7/11/2023 0 Comments Snap virtual gatewayThis connected gaming approach also works when making the most of a shared physical space. Snapchat and Lego’s innovative Connected Lens is a great example, allowing users to link up and play the same game in a shared virtual space, even if they are not physically together. Gamified AR, particularly multiplayer, can also be used as a powerful metaverse primer. Here, AR provides added value and an extra level of engagement, elevating blockchain activations to something more tangible by using a more familiar technology. AR expressions of NFTs – from artwork and digital products to one-of-a-kind volumetrically-captured performances and takeaways from virtual concerts – will further help to bridge the gap between web3 and users’ physical environments. This gateway status becomes solidified when we consider the potential for AR as a tool to view and experience NFTs. Used as a device for individual expression in a digital space, avatar integration is key in switching perception of AR from a simple smartphone experience to the gateway leading to a customizable virtual world that users can be a part of. Personalized interactive avatars, such as those from Ready Player Me, can now be seamlessly integrated into AR experiences – as Charli Cohen and Selfridges have recently shown with their Electric/City ‘brandiverse’ activation launching the designer’s new collection. Things get really interesting when we start to combine the potential of AR with other core metaverse pillars, such as avatars, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming itself. With 5G, cloud processing and WebAR accessibility, these graphics can be overlaid instantaneously and activated effortlessly for ultimate immersion. With Niantic – renowned for being the company behind GPS-based sensation Pokémon Go – developing the world’s most precise 3D map of the planet, rich graphics can now be overlaid on to our physical world, allowing us to view the metaverse as it’s built around us rather than relying on access via native gaming platforms. The recent acquisition of WebAR platform 8th Wall by real-world mappers Niantic is the surest sign yet that AR is set to become a metaverse mainstay. Tommy Hilfiger’s recent Snapchat filter, a clever combination of a virtual try-on teamed with a surreal World Lens optimized for LiDAR, is a great example of a brand doing exactly that – using social as an entry point to experiment with AR world-building. What’s more, with a low barrier-to-entry thanks to a wide breadth of access options spanning social platforms and native app and browser-based experiences, using AR as a building block to prepare for and enter the metaverse can be a straightforward and user-friendly process. AR already has an edge over gaming: in addition to its rising popularity, its familiarity is already well-established, with many users having already adopted this technology into their everyday lives.
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