Will The Metaverse Take Decades To Be Fully Realized?

The metaverse is having a moment in the limelight, particularly after Facebook announced it would be rebranding to Meta.  

In an effort to envision a new digital universe, companies are making their own attempts at dipping their toes in this new virtual and augmented world that experts believe could alter how people work.  

The metaverse is not a new concept. In fact, the term was coined in the 1992 dystopian novel “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson, where people spent time in a digital “metaverse.” 

Today, the metaverse typically comes in the form of video games such as The Sims, Second Life, and Minecraft. However, these examples barely scratch the surface of what may come from this new technology. 

Even now, companies are making commitments to expanding their services in preparation for the metaverse. For instance, Microsoft announced it would incorporate Mesh for its Teams application next year, which will allow Teams users to utilize holograms and virtual spaces. 

Despite the initiatives made in anticipation of the metaverse, the final form of this digital universe is still uncertain. 

For Mark Zuckerberg, the metaverse will become mainstream over the next five to 10 years. However, venture capitalist Matthew Ball believes that it will take decades for the metaverse to be fully realized, stating that current technologies do not have the capability to support what the metaverse requires to function.