What is the Metaverse and What Will It Mean for Poker & Casino?

You have likely heard the word Metaverse and wondered what it is. You are not alone because the world’s latest buzzword seems to have a slightly different meaning depending on the company using it. As a sweeping statement, the Metaverse is a virtual reality world where people from all walks of life can come together and interact in an immersive, virtual setting. What does the Metaverse mean for poker and casino? Let’s take a look.

The term metaverse first became public in the 1992 science fiction movie Snow Crash. In science fiction in circles, the Metaverse is an iteration of the internet as a universal and immersive virtual world accessed by people wearing virtual reality headsets. Users can do anything and everything in the Metaverse, from chatting with their friends to running businesses and even playing online poker and casinos. Once a distant pipedream, the Metaverse is now very real and advancing constantly.

Currently, most VR products are aimed at the gaming market, allowing gamers to feel part of the world’s in which they control their character. Recently gambling companies, such as PokerStars, have seen the potential of the Metaverse for their product and customers because the virtual world allows for unprecedented interaction between users. There is the potential to play at a European Poker Tour (EPT) stop that looks and feels like you are in Prague but are physically located in your home.

Learn more about PokerStars VR

The concept of virtual reality and the Metaverse is nothing new, despite the term’s use becoming widespread over the past couple of years. Panoramic paintings were civilization’s first attempts at virtual reality because they filled the viewer’s field of vision. Other relatively primitive attempts followed in the mid-20th century, with the latest creations utilizing the latest in computer technology.

First VR Machine (1956) – Morton Heilig, a cinematographer, created the world’s first VR machine. Heilig built the Sensorama, which was a large booth that could accommodate up to four people. The Sensorama stimulated all the senses using audio, smells, vibrations, atmospheric effects, and full-color 3D video.

MIT Aspen Movie Map (1978) – The Aspen Movie Map was developed by Andrew Lippman and a team at the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the late 1970s. It was a revolutionary hypermedia system that allowed users to take a virtual tour through the city of Aspen, Colorado. The pioneering example of interactive computing was back then what Google Maps is today.

SEGA VR-1 Released (1994) – Video game and entertainment giant Sega installed the VR-1 into Joypolis indoor theme park in Yokohama, Japan, in July 1994, and it was the first large-scale interactive video game/theme park attraction. Up to 32 people donned virtual reality headsets, sat in four eight-seater motion base pods, and embarked on a three-minute first-person rail shooter game.

Oculus Rift Invented (2011) – The Oculus Rift was the first true, modern VR headset. |The first rough prototype was built by a then 18-year-old Palmer Luckey, who assembled the headset in his parents’ garage in Long Beach, California. He joined forces with John Carmack, co-founder of id Software, and the world got its first look at what would ultimately become the Oculus Rift at the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Facebook Buy Oculus (2014) – Facebook purchased Oculus for $2 billion in 2014, as the company fit in with Facebook’s vision for widespread virtual reality. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said of Oculus, “mobile is the platform of today, and now we’re also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow. Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play, and communicate.”

PokerStars VR Released (2018) – PokerStars is always at the forefront of poker innovation, and it continued that trend with PokerStars VR. Launched in late 2018, PokerStars VR combined the best of online and live poker in a fun and engaging, immersive social free-to-play game. Players worldwide play cash games and tournaments, bet on sports and enjoy various casino games in a virtual reality setting.

Facebook Changes Its Name to Meta (2021) – Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook to Meta as part of his strategic plan to create a metaverse. Zuckerberg envisages a virtual world where consumers spend parts of their lives. The Meta CEO fully believes the metaverse possibilities are endless; Zuckerberg has invested billions of dollars into making the Metaverse a success.

Who Owns the Metaverse?

Author Neal Stephenson coined Metaverse in his book Snow Crash in 1992. The book depicts a dystopian future where rich people can escape to an alternative virtual reality that is connected worldwide.

Who owns the Metaverse in its current form? In short, nobody and everyone! That sounds confusing, but there is no single owner of the Metaverse. Instead, the Metaverse belongs to software developers, artists, game developers, investors, and metaverse users. Each company has its own Metaverse, such as the PokerStars VR world or the myriad of games, but one day all these worlds could be connected.

How Can I Get Into the Metaverse?

You may think that getting into the Metaverse is a challenging task because it sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but it’s frightfully simple. Every metaverse product is different, but almost every one of them has a dedicated app or software to download to your computer. So start by downloading any files or software, such as the PokerStars VR client. Once downloaded and installed, all that is required is for you to run the software, create your account, and you are good to go.

You need a virtual reality, or VR headset, to access the Metaverse. Make sure you have a compatible headset for the Metaverse you are entering. You must also be connected to the internet whenever you visit the Metaverse.

An increasing number of VR headsets are available on the open marketplace. The Oculus Quest 2 is one of the most commonly used virtual reality headsets that hundreds of thousands of gamers use daily. The Oculus Quest 2 costs around $400, making it one of the more affordable headsets. Oculus Quest 2 replaced the now-defunct Oculus Rift headsets. The only real downside to the Oculus Quest 2 is you must have a Facebook account to use it.

The Valve Index is the VR headset from American video game developer Valve Corporation. Launched in late June 2019, the Valve Index is expensive at $999, although second-hand headsets are becoming more readily available.

HTC makes some of the best VR headsets on the market, with prices starting around $700 and increasing to $1,500 or more for the Vive Pro 2. The HTC Vive XR Elite costs $1,200 and is a complete package.

One of the great things about the virtual reality world is you can play poker in the Metaverse. PokerStars has VR poker for over 18-year-olds, and although the product is currently only for play money, there is scope to introduce real money online poker in the Metaverse.

What is Poker in the Metaverse?

Poker in the Metaverse works similarly to traditional online poker in that the hand rankings are the same, and the rules of the games are the same. However, the main difference between VR poker and online poker is the level of immersion the former creates.

You are represented by an alias and an avatar in a 2D setting when you play online poker. While changing the table felts and backgrounds is possible, online poker is visually bland compared to playing poker in the Metaverse. VR poker creates customizable 3D avatars that move around like people, doing so in vibrant locations and creating a poker game with video game-like graphics and like a real-life poker game.

How to Play Poker in the Metaverse

PokerStars VR is a premium VR poker product, and although it does not currently offer real-money gaming, it does offer rewards and kudos for winning cash games and tournaments. Some play-to-earn metaverse poker are essentially real-money poker in a virtual reality setting; their legality is a grey area, which is why PokerNews is not discussing them here, and why the following instructions are for getting up and running with PokerStars VR.

Install the PokerStars VR app on your computer or compatible virtual reality headset. The download should not take long, especially with a fast broadband internet connection.

Creating your free account is the next step, which will only take a minute or two. You will likely spend longer during this next stage because this is where you create your avatar from the options available. Remember, this avatar represents you during poker in the Metaverse, so make it as memorable or bizarre as you wish.

All new PokerStars VR customers receive some free chips to start their virtual poker career, meaning you can jump straight into cash games or tournaments that are running. If you run out of chips or want to play for higher stakes, purchasing more chips for real money is possible. All that’s left now is to enjoy your favorite poker game in one of the most immersive settings outside of real-life poker.

The Best Poker Games to Play in the Metaverse

PokerStars VR only offers No-Limit Hold’em right now, but that’s OK because No-Limit Hold’em is the most popular poker variant in the world. You can play No-Limit Hold’em cash games at PokerStars VR in addition to sit & go single-table tournaments, multi-table tournaments (MTTs), and the super-exciting Spin & Go jackpot sit & go games.

In addition to playing poker in the Metaverse, it is also possible to play at a VR casino in a similar vein. Casino in the Metaverse has countless possibilities, such as making it look, feel, and sound like you are in a lavish, luxurious Las Vegas or Macau casino while you are sitting at home on your sofa!

What is Casino in the Metaverse?

Casino in the Metaverse is similar to other online casino products, but the experience is more interactive. You control your avatar, make it move around, handle chips, press the buttons on slots, and turn over cards in casino table games that use them. Compare that to clicking various buttons and icons with your mouse in a traditional online casino, and you quickly see why playing at a VR casino is growing increasingly popular.

Most casinos in the Metaverse use play money, meaning there is no risk to your bankroll. You can purchase additional coins if you wish, but you are never obligated to do so, making VR casino games the perfect way to blow off steam and enjoy the fun and thrill of casino games without worrying about the money aspect of things.

How to Play Casino in the Metaverse

Playing in a VR casino is not only free but also a simple task. Once you have turned on your compatible VR headset and installed the casino in the metaverse app or software, all that is left is to create your account, find your favorite game, and play away to your heart’s content, all while interacting with your fellow VR casino players and, hopefully, winning more chips and coins that you know what to do with!

The Best Casino Games to Play in the Metaverse

Roulette is a more popular VR casino game thanks to having your avatar fully interact with the game, including placing your chips on the various betting markers.

Blackjack is another popular game in the Metaverse, as are craps, slots, and several custom PokerStars VR-exclusive games and titles. As they are free-to-play, there is no reason not to try them all.