Experts Are Split On Virtual Reality's Place In The Metaverse

Experts in the metaverse field say that virtual reality (VR) will eventually have a place in the metaverse, but given its slow adoption rate, it won't be there in the foreseeable future.

Not many things can match the feeling of being virtually immersed in a virtual world -- which is why many believe the technology is a natural fit for the Metaverse.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is betting big on the technology, launching Meta Accounts and saying users can more easily access the Meta Horizons platform through Oculus VR headsets.

Mary Spio, founder and CEO of metaverse platform CEEK, is also waving the VR metaverse banner. In an interview with Cointelgraph, Spio argued that the true power of the Metaverse cannot be realized unless the user is fully immersed in the use of the VR device.

Spio's metaverse platform, CEEK, helps digital content creators, including musicians and athletes, connect directly with their fan bases in virtual worlds.

Spio said her platform chose to focus on VR immersion because "the magic of the metaverse can't be fully realized in non-VR mode."

"Virtual reality enables total immersion, creating a sense of presence, real emotion and memory; it's indistinguishable from a time and place in real life."

However, Spio acknowledged that their Metaverse needs to consider both VR and non-VR accessibility, as content, ease of use, and accessibility are still a must for mass adoption of VR technology.

She believes that the application of metaverse and virtual reality technology "will make a huge leap forward in the next two to three years".

However, Janine Yorio, CEO of Metaverse ecosystem developer Everyrealm, doesn't think so.

In Yorio's view, the metaverse platform and VR technology should develop independently of each other, rather than considering each other.

In her estimation, only a small fraction of metaverse experiences have been created for VR like CEEK, noting that the drastic changes VR makes in metaverse worlds may not mean much.

The reason for this is the "technological barrier" and the human preference for the most casual application of technology:

"People often play games or engage with technology while doing other things. This is not possible when using a VR headset, which effectively isolates the outside world and makes the user physically vulnerable while using it."

Her point is backed up by data, according to Virtual Reality Marketing, Statista found that the VR market will be about $4.8 billion in 2021, with only 2.4 VR headsets per 100 households. According to data from CoinGecko, the Web2 metaverse company has a market cap of $14.8 trillion, and the metaverse token market cap is $7.1 billion.

Meanwhile, Human Park creative and technical director Rick Pearce is neutral on the issue.

In an interview with Cointelegraph, he said that due to developer constraints and various obstacles to mass adoption, it may take 5 to 10 years for VR to become a suitable product for the metaverse, although he admitted that the implementation of VR is "not impossible".

According to Pearce, the main obstacle is the headset. Oculus has largely solved that by making the device easier to use, he said. However, connectivity and gameplay will remain a serious challenge for at least the next 5 years.

Pearce added that some of the limitations of bringing VR and the Metaverse together may not have solutions because "physical constraints prevent these things from connecting at a fundamental level."

"When we saw VR launch, you could see the potential. But the mechanical components that would provide a consistently enjoyable experience weren't there, and still are."

Human Park hasn't implemented VR on its platform yet, but says it might in the future.