Reference News Network reported on December 28 that the French "Le Monde" website published an article on December 20 entitled "Next-generation Internet "metaverse" may reshape the digital map, written by Vincent Fargo. The full text is excerpted as follows:

In the tech world in 2021, "Metavers" is a buzzword. Many companies have recently expressed their willingness to actively participate in what appears to be the next form of the Internet. In this futuristic digital space, everyone can immerse themselves in a virtual universe through an avatar and have access to countless services: games, concerts or movies with friends, meetings with colleagues, You can also test drive a car or see a house. One thing deepened that vision: In late October, Facebook decided to rename its parent company "Meta," a firm way to demonstrate its ambition to move its users to this futuristic dimension. Mark Zuckerberg's company isn't the first to make the bet. Imperium Games CEO Tim Sweeney is perhaps the most astute theorist of the Metaverse. Most importantly, he made Fortnite one of the most perfect sketches of what this new digital space could look like, a virtual playground open to other developers where they could offer their experiences. For example, in April 2020, rapper Travis Scott held a series of online concerts here, attracting millions of viewers.

Professionals have seen the benefits of mastering the technology. Apparel and car brands can market their products, cultural players can showcase in these new scenarios, and companies can use them as extensions of their workspaces, such as Ireland's Accenture, which has teamed up with Microsoft to create a "mock campus" for newcomers around the world. Partners on the road to integration.

This technological advance has also raised many concerns: the isolation of individuals in virtual worlds, content moderation, and the protection of personal data. However, it is only a matter of time before a successful "metaverse" matures. "This is a meaningful development from a historical and technological standpoint," explained Frederick DeKang, co-founder and CEO of American Manticore Games. Video game businesses have transformed complex virtual The world’s production tools are industrialized; Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) headsets have reached a stage of technological maturity, although they are still struggling to win popular favor; infrastructure (fiber optics, mobile networks, cloud services, etc.) already exists, They just need to be upgraded to absorb the vast amounts of data the Metaverse will generate once it is used on a large scale.

The main obstacle to the rise of the "metaverse" is not so much technical as it is structural. To create this virtual space without any barriers, each link on the chain must contribute its own technology block, cooperate with the game, agree to interoperability, so that each user can buy clothes in Robles or in "Fortnite" "watch movie.

In this sense, the "metaverse" offers a rare opportunity to adjust the economy of a sector in which a few players monopolize most of the wealth. In the paid digital space, Apple and Google get most of the value through the royalties they receive from their app stores. In the free space based on data marketing and advertising, Facebook, Google and Amazon make up the omnipotent triumvirate. With the transition to the "metaverse," many participants who feel deprived of wealth work to adjust the rules of this wealth-sharing. "The 'Metaverse' is the next chapter of the internet, and the next chapter of this economy," Zuckerberg said. Sweeney challenged Apple and Google's royalties on Imperium games and fought them in court . He believes that in the long run, the economic potential of the "metaverse" could reach trillions of dollars, claiming that "it cannot be appropriated by any participant". Facebook is now the richest company to invest in the "metaverse" (market value is about $917 billion), and the scale of investment is huge: in 2014, Facebook bought VR headset maker Oaklus for $2 billion; launched "horizon" World" platform; set up a VR and AR laboratory with 10,000 employees, mainly dedicated to the research and development of "Metaverse", it is expected that the department will recruit at least 10,000 people in Europe within 5 years; plans to invest in "Metaverse" this year $10 billion. Some believe the strategic shift, which led to Facebook's name change, was an attempt to divert attention from the allegations that Facebook is currently facing. We cannot rule out this possibility, but the cost is prohibitive.

In this sense, the "metaverse" offers a rare opportunity to adjust the economy of a sector in which a few players monopolize most of the wealth. In the paid digital space, Apple and Google get most of the value through the royalties they receive from their app stores. In the free space based on data marketing and advertising, Facebook, Google and Amazon make up the omnipotent triumvirate. With the transition to the "metaverse," many participants who feel deprived of wealth work to adjust the rules of this wealth-sharing. "The 'Metaverse' is the next chapter of the internet, and the next chapter of this economy," Zuckerberg said. Sweeney challenged Apple and Google's royalties on Imperium games and fought them in court . He believes that in the long run, the economic potential of the "metaverse" could reach trillions of dollars, claiming that "it cannot be appropriated by any participant". Facebook is now the richest company to invest in the "metaverse" (market value is about $917 billion), and the scale of investment is huge: in 2014, Facebook bought VR headset maker Oaklus for $2 billion; launched "horizon" World" platform; set up a VR and AR laboratory with 10,000 employees, mainly dedicated to the research and development of "Metaverse", it is expected that the department will recruit at least 10,000 people in Europe within 5 years; plans to invest in "Metaverse" this year $10 billion. Some believe the strategic shift, which led to Facebook's name change, was an attempt to divert attention from the allegations that Facebook is currently facing. We cannot rule out this possibility, but the cost is prohibitive.

But Zuckerberg's company culture isn't the best fit for the creation of this wildly open universe. The market seems ready to believe other players, such as Roblox Games. The company's successful U.S. listing is notable, with a current market value of more than $67 billion. And companies like Imperium Games, which are more mass-oriented, or Microsoft, which has both professional and individual customers, also seem very likely to succeed. Perhaps they aspire to be dominant?