This article first appeared in PC Gamer magazine issue 378 in December 2022, as part of our Tech Report series. Every month we explore and explain the latest technological advances in computing—from the wonderful to the truly weird—with help from the scientists, researchers, and engineers making it all happen.
It's hard to imagine a worse start for a company who wants to own the metaverse, and for us to spend all our time there. One can be permitted a sliver of schadenfreude in watching a man who's taken such a laissez-faire approach to our privacy data get it wrong, but the metaverse's fortunes aren't tied to Meta. Zuckerberg's specific vision has thus far failed because of the obvious issues right there at the announcement—that Horizon Worlds' avatars look startlingly basic.
Persistent, always-on worlds with massive player numbers have been central to our experience since Ultima Online. Modding has transformed games from auteured, closed experiences to platforming hosting the imaginative output of thousands—we only need to look at how far Half-Life or Skyrim have been guided away from their original release form by UGC for evidence of that. EVE has shown us how an entirely player-regulated economy can function and sustain itself.
Yes, we have Roblox, VR Chat, PK XD, Second Life and other ones. But he probably means a metaverse we never seen before? 🤔
Exactly. The whole metaverse thing is pure hype and no substance because of that, 3D games are nothing new. These people come up with a poorly modeled 3D store and in their heads this is the most advanced thing they've ever seen. They fully expect that to change the world.
Roblox, Minecraft, VRChat. Theres others too, like runescape and mmos.
VRchat has been doing for free what Zucks Metaverse has been failing to do with billions behind it.
VR chat is decades ahead of horizon worlds
Anyone read, 'History of the Future?' Check it out if you haven't.
I wonder what you could count as being the first. Did Ultima Online have any notable predecessors?
Tech billionaires being out of touch? Say it ain't so!
Well, I guess it's true what they say - you can't teach an old dog new tricks!