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3D Virtual worlds and the metaverse: Current status and future possibilities

Published: 03 July 2013 Publication History

Abstract

Moving from a set of independent virtual worlds to an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds or Metaverse rests on progress in four areas: immersive realism, ubiquity of access and identity, interoperability, and scalability. For each area, the current status and needed developments in order to achieve a functional Metaverse are described. Factors that support the formation of a viable Metaverse, such as institutional and popular interest and ongoing improvements in hardware performance, and factors that constrain the achievement of this goal, including limits in computational methods and unrealized collaboration among virtual world stakeholders and developers, are also considered.

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cover image ACM Computing Surveys
ACM Computing Surveys  Volume 45, Issue 3
June 2013
575 pages
ISSN:0360-0300
EISSN:1557-7341
DOI:10.1145/2480741
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Published: 03 July 2013
Accepted: 01 March 2012
Revised: 01 February 2012
Received: 01 July 2011
Published in CSUR Volume 45, Issue 3

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