A new battle in the tech industry is taking shape over the “metaverse,” as companies like Facebook Inc. and Roblox Corp. they work to shape a virtual realm that most consumers don’t yet know exists.
The concept of metaverse, rooted in science fiction novels like “Snow Crash” and “Ready Player One,” includes an extensive online world that transcends individual technology platforms, where people exist in immersive, shared virtual spaces. Through avatars, people could try items available in stores or attend concerts with friends, just as they would offline.
On Thursday, Facebook launched public testing of Horizon Workrooms, a free app used in Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets, which allows people to enter virtual offices as avatars and participate in meetings while watching the screen and the computer keyboard. The concept is aimed at connecting people in hybrid and remote work environments, the company said.
“In the future, working together will be one of the main ways to use the metaverse,” executive director Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post.
Enthusiasm for the concept has also helped overload ratings from companies such as Roblox – which went public on a direct list in March – and Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc., as investors bet that the popular Video game worlds will take a leading position in the nascent online space.