Charlene Nichols

The Metaverse: What is it & How to Get There

A metaverse is a place where digital information and people coexist. It's a shared virtual space that may look like our everyday world, but with the power of VR, MR, and CG, it becomes much more than a place to hang out with friends or observe NFTS. The Metaverse can be thought of as the next evolution of the internet. There is not just one Metaverse, just like there is not one internet. The Metaverse is a collection of all platforms which join this virtual space, and genuine metaverse developers have placed their primary focus on interoperability and transportation within "verses:. In this article, we will be focusing specifically on The Omniverse, The Optical Metaverse, and how to get your ticket to a metaverse experience this year.

What is the Metaverse?

Metaverse has become much more than a buzzword. The word 'meta' is Greek for 'beyond' or 'after,' so in theory, the Metaverse is referred to as the world that comes after ours — the world of VR and no limits. The term was initially defined as a "collective virtual reality" where people could meet, socialize, and participate in various activities. The early examples of users in headsets playing in fairy tale lands are being replaced with real cities that function in ways very similar to places IRL (In Real Life). If you have not yet experienced the Metaverse, imagine a place where all digital information, locations, and people are connected. Think of it similar to the internet, but instead of web pages and apps, everything is in a fully immersive and interactive 3D environment where you control the experience. You can move around, interact with other people, and experience things that may not even be possible to experience IRL. The beauty of the Metaverse is in how it stimulates the human intellect. Within the Metaverse, we have already seen a rapid evolution of creative minds. They begin building worlds right out of their imaginations as they get their hands on these new limitless tools.

How do we get to the Metaverse?

Typically, to get to Meta (Facebook's version of the Metaverse), you need to put on a VR headset. You would then be transported from the real world to this virtual world. There are various VR headsets available, such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, which are capable of delivering the Metaverse experience. The headsets are compatible with a computer (laptop or desktop) that has enough processing power to run the VR software.

In this article, however, we promised to talk to you about getting to The Omniverse and The Optical Metaverse. The team at My Vision Show has worked with VRX (Virtual Reality Experiences) to design The Optical Metaverse as an event. The goal was to build an environment that functions exactly like a VR headset accessible Metaverse and enhance accessibility by making the platform available through a browser-based login. This new streaming platform experience will allow many more users to participate in this world.

The Omniverse is referred to as the entire world, developed by the VRX and My Vision Show team. The Optical Metaverse refers to a specific event hosted in The Omniverse. It will cater to the optical and optometry sectors of the vision industry. Users fit into one of three categories- visitors, buyers, and sellers. We will discuss this more in our breakdown of The Omniverse vs. The Optical Metaverse.

Visitors will be able to access The Omniverse through private invitations or during releases of limited shopping passes. The platform will be open to visitors towards the end of 2022. Visitors who are generally consumers (aka end-users) will not have access to The Optical Metaverse convention center. Still, they will have access to any optical shops or optometry practices that set up their virtual businesses within the various shopping districts of The Omniverse.

Buyers will be able to access The Omniverse through their existing My Vision Show membership, by becoming a My Vision Show member, or by reaching out to their favorite vendor for an invitation to the platform and/or upcoming events. Buyers will be able to access all areas of The Omniverse and events within our convention center based on the access their pass entails. Free passes will be made widely available, and upgraded passes with enhanced features are on the roadmap for Q3 2022.

Sellers who are already registered for the initial release of The Omniverse will be granted access as soon as our platform is live for streaming. This is currently scheduled for July 2022. Sellers will be able to set up their booths, meet with early access pass holders and invite a select group of buyers in September 2022. This is the estimated date when the event is scheduled to launch.

A full-scale metaverse event complete with buyers and sellers experiencing The Optical Metaverse event in real-time is scheduled for October 2022, just in time for brands to release their end-of-year collections and end the year strong. If you are interested in obtaining access to The Omniverse or The Optical Metaverse, please click here.

The Omniverse

A collective of virtual shopping districts anchored by a bustling convention center — the Omniverse. The Omniverse is an evolution of the original optical metaverse roadmap. Once we realized what our team was capable of building in the right direction, we began expanding our vision beyond the optical industry. Research revealed that many verticals needed a decentralized platform where they could connect, network, and collaborate disruption-free. The decentralized marketplace concept is not new for anyone who has researched blockchain, web3, crypto trends, or NFTs. However, the culmination of all of these concepts in one single platform with an ecosystem designed to harvest new experiences evolutionarily did not exist. We realized we needed to develop our environment to host the needs of other industries as well. Fashion and music verticals have already begun discussions with our development team. A strategy for building events for fashion and music that run parallel with our optical event is already underway. What started as an events platform has now evolved into an experience platform that will be accessible 24/7 by various users based on their access. The Omniverse is in its Genesis stage, which is to say, this is actually just the beginning. The ideas spawning from the creative visionaries discovering this platform are awe-inspiring. Our vision of inspiring engineers, Imagineers, and designers from all walks of life to build their dreams within our forum is becoming a reality. Bookmark The Omniverse and come back regularly as it will evolve rapidly.

The Optical Metaverse

The Optical Metaverse is the original destination that inspired the development of The Omniverse. We build The Optical Metaverse to allow better B2B transactions between buyers and sellers within the optical and eye care space. The vision industry, in general, is very traditional. It is challenging to augment physical shopping experiences with virtual ones in a marketplace where quality matters. When choosing eyewear, it is a commonplace for an optician to look at the frame up close and inspect its craftsmanship. It is also crucial to most optical buyers that they understand the product design's story and any social purpose the product may have. Eyewear has become less of a commodity and more of a statement of the users. Many optical boutique owners have capitalized on this by curating products that inspire buyers to make purchases that transcend price. The Optical Metaverse was designed to spotlight the originality of the brands who showcase their products within our event space. The event space was designed to look similar to a traditional exhibit hall. A variety of booth sizes makes it easy for more prominent brands to expand their vision while allowing brands with a smaller budget to have a chance to share in this exciting event. All booths will be equipped with standard product tours and virtual chat features. The event also offers experience enhancements such as virtual try-on, product video tours, and even a chance to escalate the meeting to a video chat on demand for a truly one-of-a-kind experience for both the buyer and the seller.

The Optical Metaverse has opened up the opportunity to help wholesale sellers demonstrate their products and help our brands envision how they can embrace new opportunities to interact with sellers and visitors in The Omniverse. This unique B2B/B2C marketplace opportunity is groundbreaking. It is an exciting moment for retailers to have the chance to capture new customers without being throttled by rising ad costs and saturated platforms.

Where do we go from here?

As VR technology becomes more advanced, we will be able to create hyper-realistic virtual worlds that feel like the real thing. Combining VR and AR creates a realistic visual experience with the ability to move around and interact with the environment. It can be used in healthcare, architecture, education, or entertainment. With it, we will be able to create VR and AR experiences that are indistinguishable from real life. That's the future of the Metaverse — a fully immersive 3D environment where you can meet, socialize, and participate in a wide variety of activities. The Omniverse is already uniquely positioned to be a leader in accessibility, inclusivity, and opportunity within this world of VR.

It is already reported that metaverse platforms will create millions of jobs over the next 10 years. 2 new job opportunities created in The Omniverse are omniconsultants and affiliate brokers. These individuals are hand-selected professionals with marketing, customer service, sales, and business development backgrounds. They will work with our current and future tenants to help them understand the scope of possibilities and dream outside of their existing limitations IRL. This is the most exciting thing to come out of this development project, and we hope you, as a reader of this article, will join us. So now it is your turn.....how will you participate? Complete this form and be the first to get access to the Metaverse of the future- The Omniverse!

"The best way to embrace the future is to identify the new opportunities for shared realities."