just work and socializing
The Metaverse is not just for fun, games, and conferences. Learning will soon have a new face with the ability to transport to any place or time. Learning facts or making new things will soon be easier and more interesting. The platform will help in surgery or medical sciences, architecture, science, mechanics, and automobiles among others. And to make this possible, the company will invest $150 million towards helping people learn to make this a reality.
Commerce on Metaverse will make buying both physical and digital products much easier. Creators can make a living with a combination of sales, subscriptions, and tipping.
The platform has a major focus on the presence making the realistic experience a key to staying connected in the Metaverse. The interaction SDK makes hand-object interactions more seamless and ‘real’. In addition to this, voice and coordination will also improve the mixed reality experience. Work towards improving skin and hair features and expanding the wardrobe is still in progress. What’s more? You can have a pet in the Metaverse and interact, play or feed it.
Improving new technology or upgrading it is not as easy as visualizing it. According to Zuckerberg, making the process ethical and transparent is on the top of their list. With this comes the huge task of aligning the AR/VR world with the real world. Mixed reality will definitely take time and effort to develop. Additionally, to make VR for everyone the space will need to be inclusive.
To fast-track this, Facebook will soon release new hardware and software to support the mixed reality world. While the firm released Rayban stories earlier, it is not fully AR/VR glasses but, it’s the first step in making more realistic glasses that will not hinder the real world. Zuckerberg also revealed the release of a fully AR experience glass.