VR technology has been around in the gaming industry for years, but it's only now that we're seeing its fast-paced development. Many companies have tried to create a metaverse that people would flock to including Meta, and now the author of the "Ready Player One" book will try his luck as well.
It's Not Called 'Oasis'
Seeing as the mind behind the dystopian book created a fictional metaverse in the story, you'd think that he might name the upcoming project Oasis, but that's not the case. Author Ernest Cline created a company called Readyverse Studios, and will call the platform "Readyverse."
He won't be alone in this endeavor, of course, as it takes a lot of resources to create a decent platform. Just ask Meta. Cline will be teaming up with the producer of the film adaptation of his book, Dan Farah, along with a metaverse company called Futureverse.
The studio says that Readyverse will be a "dynamic interactive platform of interconnected digital experiences," as reported by Gizmodo, It won't be your typical VR experience as well since you'll be encountering recognizable IPs within the game soon.
Just as it was in the "Ready Player One" movie, there are pop culture references from movies like "The Shining," "Back to the Future," "The Iron Giant," "Akira," "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension," and more.
That means that once the Readyverse is released, you might be seeing your favorite franchise within the AR/VR space. Readyverse Studios has already partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to "exclusively bring the Ready Player One franchise to the metaverse across web3."
That means that the metaverse plans are already well underway. The blog post also stated that more brands and franchises will be joining the Readyverse and will be announced soon, which implies that the studio is already gearing up to add more IPs.
Read Also: Meta Discounts Prices for Quest 2, Accessories
A Tough Road Ahead
It will be years before Cline's metaverse will be released, especially since it takes a lot of work to bring an AR/VR world to life. Even then, it might not be as successful as they hoped it would be. Even with the growing popularity of VR tech, it might not be enough to make a successful platform.
Currently, only a few players are using VR devices. Most are still comfortable with PC and console gaming without the need for VR headsets. By the time the Readyverse is launched, VR headsets might be more widely used, but that still does not assure the success of the project.
Tech giants like Meta have tried to bring "Ready Player One" to life, but so far, the company is just losing billions trying to develop it into something that people would spend time in. Assuming that it will be AR/VR, the contributing factor is probably the current prices of VR devices.
The PS VR 2, for instance, costs $550, and there's only so much you can do with it. Even with the Meta Quest 2's drop in price to $250, a lot of people still don't think that spending hundreds of dollars for a headset that doesn't have much use isn't worth it.
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