Between continued skepticism and trouble at Meta, it’s not hard to think the future is a bit bleak for the metaverse — but rumors of its demise might be premature.
In a recent survey of 9,000 consumers, the professional services firm Accenture found that 55 percent of respondents said they wanted to become “active users” of the metaverse. And of those meta-optimists, said Kevan Yalowitz, the firm’s global software and platforms lead, 90 percent wanted to make that leap within the next year.
In the meantime, other companies are busy. HTC — which produced the Vive line of VR headsets — is openly teasing a portable follow-up product designed to compete with Meta’s popular Quest 2. Others, including Sharp and Canon, are getting ready to show off prototypes and experiences that could give still more people ways and reasons to dive into virtual spaces. And, after years of anticipation, this may be the year Apple finally releases a wearable screen.
None of that necessarily means you’ll find yourself moving through sprawling, immersive, interoperable worlds any sooner — just that people aren’t going to stop talking about it anytime soon.
