“The Metaverse.”
People can’t stop talking about it!
Ever since the social media giant Facebook changed its name to “Meta” and rebranded to embrace this new-age technology, the Metaverse is at the top of everyone’s mind.
What is the Metaverse?
But what exactly is the Metaverse, and should your business care about its growing popularity?
The most technical definition of the Metaverse is “a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.”
Does this sound like the natural progression of the Internet to you?
If it does, then you’re not alone! Many people believe that it is precisely that! Meta certainly thinks so.
The influence of the Internet cannot be overstated. It fundamentally changed the way our world operated.
It not only completely elevated and expanded our means to interact and socialize with one another…
…it also has become an invaluable resource for companies across all fields and sectors!
It is, after all, the primary vehicle by which organizations communicate and do business with their customers.
Suppose the Metaverse is to become the next logical evolutionary step in the overall experience of the Internet…
…an “Internet” that you can see with your own eyes, walk through, touch, and chat with friends like they were standing right next to you.
Think of the kind of crowd that would draw!
Think of all the people eager to test and experience it!
With such high engagement, the possibility to take advantage of this new frontier is near-endless!
But what can your company seek to gain by integrating the Metaverse into their business practices?
Imagine all the benefits you currently enjoy with your usual digital tools and services for engaging with customers in a wholly immersive platform!
You could showcase your sellable products in virtual showrooms and interactive galleries!
You could organize live events and conferences in fully-realized and branded virtual spaces!
You could invent advertising campaigns that captivate audiences and engage with them in real-time!
…and so much more!
By now, you’re probably dreaming up your own innovative ideas to partner your business with the power of the Metaverse!
But you also may be wondering… how do I get involved? How do we gain visibility in the Metaverse?
If you have the time, talent, and tools, you could build yourself one right now!
Designing and hosting a Metaverse all your own can be a powerful way to use this new digital space, as it allows you to build your own unique features with no fear of restriction!
This approach is a perfect option for an organization with a specific concept in mind and a large budget.
However, as you might’ve guessed, building a personalized Metaverse is a ton of work! Not only do you have to construct this fully-interactive 3D world from the ground up, but also all of the features people expect to come with it!
That means character and avatar customization…
Interuser interactions…
Movement modes…
…the list goes on and on!
Luckily, there are a variety of preexisting Metaverses that are fully developed, available, and ready for you to put to use!
What’s even better is that many typically have methods for you to create your own digital elements and even whole worlds right from within their platform.
Using premade Metaverses can be extremely handy if you don’t have the technical skill to craft your own or work with a smaller budget.
You also benefit by having their community of active users to engage with and market to!
So at this point, you’re probably excited to jump head-first into one of these popular Metaverses and start designing!
…But which one should you choose?
That’s what we’re here to help you to do today!
Welcome to the first installment of our ultimate Metaverse Guide, where we try and rate every Metaverse platform out there so that you don’t have to!
We will dissect and review various aspects of all the current Metaverses and how they stack up against each other.
To understand their strengths and weaknesses, we will first look at all these Metaverses through the lens of these 6 talking points:
- Marketability & Brand Awareness
- Profitability
- Community Building
- Ease of Use
- Creation Process
- Available Platforms
Then, we’ll assign each a rating in the form of 1-to-5 stars to help you better understand how they perform compared to one another at a glance.
So you can either follow along with the written synopses below or jump ahead to the rating breakdown for a quicker picture!
DISCLAIMER: These write-ups and their associated ratings are subject to change as we take the time to rank more of the present (and future!) Metaverses. Changes and evolutions in the Metaverses over time (such as adding new features) may also affect subsequent rating changes.
With that all out of the way, we can jump into ranking our first Metaverse!
And to no one’s surprise, as you might imagine, we’ll first be taking a look at…
Horizon Worlds (formerly Facebook Horizon)
Developer: Meta Platforms
Publisher: Meta Platforms
As alluded to at the beginning of this article, the cultural hype around the Metaverse truly exploded when Facebook changed its name to Meta to make the company synonymous with the whole concept.
Horizon Worlds is Meta’s flagship vision of the Metaverse as a communal, virtual reality environment.
It boasts a clean user interface and a lively, familiar 3D-animated cartoon aesthetic reminiscent of other popular life simulation properties like the Sims franchise.
With deep roots in its parent company’s social media history, it’s no shock that Horizon Worlds performs well as a hub for user communications and interactivity…
But how does it stack up in other departments? And will it be the Metaverse to suit your virtual reality needs?
Horizon Worlds: Marketability
Even though the Metaverse concept is still in its infant stages, brands are already lining up to enter partnerships with platforms to host and showcase their content in these digital spaces.
Horizon Worlds, being so closely related to the massive Facebook network, is prime real estate in this regard (literally)!
As of March 2022, Horizon Worlds demonstrated this by introducing the world to its first rendition of a fully-branded content space with the Wendyverse, named after (and in cooperation with) Wendy’s fast food chain.
At this posting, the Wendyverse allows users to interact in a futuristic restaurant, explore behind the counter, and join a basketball shoot-off with a Baconator(R)! Users could also earn coupons to redeem at brick-and-mortar Wendy’s establishments for a limited time in the Wendyverse.
While the list of features is still relatively shallow, the Wendyverse is a proof of concept. Meta is already discussing expanding features for these Branded Spaces, such as allowing users to demo digitized versions of their partner’s products and enable real-time purchases.
Only time will tell how true these forecasts live up to the finished product. Still, even at this stage, it’s easy to imagine how a wholly unique world like this could do wonders for a company aiming to make a digital splash!
Horizon Worlds: Profitability
E-Commerce is such a massive driving factor of sales across businesses worldwide. So it only makes sense that Horizon Worlds would be an exciting and lucrative new opportunity!
While those projections aren’t exactly untrue, Horizon Worlds is still in its building stages on that front.
As mentioned above, Horizon Worlds is planning to enable companies to make sales of goods directly through their virtual platform. However, this functionality hasn’t been built out on a wide scale yet.
Instead, at the moment, the primary way to make money in Horizon Worlds is to focus more on digital goods & services.
When first introducing Horizon Worlds, Meta announced a “Creator Fund.” This fund committed $10,000,000 worth of resources toward developing Horizon Worlds and was offered as an incentive to potential creators to enter and build within their platform.
Beyond these initial investments to early adopters, creators can join community competitions for original worlds, games, and experiences. These prizes for the top-rated winners can go as high as $10,000!
You can also be admitted into an Accelerator Program. The program rewards you for the number of visitors to your digital spaces and their overall popularity. Anonymous reports from creators in the Accelerator Program can attest to a monthly payout of over $6000.
More recently, Meta announced the testing of a new feature that would pay creators for the purchases other users make of their digital assets. These can be anything from clothing for avatars, carryable items, special effects, and set pieces for world design.
While the documentation on this states that Meta would absorb a percentage of the transaction made, it is still a repeatable way to be routinely rewarded for production within Horizon Worlds.
The worlds you create can also achieve monetization levels outside of Meta’s direct influence. For example, you can create digital performance spaces that users must pay for to book or receive monthly donations by enthusiasts of your work via systems like Patreon.
Considering that the creation tools for Horizon Worlds are free, the potential payoff for learning how to use them and implement them well has only upward to go!
Horizon Worlds: Community Building
Horizon World looks to be developing itself most in socialization and virtual reality gathering. It’s also the natural progression of its long-standing history of the social media specialization from its parent company.
Recent censuses of Horizon Worlds report a regular monthly user base of 300,000. In addition, 10,000 separate worlds exist in Horizon Worlds to date, and private Facebook groups for creators currently tally over 20,000 members.
That is all to say that Horizon Worlds is well-populated. A healthy user base is something you can leverage for your virtual reality creations!
As you might expect, logging into Horizon Worlds requires a Facebook account. However, this is a low barrier to entry, considering how many people already use the platform.
Because of its connection to Facebook, users can import their Friends List and contacts to form groups.
They can even share content they generate from within Horizon Worlds (such as screenshots, avatar selfies, and videos) directly to their Facebook feeds.
This functionality opens up various possibilities in cross-promotional outreach between Facebook itself and Horizon Worlds.
This creates a self-sustaining feedback loop that allows you to:
1. Advertise and invite users to your digital spaces via social media…
2. Have those same users publicize your creations via their own public posts!
Horizon Worlds also possesses two initiatives that cater to specific types of meeting spaces which are sure to only grow in popularity as the adoption of the Metaverse expands.
Horizon Workrooms are specific digital spaces designed for business operations and remote work. They act as digitized board rooms where users can present, collaborate, and connect. Imagine an entirely branded office for your colleagues and partners to test and demo your Metaverse creations live!
On the other hand, Horizon Venues specializes in entertainment and events. These are areas where users can host and broadcast concerts, comedy routines, movies, talent shows, and more! In addition, through Venues, you could engage users directly and have them experience your brand first-hand!
All-in-all, Horizon Worlds delivers strong and diverse tools for social impact and has the user count to support them!
Horizon Worlds: Available Platforms
A big obstacle for users adopting the Metaverse will be how and where they can access it.
The more accessible the technology, the more effortless transitioning into the widespread application of the Metaverse will be.
Openly available Metaverses are still a new phenomenon, so undoubtedly, there will be plenty of growth in this area as the years go on.
But it does beg an interesting question…
Where are all the different places you can go to enter Horizon Worlds?
Before we talk about platforms, it is important to note that until the end of 2021, Horizon Worlds was initially in a closed beta state and was invitation-only.
As of this writing, it is now available to any user 18 or older with a valid Facebook account… so Horizon Worlds is more open than ever!
Most famously, Horizon Worlds is designed and advertised with Meta’s premiere VR Headset, the Oculus Quest, in mind. As a result, you can currently use either a Quest 1 or 2 Model to hop into Horizon Worlds.
However, owners of Quest’s predecessor, the Oculus Go, will be unable to join in the fun.
You can also explore Horizon Worlds via a desktop PC version without using an Oculus!
Unfortunately, this does mean that Mac, Linux, Mobile, and Console users aren’t supported.
Though there is still plenty of time to see these access options expand, for now, Horizon Worlds is somewhat narrow in scope.
Horizon Worlds: Ease of Use
Aside from where you can plug into the Metaverse, another deciding factor for adoption will be how easy and intuitive it is to operate once inside.
Remember, one hurdle to entering Horizon Worlds is an active Facebook Account. However, this requirement is already met by almost 3 million people worldwide, so it isn’t a major concern!
Aside from that fact, how simple is it to navigate Horizon Worlds?
The primary action of wandering through horizon Worlds is done via VR headset, specifically, the Oculus Quest.
The Oculus in and of itself is a bit of a learning curve and can be a barrier to entry. Also, not everyone might feel comfortable dropping $300 on a piece of experimental technology!
But assuming the Oculus is purchased, once equipped, learning to get around isn’t too difficult to wrap your head around.
The Oculus itself accounts for your area of vision with your head’s motion and requires no manual inputs from the User.
Instead, your “hands” in Horizon World are simulated by a pair of ergonomic controllers with only a tiny set of button commands to remember for pointing, grabbing, throwing, etc.
You are also given multiple choices for your Avatar’s movement.
You can choose between a “point-and-click” teleportation style of maneuvering or the ability to freely control where your character “slides” across the landscape.
Picking between the two will mostly come down to personal preference and how comfortable you are spending long periods using the Oculus.
Some users report feelings of motion sickness when using the less anchored “slide” movement. Still, whether or not this description applies to you, this will boil down to testing your comfort levels.
The user interface of Horizon Worlds is a series of minimalist floating panels that are easy to read and swiftly manipulated by clicking through buttons and prompts.
In addition, the use of the Oculus alongside Horizon Worlds, in general, is a thoroughly well-guided process.
The first-time tutorial goes to great length to describe all your available options. Then, it gives you step-by-step instructions on using the controllers, open menus, and more.
When accessing Horizon Worlds outside of the Oculus on Desktop, navigation changes entirely to accommodate the lack of a headset.
Those familiar with playing specific genres of online computer games (namely first-person walking simulators or MMOs) will likely be comfortable with the desktop setup.
You’ll mostly rely on the WASD Keys to determine the direction your avatars move and mouse swings to control your field of vision. Various other keyboard presses will simulate the buttons on the Oculus handgrips.
In comparing the two, the Oculus experience feels the smoothest and most tailored to the fantasy one might expect from interacting in the Metaverse.
But for many, the headset will still involve a bit of a learning curve… especially for the less tech savvy or tech-averse.
Horizon Worlds: Creation Tools
If there is one thing to be said about Horizon World’s creation tools, they are EXTENSIVE!
But luckily, not expensive!
The powerful editors available in Horizon Worlds are entirely free and accessible by all users; no additional software or hardware is necessary.
Depending on how you occupy Horizon Worlds (whether in Oculus or via desktop) will ultimately change how you interact with the editors.
Still, the same tools should be available regardless of the platform. The difference is mainly whether your editing tools are activated from the floating hand widgets (Oculus) or via mouse and keyboard (desktop).
Though an operating instruction manual of the creation tools is not within the scope of this article…
Know that nearly any object or experience you can dream of can be crafted within Horizon World’s build mode with enough practice and patience!
Creation handles by manipulating base objects and shapes (such as cubes, spheres, pyramids, etc.). Then, by morphing and altering the shape, size, color, and density, you can craft the building blocks of your world.
After the main set pieces are designed, you can use these same tricks to make items on a smaller scale for individual Avatars to interact with.
These objects are further enhanced by special effects, physics, and scripting rules to design the foundation of how they behave when interacting with other players (or each other)!
Horizon Worlds already has a sizable library of shapes, effects, scripts, music cues, and ambient sounds to help immerse fellow explorers in the spaces you create!
With all these toys to play with, it’s easy to see how 10,000 diverse worlds (and all of their respective clutter and atmosphere) were assembled cost-free within Horizon Worlds natively!
It should also be noted that Horizon Worlds offers a collection of in-app tutorials that covers the basics of world creation!
These guides you get started with understanding the foundational practices early.
In addition, in keeping with Horizon World’s focus on community-driven projects, you can invite collaborators and co-artists into your creative space to aid you in fabricating, coding, and publishing worlds!
If I can summarize all the above, Horizon World’s creation tools are so thorough that they border on overwhelming!
Complete transparency; it will take some time to understand all the nuances of the tools on offer.
But after taking the time to understand the base mechanics, the processes are straightforward enough that your imagination can fly in whatever direction you desire!
Horizon Worlds: Final Word
Marketability:
Profitability:
Community Building:
Available Platforms:
Ease of Use:
Creation Tools:
While Horizon Worlds is not the final version of what Meta has in store for its users, it is still an impressive first step into the Metaverse!
It places a high emphasis on user community-building and engagement by way of various social features, as well as empowerment with a robust set of free creation tools.
It also has the backing of one of the most powerful social network conglomerates, giving it tremendous potential for future growth and development.
While held back a bit by the upfront cost of the Oculus and the dedication required to become proficient in its use, it still offers enough practical and novel applications to be worth the overall investment.
We’ve spent a good deal of time analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of Horizon Worlds…
However, there are still plenty of other Metaverses to discover!
Each may have its own unique strengths and weaknesses when considering how to apply them to your VR services.
So it’s worthwhile to take the time and examine all your options!
Let’s shift our focus away from Horizon Worlds now and instead take a look at another trendy Metaverse.
Aside from social media, another area that’s transforming rapidly in the world of new-age technology in finance, particularly with the introduction of Cryptocurrency.
If Metaverses are designed to replicate actions and experiences in real life, then so too must many aspects of our functional world be translated into a digital format.
It seems then only natural for Cryptocurrencies, a form of non-physical means to indicate and exchange value, to make their way into a non-physical world in place of our more familiar economies.
Our next Metaverse is one with that same mentality!
Founded on the principles of putting digital, decentralized assets and currency at the forefront of its ecosystem, it is turning the acquisition of said resources into a community-driven, gamified experience.
And its name is…
The Sandbox
Developer: Animonica Games
Publisher: Animonica Games
The Sandbox self-describes itself as a multiplayer gaming experience built on the Ethereum blockchain.
Although this article is not meant to be an explainer of the processes of Cryptocurrencies, it may be worthwhile to have a basic understanding of the Blockchain.
The Blockchain is essentially a digital ledger of information spread across a network of computers to keep it secure from the risk of tampering and without third-party oversight.
In addition, Ethereum is a cryptocurrency token that acts as a means to execute and verify application code, known as “Smart Contracts.”
Though you need not be a Crypto expert in playing on the Sandbox, it’s clear that your experience is inherently tied to the inner workings of Cryptocurrency on the platform.
The Sandbox aesthetic is reminiscent of Three-Dimensional pixel art, similar to that of the wildly popular Minecraft game series.
Technically speaking, these three-dimensional cubes of graphic information are known as “voxels,” not “pixels,”; and they are how worlds and items in The Sandbox are built and shaped.
This art style has boomed in recent years across various genres, especially with how it appeals to the nostalgia sensors of retro gamers and allows for a great deal of artistic flexibility!
So we know now that the Sandbox is built on Voxels and the Blockchain. But what can we learn about the Sandbox in practice?
The Sandbox: Marketability
Amplifying the reach of their partners appears to be at the top of The Sandbox’s priorities!
Unlike Horizon Worlds, which has just begun to dip its toes into branded spaces for companies on their platform, the Sandbox already has many big names under its belt, all with their own explorable locations or discoverable assets.
Some of the names on their holdings are unsurprisingly bound to cryptocurrencies, such as Binance, Matic, and CryptoKitties.
However, others may not be what you’re expecting…
Aside from significant gaming labels such as Atari and SquareEnix, other recognizable properties like The Carebears and even the Smurfs have items to find and lands to see!
…And this is only a fraction of the list!
With gigantic trademarks on the Sandbox, your company assets can be seen alongside (or even within) them as players travel from world to world.
That’s a massive win for overall visibility and recognition!
As your XR services expand, you can take inspiration from other brands’ ideas for events and entertainment and adapt them to your taste.
The Sandbox: Profitability
As you might imagine from a Metaverse that functions off of its own Crypto token, The Sandbox emphasizes empowering its player base to earn.
The only way to enter the Sandbox is by first linking an account you have on a Crypto Wallet account, such as MetaMask, Bitski, Venly, or Coinbase Wallet.
This ensures you’re ready to capture those SAND Tokens (the name of The Sandboxes proprietary coin) from the get-go.
While this article is not meant to serve as a comprehensive guide on all the ways one can earn SAND in-game, the methods essentially fall into one of three categories:
1. Asset Creation: By either designing digital artworks, props, or items, you can charge other players for their acquisition and use inside the Sandbox.
2. Game Design: If event planning is more your style, you can develop an interactive experience for other players to run around in to earn some SAND.
3. Owning Land: By outright buying plots of digital land within the Sandbox, you can rent out its usage to others on the Sandbox to host their games and other festivities.
The number of ways someone can turn a profit is inspiring!
…But do remember that all of this accumulates in the native SAND token.
Depending on the nature of your business or Metaservice service, that might not be immediately appetizing to you (unless you’re going all-in on Crypto)!
Also, remember that Crypto is still very much an emerging and developing market in finance and new wealth. High risk, but high reward.
It should also be noted that The Sandbox has offered potential creators incentive programs with the promise of funding for generating assets (much like Horizon Worlds), so there is always the potential for those opportunities to crop up again.
Still, despite being limited to SAND, it’s hard to argue that the backbone of an effective system for generating passive income already exists on the Sandbox. And it has plenty of room to evolve!
The Sandbox: Community Building
The potential of leveraging the Sandbox community is something of a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, the entire Sandbox Metaverse is user-generated.
Not counting anything directly planted in the Sandbox by its developers, it is painstakingly built cube-by-cube by its dedicated supporters.
The Sandbox has also publicly stated that 2 million registered users have interacted with the Sandbox, which sounds, at first blush, far more impressive than Horizon World’s 300,000.
This speaks volumes about the loyalty, ingenuity, and activity of the Sandbox’s inhabitants…
…but on the other hand, consider how specific in scope the target audience is!
Remember that you must also possess a Crypto wallet to have a Sandbox account.
This prerequisite is a more particular barrier to entry than something like, say, a Facebook account, which a larger number of people already possess and need not be sold on.
With Crypto still climbing to prove itself in the eyes of the public sector, the appeal of the Sandbox primarily caters to those already interested in or engaging with the Crypto market.
Contrast this against a platform like Horizon Worlds, slowly funneling and converting its already colossal Facebook userbase over time. And on top of that, it already has the social media features of Facebook baked into the product!
In fact, even though The Sandbox has 2 million users, it reportedly only has a routine 300,000 monthly active visitors, which brings it right in line with that of Horizon Worlds.
Only time will tell if Crypto (and thus, The Sandbox) becomes a more prevalent and widely-accepted force in our day-to-day lives.
The potential growth for there is admittedly tremendous, but considering the social capital an entity like Facebook already has… it’s hard to gauge exactly how it will compare to its competition with so much untested.
The Sandbox: Available Platforms
While The Sandbox isn’t tied to special use hardware like the Oculus (which could be a good or bad thing depending on your opinion of such peripherals)…
…it is, by and large, accessible on a slightly higher number of more common platforms than Horizon Worlds.
Currently, you can start stacking voxels whether you’re on a PC or Mac.
Console and Mobile, like Horizon Worlds, are not yet an option.
It is also entirely free, though, as aforementioned, a valid Crypto Wallet is necessary before gaining entry.
The Sandbox: Ease of Use
Much like the desktop version of Horizon Worlds before it, by default, users will navigate through The Sandbox by using their mouse and keyboard.
Shortly after linking your preferred Crypto Wallet and creating your free account, you’ll be sent to an Avatar creation screen.
This is an uncomplicated mixing and matching of the few beginner options available to new accounts.
Other customization options will need to be purchased with SAND, earned in-game, or developed by the User.
Afterward, you are given the option to pop into one of the open lands in The Sandbox.
It’s important to note that some areas cannot be traversed without purchasing entry or when certain events within The Sandbox Metaverse are transpiring.
That being said, the primary hub world is free and public to all!
Again, users who have dabbled in online computer games (specifically first-person walking simulators or MMOs) will find themselves right at home piloting their Avatar in the Sandbox.
You’ll utilize the standard WASD keys to guide the direction your Avatar moves and shift the mouse to change where you’re looking.
Taps on your keyboard allow performing various actions, such as jumping, talking to other characters, throwing levers, etc. You’ll also use them to enact emotes, such as waving or dancing.
Actions bound to clicking your mouse are usually contextual. They are dependent on the item you’re holding, but most often it used to swing a weapon such as a voxel sword.
When within a menu, the mouse becomes a cursor for you to hover over buttons to enact purchases, scroll through text, etc.
Everything feels reasonably intuitive, and aside from a few menus that weren’t clearly explained… the controls are not hard to remember nor taxing to execute.
The Sandbox: Creation Tools
Creating objects for The Sandbox takes place within another program called VoxEdit.
Moreover, crafting world spaces and game areas requires another Sandbox Maker application.
Although these need to be downloaded separately from the main Sandbox Metaverse launcher, it is still entirely free.
VoxEdit is less overwhelming than Horizon World’s creator.
All of your available tools and options are available within one menu on a single pane.
There’s no confusing flicking through multiple windows; all the buttons you need, all at once.
One gripe I have with VoxEdit, as opposed to The Horizon Worlds creator, is that while the options are all visible, they are not always labeled.
Hovering over certain icons or testing through trial and error is sometimes necessary (if a little perplexing).
Horizon Worlds’ may have an overabundance of widgets to sort through, but most are named or notated.
That being said, VoxEdit does have some video tutorials linked right on its main page.
So like Horizon Worlds, if you want to educate yourself before diving into the deep end and trip yourself up on the interface… resources are made available to you!
By the nature of VoxEdit working exclusively with Voxels, you have fewer editing options overall.
In Horizon Worlds, you can take almost any shape and transform it to your will.
Voxels need always be cubes that interlock into more complex forms.
This doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with them (a brief look through the marketplace will demonstrate plenty of innovative and advanced designs)…
…but there is inherently a limitation there, if even in geometry.
However, that static geometry can serve as a boon to rookie creators!
After all, if you know every creation must be assembled out of conjoined blocks, it’s easier to wrap your head around where (and how) to begin your handmade assets.
In the end, VoxEdit is a powerful and straightforward program that is easy to click through and experiment with.
Still, it lacks the total freedom that a non-cubic engine possesses.
The Sandbox Maker is a bit more elaborate.
It suffers from the same lack of labeling on many of the buttons but hides a few menus under tabs that must be pulled out and search bars.
There were also no tutorial videos or links present upon startup, as VoxEdit had.
The tool is certainly powerful! Within minutes, you can generate a vast landscape and drop a few items and player spawn points.
But for more artful edits and an understanding of applying scripts, you’ll need to do some research on your own.
Sandbox: The Final Word
Marketability:
Profitability:
Community Building:
Available Platforms:
Ease of Use:
Creation Tools:
The Sandbox is an amazing choice if you are interested in diving head-first into the Crypto Market!
It has a number of different ways for you to monetize your creations, experiences, and overall playtime within the Sandbox.
It also features a wide array of fully-fledged brand partnerships across a variety of markets for to take advantage of!
Just bear in mind that the cryptocurrencies and NFTs the Sandbox invests in aren’t immediately accessible concepts to many people yet, and that may serve as a roadblock.
Now that we’ve talked at length about both Horizon Worlds and the Sandbox, let’s put them side-by-side!
Horizon Worlds vs. The Sandbox: The Comparison
Ultimately, which Metaverse you decide upon between Horizon Worlds and the Sandbox will be dependent on a couple of different factors…
Factor 1: What is the objective of the project you’re developing?
Horizon Worlds is primarily a visual extension of a social media network. In contrast, the Sandbox is a stage for game development.
If you’re looking to design something mostly casual and passive for a relaxed audience, then Horizon Worlds will be your best best.
If you’re going for a more involved and dynamic experience for an action-oriented userbase, then you’ll want to sway Sandbox.
Factor 2: How interested are you in the Crypto market?
Although both Metaverses have the potential to monetize your XR services, the methods in which they do so are very different.
While Horizon Worlds doesn’t have the full capabilities of paying out its content creators yet, it has historically done so by way of currencies outside the crypto spectrum.
The Sandbox, however, has plenty of built-in methods of generating an income on your creations… but it does so by dispensing its own internal SAND Tokens.
Both platforms inherently involve some risk.
How long will Horizon Worlds take to develop these payment methods? What will the model look like? Will it be at a competitive rate?
How valuable will SAND be in the future? Will the crypto market at large expand and become more broadly accepted?
Factor 3: What brand associations are you aiming for?
While Horizon Worlds will no doubt extend digital spaces to other partners in the future, currently, the list is relatively limited, and so is the market pool (Wendy’s and the restaurant business).
The Sandbox, however, has branded materials from Adidas, to Snoop Dog, to The Walking Dead! That’s a wide net to cast and many buzz-worthy names!
While we know that Meta certainly has the budget and the reputation to garner more notable partnerships in the future, the Sandbox already has a leg up in that department.
Factor 4: The Oculus
Even though the Oculus can be jarring or a deterrent to some, an all-immersive headset sells the Sci-Fi notion that you’re genuinely interacting in an all-digital Metaverse.
The Sandbox, being bound to the desktop, is less complicated to access… but feels and looks strikingly similar to other Voxel-made computer games before it.
It is Metaverse in function, but not so much in fashion.
And that is something to consider when you’re thinking about the crowd you wish to draw into your Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Services!
Will the optics and operation of the Oculus serve what you’re creating?
Will it “sell” the fantasy of being a part of the Metaverse?
Or will it be too steep of an initial hill to climb?
And would sticking to desktop help ease your target demographic into it?
With all these final thoughts considered, we can finally say…
We’ve hit the end of the first installment of our Ultimate Metaverse Guide!
We hope you’ve learned something new and useful today!
And that you feel better informed and more prepared to tackle your own Metaverse services!
We’re going to drop the comparison chart of these two Metaverses down below for you to get one final look at…
…and think over until our next write-up on a fresh round of Metaverses!
Keep your eyes on Upreal for exciting new announcements down the pipeline.
We’ll see you soon (and maybe in the Metaverse)!
Table of Ratings
| Criteria | Horizon Worlds | The Sandbox |
|---|---|---|
| Marketability & Brand Awareness | | |
| Profitability | | |
| Community Building | | |
| Available Platforms | | |
| Ease of Use | | |
| Creation Tools | | |
