Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are currently pushing the concept of the metaverse in a major way, but a lot of people are having a hard time buying into the concept. One of those people is PlayStation inventor Ken Kutagari. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Kutagari questioned the concept of the metaverse, and how it will allow users to interact with one another. Kutagari not only takes issue with the concept itself, but also the way users will have to wear VR headsets to interact with the metaverse, stating that they “isolate you from the real world.”
“Being in the real world is very important, but the metaverse is about making quasi-real in the virtual world, and I can’t see the point of doing it,” Kutagari told Bloomberg News. “You would rather be a polished avatar instead of your real self? That’s essentially no different from anonymous messageboard sites.”
The concept of the metaverse is going to be a tough sell for those banking on it. While the appeal of VR has grown over the last few years, the headsets can be uncomfortable for some users, and can even cause nausea. Kutagari sees a different future. With his start-up company Ascent, Kutagari believes advanced robotics will be able to “blend the real world with cyberspace in a seamless, gadget-less fashion akin to Star Wars holograms,” according to Bloomberg.
While Sony was once quite hesitant about the concept of video games, Kutagari saw a lot of potential. Kutagari began working with Nintendo on a sound chip for the Super Nintendo in secret, and was nearly fired from Sony when executives found out. CEO Norio Ohga ended up giving Kutagari his approval, and the working relationship with Nintendo resulted in the development of the Play Station CD-Rom attachment for the SNES. After the relationship with Nintendo dissolved, Kutagari created the PlayStation console, which would go on to revolutionize the video game industry. It remains to be seen whether Kutagari’s latest venture will prove nearly as successful, but the creator clearly has a way of predicting technological trends!
How do you feel about the metaverse concept? Do you think it will be popular? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
