VR Metaverses: Which Blockchain Metaverses Already Support VR?

They said no. They took away your power cord. Even locked away your PC. — For most parents, gaming was “a waste of time.”

Today, it’s the gateway drug to the Metaverse: In games like Roblox or Fortnite, you meet your friends, go to concerts, or even celebrate your birthday. But even that is just the beginning.

The goal? VR Metaverses in the style of “Ready Player One” on the blockchain.

But what is the Metaverse anyway? What is VR and is it really the future (some doubt it)? And which Metaverses on the blockchain are already supporting VR?

Let’s find out:

1. What is the Metaverse? What is VR?

It feels like the Metaverse has more definitions than the word “run” (645 and still counting). No one knows exactly what it is.

All we know is that we are moving toward it like Usain Bolt toward the finish line. What are some common definitions?

• The Metaverse is a persistent (it never stops), interoperable 3D virtual world — the successor to the mobile internet (from Matthew Ball).
• For Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, the Metaverse is “an embodied internet, where instead of just viewing content — you are in it.” (Verge Interview).
• For entrepreneur and investor Shaan Puri, it’s a point in time — when our virtual lives are worth more than our physical lives.
• For Bankless, the Metaverse (at least a part of it) means digital ownership — nobody, not Google, not Facebook, not even the state can take anything away from you…

… maybe we can agree on the following: The Metaverse is a place where you can experience all areas of life digitally: It’s where you meet your friends, have fun, and work.

Much of this is already a reality — meetings via Zoom; socializing in Discord, working as a content creator.

But it doesn’t feel like the Metaverse yet; only like the preliminary stage. It lacks the feeling of being there, of experiencing it, feeling it, smelling it, touching it.

VR (virtual reality) is supposed to solve this problem. But what is VR?

It’s a computer technology that lets you enter a simulated world. You don’t look at a screen, but immerse yourself in a 3D world — that you can feel, hear, touch, and eventually smell.

So far, you’re experiencing the beginnings via clunky VR headsets. They are headsets that haven’t hit the mainstream yet, are still comparatively expensive, and turn some stomachs like a roller coaster ride.

That’s why not everyone is convinced that VR is really the future:

2. Are VR Metaverses the future or just a fad?

For more than 20 years, people have been saying that VR is the future. But this future is delayed like the end of the world of the Maja calendar.

That’s why some believe this future won’t come at all. What else speaks against Metaverses with VR?

• It is unnatural and claustrophobic for people to wear 3D glasses for long periods of time — no matter how excellent the technology develops. You’re cut off from your environment, which becomes unbearable over time. That’s why the Metaverse might be more AR — augmented reality, mixing the real world and the virtual world. (You can read the whole argument in a detailed article by Louis Rosenberg).
• Nobody wants to wear bulky glasses all day — especially if it makes some people sick. The technology is still nascent and…
• No one can give an exact timeline for when it will be solved: Bill Gates says in three years we’ll all be holding meetings with VR and avatars… Zuckerberg says in the Verge interview, “But I think we’re going to be there by the end of this decade…” which could also mean we have no clue.

Nevertheless, there is something to be said for VR Metaverses:

• Most of all, the feeling of being present: Feeling someone next to you who is thousands of miles away… smelling the fragrant cheese of a pizza as you enter a restaurant in a game… to immerse yourself completely in a world — only VR can make that possible.
• The technology has made tremendous improvements: “The first consumer Oculus (2016) had a resolution of 1080 × 1200 per eye, while the Oculus Quest 2, released four years later, had 1832 × 1920 per eye (roughly equivalent to 4K).” As Matthew Ball says in his Metaverse Primer.
• And Lastly, it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy: It feels like everyone is working on the VR Metaverse — Meta, Microsoft…. — maybe that’s why it’s inevitable?

What is to come, no one knows. But what is already here are some VR Metaverses on the blockchain. You will get to know them now.

First, those who already support VR; then those who want to implement it:

3. Which VR Metaverses are already “haunting” the Blockchain?

• Somnium Space is a Metaverse that you enter either via your browser or via a VR client. It consists of 5,026 plots of land, which come in three sizes. Landowners can build their own homes and animations on their land using both the Builder and the Somnium SDK. Somnium Space is the closest thing to a “Ready Player One” Metaverse in vision and implementation so far.

Screenshot from Somium Space Website

• Crypto Voxels: Works similarly to Somnium Space. The land is divided between the creators of CryptoVoxels (Nolan Consulting) and the investors. What’s special about Crypto Voxels? You can display your NFTs, which has allowed this Metaverse to quickly conquer the art scene. It has become a meeting place for art communities.
• Spatial: Think of it as a Louvre for your NFTs, a pub to meet your friends. You can create your own showrooms that you or your friends can visit… everything via VR, AR, desktop, or your smartphone…

… these are blockchain Metaverses that are supporting VR. But which ones are still to come?

The following is a selection:

4. Which metaverses want to adopt VR?

• Decentraland is the largest blockchain Metaverse that is live so far (by market cap of its token MANA). A few clicks via your browser is enough, and you can dive into this world. Furthermore, in the Decentraland Roadmap 2022, this virtual world has announced to develop a VR client as well. The goal is the second half of the year.
• Fluf World (burrows): Is “A metaverse ecosystem of NFT character collectables and a global, creative community.” — with the NFT collections Flufs, Party Bears, and Thingies. They meet in the Burrows, the “Metaverse LAND” of the Flufs. These Burrows bring breeding, interaction, and land ownership to the Fluf World.
• Bit.Country: This is not a single Metaverse, but a multitude of Metaverses created by its users — with their own rules and their own tokens. These “mini-Metaverses” are located on the map of Bit.Country — the Continuum. Bit.Country will be divided into two worlds: a 2D world for social media and a 3D gaming world that you can explore via VR.
• Bloktopia is a skyscraper consisting of 21 floors (do you get the allusion?). There you will play, learn and of course, earn money — for example through advertising on your virtual real estate. Everything is to be experienced in high-resolution graphics with your VR headset.
• Cradles: Origin of Species describes itself as “a prehistoric metaverse powered by blockchain that lets you use your VR device for an immersive experience, choosing from many species to play as and exploring the virtual world from your soul” (Cradles on Medium). In this game, anyone can slip into an extinct species and earn NFTs and tokens in either the “Main City” or the “Adventure Zone”. One of the special points is “Entropy” — your world will shrink, rot, and break if you don’t take care of it…

… that was only a small selection. To be sure, many more Metaverses will adopt VR. But what about The Sandbox — the biggest metaverse (in terms of LAND market cap)?

No VR support is planned so far. Nevertheless, it is possible with its block style; because Minecraft has already integrated it.

5. How MGH is investing in both AR and VR Metaverses

VR or not, the metaverse is probably the megatrend of the next 10 years.

That’s why we at MGH are pursuing a diverse strategy: We invest in different metaverses, build our community hubs for live events and meetups, and develop exciting games there. All with one goal: to navigate the metaverse together with our community.

So far, we have invested in 14 Sandbox LANDs — including coveted LAND next to the Snoop Verse. Furthermore, in LAND from Decentraland and Somnium Space… plus in various XONEs from the AR Metaverse XONE. And lastly, in NFTs and Burrows from Fluf World.

You can view all of our assets in our “Treasury”.

We believe in both VR and AR Metaverses and will continue to invest — along with our community — in lucrative and exciting projects.

6. Conclusion to VR Metaverses

It feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy: almost everyone imagines the Metaverse in a “Ready Player One” style. It’s a Metaverse you can explore with all your senses.

That’s why big companies like Meta and Microsoft, or blockchain metaverses like Somnium or Bloktopia, are working toward that very future.

Nevertheless, VR headsets are still bulky and clumsy. Nobody knows when they will finally be comfortable.

That’s why we at MGH are investing in a variety of metaverses to navigate our community through as many immersive worlds as possible. Whether VR or not.

How Can You Stay up to Date and Keep in Touch with MGH?

• If you want more information about MGH, visit our Website
• For a sharpshooter-like view over the whole project, read our Whitepaper.
• Work together with us in a Working Group.
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• Check out MGH on LinkedIn.
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About MGH

At MGH we bring together DeFi, Data, and the Metaverse by following one core principle: “Navigating through the Open Metaverse together”. We accomplish this in four clearly defined steps:

• DAO Governed LANDs: MGH DAO collaboratively acquires, populates, and monetizes LANDs and respective in-game assets.
• Valuation Algorithm: Our Valuation Algorithm allows fair pricing for LANDs and will be gradually adopted to more Metaverse Assets.
• Dataverse Tools: MGH DAO is developing intuitive data tools which can be leveraged by users and ecosystems alike.
• Intuitive Metaverse d’Apps: Use MGH DAO’s tools to navigate through the Metaverse and leverage MetaFi.