“If you believe Facebook, the future is a virtual reality “metaverse.”
The tech giant, which changed its name to Meta last month, plans to invest $10 billion this year to develop products that support augmented and virtual reality — a robotic hand, high-tech VR glasses and sophisticated software applications, to name just a few. Analysts expect the company to spend at least $50 billion to achieve its promise of a virtual reality future.
But Meta is far from the only player. In fact, a half-dozen other companies are already building out the hardware and software that will be the next generation of virtual interaction — something Wall Street sees as a $1 trillion market. The companies include Google, Microsoft, Apple, Valve and others building out products for work and communication. Smaller startups are likely to join them as investors flood into the market.”