Virtual universe – opportunities and risks

Not only that, it will likely create a new multi-trillion-dollar playground where banks, consumers and businesses can join together to find growth opportunities in the future.

Since the beginning of this year, the technology industry has also shared the general difficulties of the economy due to rising interest rates, raising concerns about the effects of rising interest rates on the industry, especially on businesses. The technology industry has forecast a decline in profits. While interest rate worries may continue to fuel uncertainty in the tech industry, the virtual universe segment offers a bright spot for the long-term future.

What is virtual universe?

A virtual universe is a digital space, mainly operated by augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology in which people can interact with each other in real life. a realistic virtual environment. This is the new world where real and virtual life intersect, changing the way we live, work and play.

The virtual universe is built on Web 3.0 platform, which is the next generation of internet. Just as personal computers were the driving force behind the first stage, smartphones were at the heart of the second and now we are starting to see the introduction of many of the fundamental technologies needed. needed to create virtual universes such as virtual reality, blockchain, and computing power.

With more than 60% of the world’s people connected online and spending an average of 5-6 hours/day online, in the not too distant future, the digital world will become a “real life” reality and even become a reality. an important part of our lives.

The first stage of the virtual universe is also quite similar to the world of the game (video game). The majority of young users – mainly Gen Z and Alpha – are already tech-savvy citizens who use virtual avatars, transact and live a digital life parallel to their real life.

In the context that the young population will continue to grow, the virtual universe is expected to develop and potentially become the next-generation internet.

Toys and video game company Bandai Namco Holdings is investing 15 billion yen to develop Gundam Metaverse

Seize the opportunity

The virtual universe is still in its infancy but the foundations are gradually being built up and the whole society is changing to adapt to the new era of the internet.

It may be a few years before the virtual universe becomes a mainstream, however, investors still need to keep an eye on trends that are gradually becoming more popular such as (1) digital content creation; (2) conveying the experience and (3) the underlying platform.

We expect the virtual universe to create special investment opportunities for businesses that are in a position to catch up with these trends.

Digital content creation: The central issue here is to create highly interactive content in a 3-dimensional environment, especially on the Web 3.0 platform. Digital content like events and shows, seminars, games and online education that deliver immersive, highly interactive experiences will be the game-changers. Initially, consumers will experience the virtual universe through 2D applications, through shopping activities such as buying in-person and virtual products, or entertaining with mixed reality programs such as demonstration shows. concert or online sporting event.

While such online commerce activities were initially more or less successful, the initial applications of the virtual universe were more pragmatic. The virtual universe can act as a platform primarily for advertising and e-commerce for real-life products. Just like what happened with the mobile internet, the proliferation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will be a key driver of business opportunity creation.

Axie Infinity – one of the most expensive virtual universe NFT games of all time created by Vietnamese people.

Delivering Experiences: As the virtual universe intertwines with the real world, this is where wearables take the throne because they deliver the most immersive and full experience of the 3D virtual universe.

We can see great investment potential in the hardware segment that comes with virtual universes, especially VR gear sets with upgraded features and designs. Currently, the VR equipment is still heavy, the motion sensor is not sensitive and quite uncomfortable if worn for a long time. For VR to evolve beyond a specialized product, wired devices need to evolve wirelessly.

The underlying platform: Letting the character move in the virtual world and allowing the user to interact with the object and other characters in the same virtual world – in real time – comes with a large amount of data to follow. receive, transmit, analyze and respond with ultra-low latency. For the virtual universe to run smoothly, a large amount of data will need to be processed and exchanged, leading to a high demand for cloud server equipment, 5G networks, artificial intelligence, and hubs. data. So those technology infrastructure providers will form the important pillars needed for the virtual universe. Accordingly, businesses involved in building the “backbone” for the virtual universe will have the potential to develop in the coming years.

Proactive management

Virtual goods have long been an integral part of video games, where players purchase items such as avatars and other virtual goods with virtual currency. However, this virtual currency is usually only used in individual virtual worlds. The development of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFT) opens up the potential for transactions in the virtual universe, regardless of platform, and applicable to the real economy beyond life.

While NFT is an important innovation much needed for an open virtual universe, there are segments of the NFT market that are highly speculative and volatile for investors. Currently, high volatility and lack of liquidity are some of the thorny issues of the NFT market. In addition, the greatest strength of NFT technology is also one of the “fatal” weaknesses. Anyone can create an NFT, which means the existence of a lot of “junk” NFTs.

In this early stage of development, investors should be careful to avoid speculative factors related to the virtual universe, such as the current NFT.

Instead of diving into buying NFTs or cryptocurrencies directly, work with people who are considered experts in the development of virtual universes.

According to James Cheo – Chief Investment Officer