The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet • Hacker News Board

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#111

Post by netcan » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 2:25 PM UTC

hooby wrote: post #98

netcan wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy to get entangled in definitions, metaphors and such. It's kind of pointless though. They aren't precise anyway. Instead of clearly defining what these things mean, I think it's better for clarity if we just focus on implications. That's what we care about anyway. We care that "The internet will be the metaverse" inasmuch as this statement has implications. "VR Internet" implies, IMO, decentralisation standa…

That's why I'm asking for a more precise definition. To me, it seems kinda hard to discuss the implications of something, when you don't understand what it is - or when the people discussing it, have incompatible ideas of what it is. For example, by the arguments of this article right here, AR/VR is not a requirement for a metaverse (otherwise the current internet could not be a metaverse, right?). According to the k…

There isn't a precise definition. How precise can "metaverse" be? You can't get the implications from the definition. That's why I suggest going directly for implications.

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#112

Post by netcan » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 2:33 PM UTC

philjohn wrote: post #93

netcan wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course. We definitely don't need fb. VR though, is another mode. We don't necessarily need it, but having it does give us something new.

VR has much more feeling of "presence" than just video calling, or texting. I've been doing meetings in VR for a few months now and it beats Zoom etc. hands down IMHO, being able to look around, coalesce around a whiteboard, positional audio - it may look a bit cartooney, but for me it's less draining than video conference and more engaging.

Yeah, but I actually think zoom meeting aren't the ideal proving ground. It's a head-2-head between two tools that can do the job, with certain advantages to both.

For hanging out with a younger sibling, zoom doesn't work too well. Video (or audio only) calling enables only a certain kind of interaction. In the physical world,we play tennis, have dinner, cook together, etc. We don't just sit in front of each other and talk intensely all the time.

VR opens this up a little.

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#113

Post by tim333 » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

ricardonunez wrote: post #53

8eye wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

right? or why can’t he just build some space stuff like the rest of the billionaires lol

We commented the same thing at the same time lol No wonder Buffett was doing new deals all the time, probably his way of coping with it.

One smart thing with Buffett is he likes the day job and doesn't need to go off and build rockets or similar.

""" I can do anything in the world I want to do but what I want to do is run Berkshire Hathaway. Now why do I want to run it that way? There's a couple of things:

A) I get to paint my own painting. I go down there every day and I feel like Michelangelo working on the Sistine Chapel or something. [...]

And the second thing I like, frankly, is I like applause. I like appreciation. So I like having shareholders who feel good about what I've done.... Everybody in our family has got all of their money in Berkshire, and so those people are counting on me. And that's kind of fun to have something where you can actually deliver for other people and change their lives in positive ways.

"""

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#114

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 2:50 PM UTC

PaulKeeble wrote: post #9

All we really need to collectively build up a metaverse is the HTML of VR, where experiences can be linked together. Web browsers can already launch 3D experiences in VR its just clunky and I switch it off because ads on some sites start VR for some reason. We already have quite a few 2D into VR desktops too and they work. Seamless transition and placement appears to be a bit lacking but it doesn't feel all that far…

I think this is exactly their aim. Zuck mentions "links" to other places and making it a standard. I'm very nervous because Facebook is the last company that I want leading this yet they are the only ones who seem fully invested.

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#115

Post by drunkpotato » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 2:57 PM UTC

rchaud wrote: post #85

q4Zar wrote: post #10

I'm a software developer and i pass literraly 80% of my time working to make my family survive to this world, and honestly the only thing that i have in mind it's to flippin go in the forest for a walk, i don't understand the thing of wanting so much to be isolated and wear a fucking VR mask, this world is fucked up !

This isn't for you. It's for the current generation of kids who've grown up having their attention spans destroyed by having a screen in front of them their whole lives. A good chunk of them live online, having parasocial relationships with Twitch streamers and Youtubers, or buying skins to put on their characters in Fortnite. I have almost no idea what Roblox and Minecraft are besides world building, but kids get ad…

This reads very much like a “kids these days!” Complaint lodged against the next generation since time immemorial. Sure, some parasocial relationships can be harmful, and video game addiction is something to watch out for (though I’m not sure why you singled out Minecraft and Roblox specifically, they’re just fun creative games), but there’s nothing preventing a healthy balance of screen time, activities, and outdoor time with a bit of parental guidance.

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#116

Post by drunkpotato » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 3:00 PM UTC

bspammer wrote: post #107

rchaud wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't for you. It's for the current generation of kids who've grown up having their attention spans destroyed by having a screen in front of them their whole lives. A good chunk of them live online, having parasocial relationships with Twitch streamers and Youtubers, or buying skins to put on their characters in Fortnite. I have almost no idea what Roblox and Minecraft are besides world building, but kids get ad…

If I had a kid, I’d be encouraging them to play Minecraft. I’m 25, and played during the very early days around 2009. I can’t see a way in which Minecraft was anything but good for my brain. I regret the amount of my teens that I spent playing video games in general, but I don’t regret Minecraft. It’s such a genuinely positive and constructive experience in its openness. It’s like life - there’s no endgame or goal. N…

I’d never played Minecraft until my son introduced it to me, and now I love it! I made a big farmstead and greenhouse and it was quite satisfying!

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#117

Post by gjvc » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 3:30 PM UTC

philjohn wrote: post #89

mmffrrss wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Although Zuck is easy to mock about this move proves courage for a company as big as Fb. In the end, zuck understands that the risk of not changing is much greater than the risk of staying the same. Technology is unstoppable

Much like Microsoft's misstep in not taking the internet seriously in the 90's, and not taking smartphones seriously in the 2000's.

Perhaps they thought they could deal with it in their own time. Instead, the world marched on.

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#118

Post by fragmede » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 4:14 PM UTC

tim333 wrote: post #109

philjohn wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much like Microsoft's misstep in not taking the internet seriously in the 90's, and not taking smartphones seriously in the 2000's.

I think Microsoft did take them seriously. They just screwed up the execution. Like here's a "Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition" phone out a couple of years before the iPhone https://www.zdnet.com/product/anextek-sp230/

Their problem with execution was the plan of vertical integration that Apple is known for. In particular, there's little that the first iPhone could do that Blackberry didn't already do at the time - except for one thing. Cost. Blackberry was a victim of their success in the business market segment, and Microsoft wanted to join them there. The iPhones initial launch included a deal with AT&T to make it a relatively affordable, consumer facing device, thus expanding the market as a whole, to the success we see today.

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#119

Post by hooby » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 4:19 PM UTC

netcan wrote: post #111

hooby wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's why I'm asking for a more precise definition. To me, it seems kinda hard to discuss the implications of something, when you don't understand what it is - or when the people discussing it, have incompatible ideas of what it is. For example, by the arguments of this article right here, AR/VR is not a requirement for a metaverse (otherwise the current internet could not be a metaverse, right?). According to the k…

There isn't a precise definition. How precise can "metaverse" be? You can't get the implications from the definition. That's why I suggest going directly for implications.

I remember similar things happening in the past.

"Cloud" was a very ill-defined term once - many companies threw it around, often in completely nonsensical fashion. The cloud turned out to not be that magical future some where predicting back then. It's basically a new-ish way of hosting virtual servers in data-centers, that allows more flexible forms of deployment and new accounting methods - like pay per actually used compute power. Also more dynamic scaling. It didn't quite completely change the internet, and people's lifes like many claimed it would.

Blockchain is another such concept, that saw a lot of completely over-blown and outright nonsensical claims at first - and many companies claimed to use "blockchain" even when they didn't, just because it helped attract investment money.

That's what happens when terms get thrown around, that aren't properly understood.

Back to your suggestion of going straight for the implications. So, for example, let's ask the question what implications the metaverse might have on the future of VR and VR adoption. If the metaverse is defined as "it's just the internet and already exists" - like this article claims, then I see no special implications for VR here at all. If the metaverse is defined as massively-multiuser-VR, then the success of a metaverse is going to have huge implications for VR.

So, how do I go straight for those implications, without knowing whether the metaverse has something to do with VR or not?

Re: The metaverse is already here, it's called the internet

#120

Post by istorical » Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 4:23 PM UTC

cheschire wrote: post #32

netcan wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an oculus, which I bought mostly out of interest. Not really a gamer. Anyway, I use it once or twice a month to play a zombie shooting game with my brother, who lives overseas. We shoot zombies for an hour and chat. It feels kind of similar to golfing, bowling or somesuch. We can't do those in person, so we do it in VR. So for me, VR is kind of a comms tool. A place to catch up. Alternative to video calls. Cal…

Meh? Everything you described has been occurring over the internet for 30ish years already. We didn’t need Facebook or VR for it.

It seems to me as if you're simply missing the fundamental difference in that you don't understand (likely because you haven't experienced it firsthand with a friend or loved one) the value of physical/social presence enabled by VR. There are two things so far VR does that 2d doesn't, 1) you feel like you are really in the room with someone even if you are not, 2) boobs look 3D in VR porn.