Metaverses like Second Life or Habbo exists since the beginning of the internet.
The metaverse is a virtual space where people interact with their avatars. The Blockchain and NFT technologies have transformed the metaverse and allow users to go forward, thanks to the creation of new economies, markets and individual property.
Here we give you 5 metaverse platforms you should definitely keep an eye on!
VRCHAT
VR chat is a 3D immersive virtual reality environment that allows users to take part in different adventures, interact with other users, buy 3D assets or immerse themselves in virtual worlds with their avatars.
VR Chat was founded in 2014 as an online VR multiplayer platform. The platform has over 25.000 chat spaces.
In April 2022, VR Chat peak users got to 38,176, making the platform one of the most popular immersive spaces in the virtual world (if not the most).
VR Chat’s Key Features
Vr chat is primarily designed to be used with virtual reality goggles or headsets. It is compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality virtual reality goggles, as well as Valve Index, although none of these devices is mandatory to play the game.
One of the most important functionalities of the platform is that it allows the integration of any type of avatar.
In Union Avatars, we can provide you with a realistic 3D avatar for free that you can upload to VRChat.
In case you want to create your 3D avatar, you have to download and install VRChat’s Software Development Kit (SDK). You will also need the current version of Unity since you can’t upload your avatar to VRChat without it.
We explain to you how to do it in this post: How to upload an Avatar to VRChat.
The Sandbox
The Sandbox is a project launched in 2012 by the company Animoca Brands. The project began as a mobile gaming platform focused on competing with Minecraft.
The Sandbox is built on the Ethereum blockchain. The platform works with smart contracts and allows developers to monetise experiences through the SAND token, native to The Sandbox, so they can generate returns within their digital plots and buy and exchange NFTs or digital assets.
The Sandbox is a voxel-style Metaverse that allows users to engage in a variety of virtual experiences. Users can access interactive applications, build their own digital worlds, play games and trade different objects.
The sandbox is the immersive platform that has sold the most land so far. Virtual real estate is focused on this platform.
The platform has a token called LAND. When a player purchases a LAND token, they are effectively buying a plot of land in the game. About the token:
- Land in the Sandbox is limited. A LAND token comprises a total of 96×96 metres in the game.
- The tokens are combinable, as a player can combine several LAND to obtain an ESTATE from them.ç
Decentraland
Created in 2015 by Ari Meiich and Estaben Ordano, Decentraland is an open-source virtual reality platform also built on the Ethereum Blockchain.
This is one of the first metaverse platforms where users can buy and sell pieces of land and sell assets such as avatars and virtual assets.
Decentraland has its own token called MANA, which allows users to control the development of the Metaverse through a DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation). It also has the LAND token, an NFT based on Ethereum’s ERC-721 standard. LAND allows users to prove and maintain digital ownership over land within the Metaverse, making monetisation possible.
Decentraland is the most popular platform and some countries like Barbados already opened their first digital embassy within this blockchain Metaverse.
As a downside, it doesn’t have a hyper-realistic definition so your avatar will always have a cartoon-like appearance.
Somnium Space
Somnium Space is an open and social virtual reality (VR) Metaverse.
Powered by blockchain technology, it was launched to the public in 2018 thanks to crowdfunding, and people can buy and own land.
It is open source and has been designed to work through virtual reality devices such as Rift, Oculus and HTC Vive.
The ultimate goal of the platform is to allow you to fully immerse in the virtual world and carry out any type of activities within it: going to the gym, watching a movie, visiting a museum, going to a concert, etc.
Somnium Space’s Metaverse offers high-quality 2D and 3D graphics and allows direct connection to the OpenSea NFT marketplace for trading NFTs.
Its native token is called CUBE and it’s used to make a transaction on the platform.
Somnium Space has partnered with HighFidelity, Pimax, Sony, Opensea, VR Education, Blockchain Gaming and many others to develop a truly decentralised metaverse.
In Somnium Space you can make a token out of your avatar. You can create it using CUBE but you get a cartoon-like avatar, instead of a realistic 3D avatar as we have in Union Avatars.
Roblox
Roblox was launched in 2006, but it was not until the second half of 2010 that it gained popularity.
Roblox is not just a game. It is an immersive online platform where users can create and share their creations.
It is the perfect platform for game creators as it has its own development suite called Roblox Studio Software which includes a variety of tools for creating games.
The platform has almost 10 million developers who have created around 25 million experiences.
Major brands such as Nike and Vans have joined the multiverse and created their own virtual worlds. Check this article to know more: 5 Fashion Brands Marketing in the Metaverse.
Roblox has its own in-game currency called Robux. You can use these coins to buy items, accessories, avatars or skins.
Although Roblox is free, you can become a premium user. Depending on the subscription plan you choose, you get more or less in-game currency:
- 5 Euro: 450 Robus per month.
- 10 Euro: 100 Robus per month
- 21 Euro: 2200 Robus per month
If you are premium you can earn money with the things you build in Roblox and the platform lets you set the price you consider convenient.
Immersive experiences are changing the way we interact online. Thanks to blockchain technologies, a new generation of the internet are being developed. Fungible tokens, digital assets, virtual worlds, virtual real states and many other terms are part of our lives even when we aren’t sure of their meaning.
The metaverse in 2022 is going through the same transition that social media went through in 2008. It’s in our hands to start implementing these new technologies and immersive experiences before everyone does!
