Meta gets a bad rap over this whole Metaverse stuff but that doesn't mean they aren't doing some good things. I'm 
certainly not a fan of Mark Zuckerberg and I really have always despised Facebook. I think the company is toxic and has 
caused all manner of problems across the globe, ranging from psychological damage of its own users through to influencing
democratic elections and aiding the West overseas with illegal coup d'etat and regime changes.

I'm also not a fan of the decision to rebrand Facebook as Meta. I understand why this decision was made, and it's 
actually quite clever. Not only can Facebook distance itself from all the negative issues it's faced so far
but by choosing the name Meta they are actually ensuring that whenever people discuss the future of VR/AR, they will 
think of Meta first.  I've read the book Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. This book was where the term Metaverse was 
originally coined and I believe it's mandatory reading for all employees of Meta that work in the VR/AR division. In 
this book everybody wears a VR headset and live out their lives inside a virtual reality called "The Metaverse". 
If you've seen the movie [Ready Player One](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/) then you can already imagine the 
future that Mark Zuckerberg is trying to create and OWN! If this gambles works out believe me Meta will be the most 
valuable company on earth in the next 10 years. They will control the world we (virtually) live in, they will control
the language, the education system, the economy, the businesses that are allowed to exist. Everything!

Putting all that aside and as much as I wish it was another company such as [Valve](https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/) 
that were pushing VR/AR forward it's not, it's Meta, but I have to say they are doing some good things that we can 
enjoy before the ultimate dystopian future is ready :P 

There is no other company on earth right now that is pouring more resources into research and development of new VR/AR
equipment and software. They have the most popular VR headset in the world in the 
[Quest 2](https://www.meta.com/gb/en/quest/products/quest-2), and they have just released a more advanced headset which
pushes the entire industry forward with many innovations in the [Quest Pro](https://www.meta.com/gb/quest/quest-pro/) 
(aimed at professional developers at this time). On the software side Meta are ahead of the game again with their own
Meta VR Store filled with exclusive games/experiences and software. One of the more interesting of these exclusive 
software offerings is [Horizon Worlds](https://www.oculus.com/horizon-worlds/?locale=en_GB). If you've ever used 
[VR Chat](https://hello.vrchat.com/) before then Horizon Worlds is like Meta's version of this. It's got a long way to 
go to catch VR Chat, famously your avatars don't even have [legs](https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/14/metas-legs-update-is-not-on-the-horizon-yet/?guccounter=1) 
yet, but it's essentially a very early version of what could become the Metaverse. 

It's a VR world where people can hang out with friends and make new friends. It's filled with games to play
and also hosts special events like sporting events or concerts where you can attend virtually with your friends. In a
couple of weeks on December 16th Meta are hosting a special concert where Biggie Smalls (The Notorious B.I.G.) will be
"brought back" as a hyper-realistic 3D Avatar to perform his classics on stage in Horizon Worlds!

![BIG](/assets/images/blog/2022/11/18/00-cover.png)

If you are as old as me you might remember [Tupac](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/how-the-tupac-hologram-works/2012/04/18/gIQA1ZVyQT_story.html)
was "resurrected" in a similar fashion back at Coachella in 2012 and whilst that was mind-blowing and freaky at the time
it was limited to just the few lucky people at the event. This time around it's open to all you just need to pick up a
VR headset.

The gig will also feature other artists such as P. Diddy and will include a narrative journey through Biggies life.

I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to see this! 

NOTORIOUS

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