When people point to an example from the metaverse, they expect edge computing to be nearby. That single statement sums up the essence of the relationship between these two sometimes amorphous concepts.

Importantly, the metaverse is more like virtual reality than augmented reality. AR applications add information to your environment: an arrow to indicate direction, text to label or describe, or a button to access additional information. Virtual reality systems, as initially conceived by Jaron Lanier in 1987, supplant the environment around you with a simulated one. You can think of the metaverse as a comprehensive and coordinated network of various virtual reality environments.

What is the metaverse?

Sci-fi stories, simulators and immersive games…