Product Hunt Daily - Peek into the multiverse

The metaverse is on the horizon, but the Multiverse has arrived.

Not the Marvel one with a crocodile Loki. This one looks a bit like Silicon Valley’s RussFest.

Multiverse, a collection of immersive environments, was introduced a year ago to host a virtual Burning Man 2020. Co-founder Brittany Brousseau said in today’s Product Hunt launch that the makers had been working on it for years but Covid propelled the project forward.

The Multiverse is cross-platform, enabling participants to enter on any mobile device or VR headset. Once in, your 3D avatar can roam freely and interact with live voice.

Last year’s virtual environment covered seven square miles. According to Brousseau, tens of thousands joined globally (the platform can handle 1 million concurrent users), 650 DJs participated, 300+ art installations were created, and 139 live broadcasts streamed simultaneously. For this year's Burning Man city, the makers have added social and communication layers among other features.

Multiverse looks as vibrant as the IRL event. It strikes a different cord from Horizon Workrooms, Facebook’s virtual office unveiled earlier this month, but both give us a broader picture of life in the metaverse.

In Horizon Workrooms, colleagues can sit at the same virtual table via their avatars, whiteboard and type with their virtual hands, and gesture back and forth to each other. Spatial audio contributes to a more personable experience than tech that’s audio-only. You'll need a Quest 2 is for the full experience, but anyone can join a workroom with a smartphone or computer.

Workrooms is in open beta. Zuckerberg and team have been quick to admit that, at this stage, there are many gaps and to-dos. Beyond the tech, one big question remains: will Facebook open up Horizons for cross-platform connection to enable a real metaverse with interconnected worlds?

TBD, but with Product Hunt's remote team that includes VR enthusiasts and Burners, you can expect to see us at both the virtual table and the flaming art cars.