Neos is a Prague-based VR specialist company founded in 2014 by Solirax. It aims to create a virtual reality universe and assist others in building immersive spaces using its innovative scripting engine. It utilizes the FrooxEngine and Unity, offering VR content creation tools and a social VR platform. Neos supports full-body tracking, interactable avatars, and has a built-in cryptocurrency system.
Exploring options apart from Neos, one may consider VRChat, ChilloutVR, Metaverse, Rec Room, Roblox, Second Life, and Meta.
VRChat
Conceived by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey, VRChat is a metaphysical universe, powered by the Unity engine. Launched on January 16, 2014, it embarked its users on a journey of unparalleled digital sociability, where their identities take the form of user-created 3D avatars.
VRChat Top Features
Wholly immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience with compatibility for headsets like Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and SteamVR
Lifelike representation of avatars enabled by features such as lip sync, eye tracking, blinking, along with head and hand motion mimicry
Introduction of the visual programming language ‘Udon’ in 2020 – facilitating user-interaction and complexity
Unique avatar customization, articulating diverse personalities from extraterrestrials to sentient shoes with radiant features
Desktop Mode
Mouse, keyboard, gamepad support brings VRChat within the reach of non-VR users
VRChat Plus
A premium membership service introduced in November 2020, enhancing user experience
Anti-cheat System
EAC or Easy Anti-Cheat deployed in July 2022 to ensure fair play
VRChat Limitations
Adult-themed content accessible to minors stirred ample controversies
Though provided for user safety, users get categorized into ‘trust levels’
VRChat Pricing
In an effort to democratize the metaverse, VRChat offers access to its digital multitudes for free. However, users seeking an enriched experience can opt for VRChat Plus, a premium membership service.
VRChat Use Cases
Use case 1: Social Interaction
Modeled after platforms like Second Life and Habbo Hotel, VRChat acts as a beacon for those seeking deeper, more meaningful interactions, akin to reality, in the digital realm.
Use case 2: Multimedia Entertainment
An ideal stage for performers – classes can get taught, dance events can get hosted, and artists can hold live music sessions. Consequently, it found tremendous influence among YouTubers and Twitch streamers.
Use case 3: Journalism and Media
The myriad of communities that took root fostered weekly newspapers, talk shows, and podcasts, providing an alternative platform for journalism and news broadcasting.
ChilloutVR
Welcome to the boundless realm of ChilloutVR, an immersive social sandbox game playable across VR & Desktop. Engage with a thriving community, fostering interactivity & flexibility, exploring the compelling metaverse it paints in vivid strokes.
ChilloutVR Top Features
Avatar Customization: Imagine your persona and paint it with the game’s avatar customization tools. Socialize and explore with a uniquely designed virtual entity.
In-Game Modularity: Flex your creative muscles by crafting interactive objects & complete game modes.
Community Management Tools: For moderators, developers and community group leaders to ensure seamless player management.
Unity Editor Support: For avatar & world creation, and game modes scripting.
Security Measures: Enhanced measures against potential abusive client modifications, ripping or illegal caching.
Active Updates: Dedicated towards dynamic improvement & enriched user experience, leaning on the sturdy pillar of user feedback.
Feature
Description
Group System
Attend group events, partake in exclusives, manage member activities & recurrent instances
Content Creation
Developed via Unity Editor, supports scripts, avatar and world creations.
Community Profile
Synced with Hub 4.0, available in-game for user connection and visibility.
ChilloutVR Disadvantages
Lacks advanced avatar settings thereby limiting the scope of persona creation.
Synchronization with other players could use enhancement.
In-game world variety and editor can consider expansion for a richer experience.
ChilloutVR Pricing
No specific pricing is mentioned in the summary. However, the open-source nature of the game suggests it to be a free platform.
ChilloutVR Use Cases
Social Engagement
ChilloutVR provides an engaging space for users to interact, explore worlds, and even delve into the realms of game designing with its extensive features.
Education
The platform can be leveraged as a novel educational tool, offering hands-on experience in game design and scripting.
Content Creation
For those with a creative bent, ChilloutVR serves as a canvas, extending a hand to creation and customization of game modes and world settings, truly embodying the spirit of the metaverse.
Metaverse
The concept of Metaverse, a term coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash”, represents an immersive 3D internet concept. It’s a realm increasingly humming with buzz, particularly after the recent rebrand of Facebook to Meta, underlining the social giant’s massive $10 billion investment in building this new reality.
Metaverse Top Features
Revolutionary Immersive Experiences: Units Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to create next-level 3D experiences.
Deep Historical Roots: Concepts dating back to essays in 1938, and the development of first commercial VR gear by VPL Research in 1984.
Leverages Blockchain Technology: Uses the technology for commerce and interoperability, with Proof-of-Work invented in 1993.
Designed for Everyone
Targets both consumers and a variety of industries.
Massive Corporate Investment
Major tech giants, including Microsoft and Facebook, are investing heavily in this future concept.
Tech Evolution
Potential synergy with haptic technology, evolving VR/AR experiences.
Metaverse Limitations
Lack of Infrastructure: The technology and internet infrastructure in parts of the world may not be ready for the Metaverse just yet.
Security Concerns: Blockchain and cyberspace introduces complex security and privacy concerns.
Early Development Stage: The concept is still in its early stages and faces technological and regulatory hurdles.
Metaverse Use Cases
Use case 1
For brands and companies like Nike and Walmart, Metaverse offers a new platform for innovative retail and marketing strategies, driving digital transformation in business.
Use case 2
In the music and entertainment industry, artists can use Metaverse for hosting virtual concerts, just as Travis Scott did on Fortnite in 2018.
Use case 3
The tech and software industry can leverage Metaverse for VR collaboration tools as introduced by Microsoft Mesh in 2021.
Rec Room
Enter the immersive world ofRec Room, a social gaming universe powered by radical creativity. A product of Rec Room Inc and an ingenious work of Cameron Brown, this platform leverages the power of Unity Engine to deliver groundbreaking multiplayer gaming experiences. Initiated in 2016, it morphed into an entrancing cosmos boasting game creation systems, multiplayer modes, and much more. Navigate it on an array of platforms including PlayStation, Android, Xbox, or iOS for a stimulating journey through virtual landscapes.
Rec Room Top Features
1. Versatile VR Playability: Perform theatrical maneuvers on various VR headsets or use controller buttons for teleportation to escape VR sickness. 2. 3D Motion Capture: Capture full 3D motion via a VR headset’s motion capture system. 3. User-Centric Content Creation: Be the architect of your virtual universe with tools like “Maker Pen” and Rec Room’s visual programming language, Circuits. 4. Social Connectivity: Share your ingenuity on the built-in social media platform, rec.net.
Gaming Modes
Availability
Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Android, iOS, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Meta Quest
Rec Room Originals – FPS, Battle Royale, Adventure games
App Store, Google Play, Steam, Meta
Rec Room Limitations
1. Trolling & Harassment Issues: Reports of prevalent bullying and configuration of moderation system. 2. Explicit Material: Depending on servers and rooms accessed, risks of exposure to explicit materials. 3. Safety Concerns: Challenges raised regarding safety measures and exposure to inappropriate content.
Rec Room Pricing
Rec Room is free to use. It does, however, offer a monthly subscription called Rec Room Plus that allows you to sell user-generated content for tokens, which can be exchanged for real money.
Rec Room Use Cases
For Gamers
With its wide assortment of games, be it FPS, Battle Royale, or quests, Rec Room opens vanishing boundaries for gamers of every ilk to play, socialize, and create.
For Content Creators
Equipped with an integrated game creation system and animation tools, Rec Room is a playground for creators aiming to build, market, and monetize their virtual artifacts.
For Social Butterflies
With built-in social media capabilities and multiplayer games, Rec Room is more than a game – it’s a platform to connect, collaborate, and create with friends from all over the globe.
Roblox
Born from the visionary minds of David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2006, Roblox thrives as a bastion for user-generated gaming and content curation. A metaphorical canvas for creators and a playground for all.
Roblox Top Features
Grand online platform for game creation and engagement powered by a proprietary engine, Roblox Studio.
Vast reservoir of content with over 50 million user-crafted games.
Thriving player base with 100 million monthly active users to engage and collaborate with.
A vital space encouraging unstructured play, ambidextrous collaboration and enriching developer to player interaction.
Supportive environment for developers, offering handsome financial gains, clocking in an estimated $100M payout in 2019.
External software assimilation with tools like Blender to assist in modeling and animating.
Feature
Description
Robust Safety Measures
Employs powerful algorithms to block sensitive personal information and inappropriate content. An informative ‘For Parents’ segment on their website delineates safety measures and reporting systems.
Cross-platform Development
Facilitates game creation across numerous platforms – Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Xbox One, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, PlayStation 4.
Expansion & Learning Resources
A plethora of educational resources available – Roblox programming languages, game development basics, online classes, books, and YouTube tutorials.
Roblox Downsides
Has been under criticism for difficulties in moderation, primarily related to adult content and disturbing interactions.
Existence of microtransactions that may not always sit well with players.
Previous allegations of child-exploitative practices paints a bleak picture.
Roblox Pricing
Free-to-play at its heart, Roblox monetizes via an in-app purchase system using a virtual currency, Robux.
Roblox Use Cases
Use case 1
As an open-source platform for game development, Roblox provides a fruitful soil for budding developers and game-making enthusiasts.
Use case 2
Roblox serves as a popular destination for unstructured recreational play, with a user-generated library of 50 million games.
Use case 3
Through the ability to create virtual worlds, interactive experiences, simulation games, and custom character creation, Roblox finds appeal amongst content creators, digital artists, and small businesses.
Second Life
Dive into the virtual realm with Second Life, a dynamic metaverse platform by Linden Lab. Initiated as an expansive digital landscape idea, Second Life has been revolutionizing virtual interactions since its inception in 1999. Today, it is an exhilarating 3D virtual world that allows its tens of thousands of users to not only interact in real-time but also create and trade goods and services using its own currency – Linden dollars.
Second Life Top Features
Unique Primitar avatars developed in the early stages of the platform.
An immersive user-generated content experience.
A legitimized and thriving economy supported by its native currency – Linden dollars.
Enhanced functionality personalization via functional cookies.
A widespread user-base catering to a diverse demographic.
Feature
Description
Shared Experience
Second life fosters a sense of community by encouraging interactions and collaborations among its users, thereby creating shared 3D experiences.
Privacy Preferences
Enables users to set their own privacy preferences ensuring a secure environment.
Moderated Behavior
Implements the concept of ‘consequences’ to avatars, thereby instilling a sense of responsibility in users and making the environment civil.
Second Life Downsides
Lack of suitability for cryptocurrency transactions.
No targeted advertising model which might limit businesses.
Dominantly user-generated content which might not appeal to all.
Second Life Pricing
Experience the astounding virtual realm of Second Life absolutely free of charge! Yes, the entry to this metaverse doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. However costs might be incurred while trading goods and services using Linden dollars.
Second Life Use Cases
Use case 1
Second Life, with its focus on user-generated content, is a wonderful platform for children and teenagers to exercise their creative muscles, providing them with a safe and interactive playground to learn and grow.
Use case 2
This platform extends its wings to academics and artists, offering them a broad canvas to experiment, express and engage in thought-provoking discussions.
Use case 3
Second Life has got your back if you’re a business! Brands like Gucci and Ferrari have established a presence, and so can you. Step in to market, collaborate and grow!
Meta
Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, Inc., stands as a technology titan with vast influence across the globe. Renowned as a key figure among the Big Five American IT companies, Meta serves as a leading hub for sociality, advertising, and VR innovation. CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s rebrand in 2021 signaled the company’s pivot towards building the ‘metaverse’, an integrated digital environment.
Meta Top Features
Social Media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp
Consumer Electronics: Specific focus on VR via Oculus
Subsidiaries: Novi Financial and Reality Labs enhance Meta’s reach and technological prowess
Recently Developed Tools: Presence Platform offers new mixed reality experiences on Quest 2
Key Offerings
Description
Facebook
Global social networking site that revolutionized human connectivity
Instagram
Photo and video sharing, with capacity for business insight
WhatsApp
End-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, and video calling application
Meta Limitations
Rebranding has been under intense scrutiny and correlates with profit decline in Q4 2021
Long history of controversies including Facemash’s aim, IPO scandals, data violations, and whistleblower controversy
Social media platforms face regular criticism for issues such as privacy breaches and misinformation spread
Meta Use Cases
Use Case 1: Social Interactions
Meta, with its massive array of social media platforms, has changed how individuals communicate globally. These channels facilitate personal interactions, professional networking, content sharing, and more.
Use Case 2: Business
Businesses utilize Meta’s platforms for advertising, customer insights, and enhanced connectivity. The metaverse vision holds potential in revolutionizing various sectors, presumptively impacting commerce, education, and enterprise cooperation.
Use Case 3: Augmented Reality
Reality Labs and tools like Presence Platform on Quest 2 contribute to immersive VR experiences. Meta’s metaverse integrates sociality and tech, redefining the parameters of digital interactions.
Grant Sullivan
Content writer @ Aircada and self proclaimed board game strategist by day, AI developer by night.
