Metaverse firms trailblaze at CES 2022

South Korean giant Samsung is among companies that will use CES to stake out territory in the metaverse.

A man passes by signs of CES 2022 outside the Las Vegas Convention Centre. Picture: AFP

South Korean giant Samsung is among companies that will use this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to stake out territory in the metaverse.

Samsung already has its own virtual reality world called My House – built in collaboration with fellow Korean corporation Naver Z – but it will use CES to showcase metaverse-type applications accessed through its TVs and phones, according to conference organiser the Consumer Technology Association.

Brian Comiskey, CTA senior manager of industry intelligence, said the show would highlight companies involved with three facets of the metaverse: the hardware, software, and the blockchain-based cryptocurrencies and tokens that will fuel its economy.

The metaverse is an abstract concept that has been discussed ad nauseam since Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook as Meta. Despite the endless hype, few have managed to encapsulate what it actually is.

Comiskey sees the metaverse as the next phase, generation three, of the web, and discussions about the metaverse as about how the internet will evolve in 5, 10 or 15 years time. No longer will it centre on two-dimensional interactions, it will evolve into a three dimensional world where you interact across the globe with individuals, firms and workplaces in both real and abstract spaces.

Under this scenario, Mark Zuckerberg’s foray into the metaverse is his quest to dominate the next phase of the web as he has the current Web 2.0.

“At CES 2022, exhibitors are falling into line with the three key approaches to how the metaverse will be developed and evolve over time,” he told The Australian. “And those three approaches are hardware, software, and the blockchain and crypto.”

Mr Comiskey said that at CES, the “gateway devices” for interacting with the metaverse go beyond headsets and eyewear to smartphones, TVs and personal computers.

Attendees have their Covid-19 vaccination cards reviewed before receiving their badges ahead of CES. Picture: AFP

“We’ll really be looking at Samsung. Their smartphone advancements at the show will be an interesting area to watch from the hardware metaverse side. Their televisions are even going to be showcasing what they can do for the metaverse.

“Right now this concept is a space decorating experience; people can decorate their own metaverse homes using Samsung products.”

He said Samsung devices will offer cloud gaming, as well as digital asset management like posting and aggregating non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which have taken off as tradeable certificates of ownership of a real or virtual asset. “They’re really trying to be a one-stop hub for various internet-based economies and technologies,” he said.

He said Vuzix was a firm to watch with its lightweight augmented reality smart glasses. The spectacle-like glasses make it easier for interacting with the metaverse. “ You’re seeing more miniaturisation and the idea of more sleek, hardware approach setups.”

He said software development included building the holographic rendering programs that will create the look and feel of the metaverse. He said Snap had pivoted from social media and sharing fun photos to a commercial system for virtually “trying on anything” in a partnership with Gucci. “They are using lens technology like a digital dressing room.”

He said Warby Parker were exhibiting the virtual fitting of eyeglasses.

Dutch firm Tekle Holographics would showcase its 3D imaging and holographic software, a key to how well we can render and create virtual lived-in spaces, he said. “That’s a really exciting company.”

Blockchain is a big ticket item at CES 2022. Picture: AFP

CES is also expected to demonstrate crypto gaming, where players earn blockchain-based currency and tokens which they can spend and trade. Crypto gaming is one area expected to take off early and Mr Comiskey said gaming companies were announcing launching NFT-based games.

Mr Comiskey said that in virtual life, people could choose whether their online avatars looked exactly like them or “will get us looking exactly how we want to look”.

He said companies such as Spain’s Owo would demonstrate the latest in haptic vests that would let people feel sensations in metaverse spaces.

He expected the metaverse to operate as a self-contained crypto economy. “You’ll see cryptocurrencies working in conjunction with real world currencies to help power this space.”

He said new digital assets including non-fungible tokens would be launched at CES. The crypto trading platform FTX would also exhibit. “This is the future evolution of payments and what trade looks like and that will rise in conjunction with the metaverse.

“I think NFTs and crypto currency really represents an opportunity for blockchain to become more popular with consumers.”

If CES is a guide, the technology industry is already on-board with the economic and marketing potential that an infinite number of metaverse spaces can offer; the issue is to create hardware and compelling software so that we, the general public, want to participate.

Some see the metaverse as a souped-up VR version of Second Life and are stone cold about the concept, while enthusiasts point to Pokemon Go and Fortnite as offering “flashes” of how the metaverse could be wildly popular.