The inventor of the PlayStation and former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi, recently shared his thoughts on the Metaverse and Web3, noting that he doesn’t “see the point” in metaverse gaming with headsets.
As well as being the creator of Sony’s video game empire, Kutaragi is also the CEO of Ascent Robotics, an AI company, founded in Tokyo in 2016.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Kutaragi noted that tech should integrate rather than separate real and virtual worlds.
“Being in the real world is very important, but the metaverse is about making quasi-real in the virtual world, and I can’t see the point of doing it,” said Kutaragi. “Headsets would isolate you from the real world, and I can’t agree with that,”
He also noted in his dismissive comments that VR headsets are “annoying”
“You would rather be a polished avatar instead of your real self? That’s essentially no different from anonymous message board sites,”
Despite criticizing the metaverse, big tech companies are interested in exploring this space, with the likes of Apple and Microsoft looking into metaverse gaming. Microsoft acquired video game holding company Zenimax last year for $7.5 billion, placing the company in prime permission for metaverse gaming as well as popular ESports. The highly anticipated Apple HMD (head mounted display) is also expected to come out in the next year or two, which will see the tech company expand into augmented reality.
Kutaragi’s dismissive comments reflect the newness of the metaverse, and the ways it needs to grow before it can become established and recognised in the real world.
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