Metaverse Open Standards Could Simplify Cross-Platform Development for SaaS Vendors

Source: Metaverse Standards

Big names in tech have banded together to finally decide what they’re going to do with the metaverse.

Microsoft, Adobe, Epic Games, and Web3D Consortium are just some of the more than 30 companies that have signed up to become the founding members of the Metaverse Standards Forum. Metaverse announced the initiative in a press release and said that the Forum will explore areas where the metaverse lacks interoperability in deployment. It will also look at how the “work of Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) defining and evolving needed standards may be coordinated and accelerated.”

Metaverse explained that multiple industry leaders believe that a foundation built on open standards will be the most fitting approach to realizing an open and inclusive metaverse. To accomplish this goal, the interoperability standards created by SDOs like the World Wide Web Consortium, The Khronos Group, the Spatial Web Foundation, the Open AR Cloud, and many others must meet and foster consensus-based cooperation.

The Forum will look into interoperability of virtual and augmented reality, geospatial, and 3D technology, among others. It will focus on pragmatic and action-based projects. These include hackathons, implementation prototyping, plugfests, and open-source tooling that aims to accelerate the testing and adoption of metaverse standards. Open-source tooling will also be a way to develop consistent terminology and deployment guidelines.

“The metaverse will bring together diverse technologies, requiring a constellation of interoperability standards, created and maintained by many standards organizations,” said Khronos president, Neil Trevett.

“The Metaverse Standards Forum is a unique venue for coordination between standards organizations and industry, with a mission to foster the pragmatic and timely standardization that will be essential to an open and inclusive metaverse,” Trevett added. He also said that The Forum won’t take political stances and will instead focus on the actionable projects.

The Forum is free and open to any company, university, and standards organization. It’s planning to hold its first meeting in July 2022. More information on joining can be found at metaverse-standards.org.

More Good News for SaaS AR/VR Platforms

Though many still wonder what the metaverse really is, the formation of a Metaverse Standards Forum is a sign that it will be part of our world in the future. In fact, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently unveiled the company’s VR and AR headset prototypes to drum up more interest in the metaverse. The headsets could potentially offer next-level innovations for VR and AR hardware and use cases.

We’re anticipating that the developments in VR and AR hardware will also increase the demand for AR SaaS platforms. Marketing teams and DevOps would need to research how consumers will behave in the metaverse to come up with new offerings. With the gears now in place for open standards for the metaverse, it could be easier and simpler for developers to build apps and tools for different platforms, hardware, and users. Sharing and transferring data could also be seamless among users under open standards. This creates an even more beneficial business and creative environment for many SaaS vendors delivering services and products for this tech niche.

There is one big puzzle though in the announcement. Players like Apple, Google, and Roblox, were missing in action. These companies have their respective projects in AR and VR—Apple and Google are developing headsets, while Roblox is an online game platform that has successfully blended virtual worlds with games.