Neal Stephenson, the writer who created the word “Metaverse” 3 decades ago is launching a Metaverse-focused blockchain project known as LAMINA1.
He’s also revised his vision for that Metaverse stating the knowledge will probably be geared more toward flat 2D screens and instead of virtual reality or augmented reality tech for example headsets and lenses, as with the model posited by Meta and Microsoft.
Stephenson is a well-liked speculative fiction author who explored the idea of an online reality world known as the Metaverse in the sci-fi novel Snow Crash in 1992. Outdoors of writing the 62-year-old also offered because the chief futurist to have an augmented reality (AR) firm known as Magic between 2014 and 2020.
Based on a June 21 announcement from OG crypto investor and former Bitcoin Foundation chairman Peter Vessenes, Stephenson and that he have co-founded a brand new layer-1 blockchain known as LAMINA1 they hope will behave as the “base layer for that Open Metaverse.”
“A spot to build something a little nearer to Neal’s vision — one which rights creators, technical and artistic, one which provides support, spatial computing tech, along with a community to aid individuals who’re building the Metaverse,” Vessenes authored, adding the network will “probably” be carbon negative.
Specific information on the work are sparse at this time, however Ethereum co-founder Frederick Lubin marks a notable name around the project’s listing of early investors.
Commenting on which the co-founders’ roles is going to be at LAMINA1, Vessenes mentioned:
“Neal brings his vision, knowledge, experience, and a few core goals: helping get artists along with other value creators compensated correctly for his or her work, enhancing the atmosphere […] to see a really Open Metaverse get built rather of seeing the Metaverse vision co-opted by monopolies.”
Vessenes noted that he’ll be centered on obtaining the blockchain off the floor rapidly because he activly works to get “the necessary governance, technology, node operators, IP partners, artists, partners, and money ready to go.”
Stephenson’s 1992 novel depicts the Metaverse like a virtual urban atmosphere that’s utilized using a worldwide fiber-optic network and VR headsets. You will find styles of social inequalities, centralized control, and constant advertisements while the idea of virtual property also features within the book.
Stepheson shared some musings concerning the Metaverse on Twitter earlier today, because he predicted much from the Metaverse is going to be produced for screens and never VR headsets.
The idea the Metaverse is mainly an AR/VR factor is not crazy. In my opinion it’s all regulated VR. And That I labored to have an AR company–one of many which are putting vast amounts of dollars into building headsets. But…
— Neal Stephenson (@nealstephenson) June 21, 2022
Stephenson noted that whenever he first authored about this 30 years ago, he didn’t anticipate high-quality game titles moving to consumers on the mass scale later on.
“Thanks to games, vast amounts of individuals are now comfortable navigating 3D environments on flat 2D screens. The UIs that they have mastered (e.g. WASD + mouse) aren’t what most sci-fi authors might have predicted. But that is how path dependency in tech works.”
The writer continued to include that modern game development continues to be geared around screens for the developer and also the consumer, which contrary, a hybrid method for the Metaverse that covers both 2D screens and AR/VR tech is going to be utilized, instead of purely VR.
“We fluently navigate and communicate with very wealthy 3D environments using keyboards which were created for mechanical typewriters. It’s steampunk made real. A Metaverse that left out individuals users and also the devs who build individuals encounters could be moving away from around the wrong feet,” he stated.
Related: Metaverse tokens up 400% every year despite altcoin bloodbath
