Multinational tech firm Microsoft has announced that it is making a commitment to the metaverse, or the digital fabric connected to the real world through blockchain, augmented reality, and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies.
The tech firm announced this through its recent Microsoft Ignite conference, where it showcased its metaverse plans for Teams and “Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces” a new product on to be launched by 2022. According to Microsoft, it will also be updating its Xbox gaming console services to fit the bill of a true metaverse experience.
The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 2, 2021
The announcement follows the recent unveiling and rebranding of Facebook to Meta, which caused crypto projects such as Decentraland and its $MANA to see significant jumps in price and user interest.
“The Metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and to embed the real world into computing. Bringing real presence to any digital space. What’s most important is that we are able to bring our humanity with us, and choose how we want to experience this world,” shares Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
In their official announcement, Microsoft shared the name for its new update to Microsoft Teams, its proprietary business communication platform, taking “Mesh” as its codename. Mesh will enable Teams’ users to create and customize digital avatars and meet in the metaverse through immersive spaces that may be accessed through “any device, with no special equipment needed.” The Mesh update will also enable organizations to build out custom spaces for meetings and social interactions through events in the metaverse.
The technology will provide organizations across various industries and sectors with the ability to integrate their businesses and causes with the metaverse and artificial intelligence, creating “hybrid work environment(s)” by harnessing optical data from cameras in offices, retail stores, factories, and other types of spaces. According to Microsoft, the newly unveiled Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces will be released in a beta version for select user audiences by December this year.
Fused with crypto and blockchain technologies, metaverse projects and initiatives have the potential to radically change the ways with which we interact. Decentralized projects such as IoTeX, for example, are finding ways to merge blockchain technology with the Internet-of-Things, connecting physical worlds with blockchain-based proofs. Metaverse-oriented projects such as The Sandbox have also seen massive growth and investments to bolster their crypto economies and economies, further expanding use cases for the metaverse and blockchain technologies like NFTs to areas such as fashion, architecture, and gaming.
A tech behemoth such as Microsoft to be making incursions into the metaverse will create a huge impact on the crypto industry and likely boost adoption and awareness on the potential of blockchain technologies.
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