Charlie Fink’s Metaverse

An AR Enabled Guide to VR & AR

Cool Blue Media, 2018

15 min read

10 take-aways

Audio & text

What's inside?

With the nascent explosion of virtual reality and augmented reality, your world is getting bigger.

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Editorial Rating

Qualities

Scientific
Eye Opening
Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), favorites of science fiction, are manifesting today, backed by tech giants and pioneered by both art and commerce. But, says media expert Charlie Fink, they won’t enter the mainstream until “killer apps” emerge. Most people don’t yet understand VR and AR but when they do, a new virtual multiverse – and a big business opportunity – will take root. Fink and his expert contributors delve into its tech, market forces, social impact and transformative power. Despite its typos, getAbstract recommends his compelling book to innovators, early adopters, investors, new-media mavens and the technologically curious. The book is interactive; download the Fink Metaverse app, and scan images with your smartphone to see videos or animations.

Summary

AR and VR Opportunities

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), perhaps the most hyped futurist technologies, already offer enthralling new work and play spaces. The world’s largest tech firms are competing to dominate this new industry but, says media expert Charlie Fink, AR and VR still lack breakthrough killer apps and still face technical limitations. Though AR and VR offer huge, disruptive opportunities, most people are thinking too short-term about their potential. Fink predicts the triumph of “better, faster and cheaper” tech and believes the eventual, vital killer app will appear, exponentially boosting interaction. When venture capital money eventually pours into AR/VR, investors, creators and franchises will profit. As the original killer apps – email, search, social media – drove the web’s growth, AR/VR will succeed when the right apps emerge.

The hardware, too, is evolving inexorably despite major issues – low resolution, limited bandwidth and even “VR sickness.” Home users’ options...

About the Author

As an executive at Disney, futurist, speaker and writer Charlie Fink originated the concept for The Lion King. As a columnist for Forbes, he focuses on AR and VR technologies and their deep integration with new media.

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