The Metaverse at CES 2023: A Glimpse into the Future of Virtual Reality

The world’s largest technology fair returned to Las Vegas from the 5th to the 8th of January and was dominated by AI (artificial intelligence), smart health, and the Metaverse. CES 2023 (Consumer Electronics Show) saw many brands showcase some exciting new Metaverse technologies that will blur the line between reality and technology.

Every year, technology professionals from around the globe gather for four days at CES, the world's biggest tech trade show in Las Vegas, to test the latest technology and learn about the newest tech innovations. In 2023, the Metaverse and Web3 took centre stage with a dedicated space in the Las Vegas Convention Centre’s (LVCC) Central Hall.?

The event grew beyond just consumer products and now focuses on innovations in the automotive industry and digital health. This year, the theme was human security, with a focus on innovations that can help solve the world's biggest challenges, such as access to healthcare, clean air, clean water, and food.

The Metaverse is a 3D virtual environment where people can interact and socialise in, as well as work, shop, and play. It is a disruptive technology ushering in a new era of the internet – an immersive virtual world with the connectivity of the web. With Facebook renaming itself Meta and investing billions into the concept, and giants such as Disney and Microsoft also had a major stake in the technology, the Metaverse is a massive business opportunity and we saw its enterprise potential at the CES 2023.

Augmented, Virtual and Extended Reality at CES

Gaming in the Metaverse was a main focus at CES. The fascinating new technology launched at the trade show included haptic vests by bHaptics Inc. that replicate the feeling of action in the real world and matching haptic gloves that add a feeling of touch to incorporate as many senses as possible and elevate the gaming experience. The vests let you feel getting shot and also let you feel the wind, rain, or even the bees in VR.

HTC showcased a VR headset with sensory technologies that help the users feel and smell in virtual reality. OVR technology also unveiled a headset that incorporates olfactory sensing tech to create different scents. Conversations at the trade show revolved around humanising interactions with the digital world, the costs of VR technology, accessibility, and interoperability so the Metaverse can be brought to the masses. Web3 analysts believe that Web3 will truly arrive not because of a technological breakthrough but once it is able to seamlessly integrate into everyday life.

Metaverse Innovations of Influential Brands at CES?

Carmaker Stellantis, teamed up with Microsoft to create a 3D immersive virtual showroom in the metaverse. Disney also used the Metaverse to engage fans, allowing them to be able to get up close to their favourite characters virtually. These new digital environments can be in augmented reality (AR) or immersive virtual reality (VR), and they have many potential uses beyond shopping experiences such as financial services, education, and healthcare. While the Metaverse has many exciting possibilities, concerns were shared around data privacy and the current bulky, uncomfortable state of the technology.?

Another Metaverse use case discussed at CES was Nvidia’s omniverse platform which creates digital twins, a key promise of the Metaverse. This would be a 3D life-like simulation of the real-world environment and include buildings, products, factories, and supply chains, that help organisations with their challenges. Digital twins of working spaces like Meta’s Horizon Workrooms could let enterprises avail the opportunity to have Metaverse experiences for employee collaboration and learning. Many startups at CES presented products aimed at using the Metaverse to complement the creator economy,? engage fans and customers, and improve productivity at work.??

Source Digital and Sansar have partnered to create the world's first smart TV metaverse experience, which allows users to immerse themselves in live events such as concerts and sports matches in 2D or 3D environments. The application was on display at CES 2023, and is compatible with connected LG devices. The partnership aims to monetize the metaverse without creators bearing the cost, with revenue streams outside of in-world commerce.

Blockchain at CES

Blockchain integrations such as non-fungible token (NFT) wallets and marketplaces were showcased at CES 2023. Web3 companies use this integration to propel the Metaverse forward as was seen at CoinDesk’s Web3 studio in the Central Hall. The studio interviewed influential voices in the Web3 space and covered the latest trends in crypto and blockchain.?

Cryptocurrency is an integral part of many Web3 innovations and Web3 native brands showed that crypto wallets and blockchain domains helped create the mainstream Metaverse experience. This makes decentralised tech the gateway into Web3 and blockchain-based digital identity is one of the building blocks of the Metaverse. Web3 represents the biggest utility of crypto products and it remained a popular conversation at CES as a technology that propels innovation forward.

The Future at CES

CES included a myriad of side events, demos, and panels happening in parallel. All the tech of the present and the potential future was at CES. While it's still too early to tell how these technologies will be adopted and utilised, it's clear that CES continues to be the world’s most influential tech event and a showcase of some of the most exciting and innovative technology being developed today. With over 3,200 companies displaying their products and services, there was something for each of the 100,000 visitors to see and experience.

We expect people to immerse themselves in the Metaverse as technology advances and VR and AR devices become affordable. Web3 and the Metaverse are a continuum of technologies and human-centric experiences with endless possibilities. These are exciting times and Web3 is set to usher in a new digital era that will transform society. With Metaverse deserving centre stage at CES, we cannot wait to see how this technology will evolve in 2023.