Phygital Labs just announced that ‘Galerio,’ a new metaverse that uses spatial computing to promote history, art, and culture, is now live on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest headsets.
Galerio’s pilot chapter is dedicated to the Nguyen Dynasty, the last Vietnamese dynasty that ruled from 1802 to 1883. It features nine royal antiques that were authenticated on the blockchain by Nomion, a platform that transforms physical objects into non-fungible tokens and digital assets.
Galerio offers ultra-realistic 3D visuals, immersive soundscapes, AI-guided tours to provide context and answer users’ questions, and curated museum experiences. The reconstruction of artifacts in VR traces their history and evolution, showing how they may have appeared in the past and their current condition.
While many metaverses focus on social interactions and/or gaming, Galerio aims to educate and entertain users with immersive, high-fidelity interactions that are rich in history and cultural narratives. Through the use of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, Galerio blends the physical and digital spaces for a unique, educational experience.
The co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Phygital Labs, Nam Do, said that the company’s vision is to use “cutting-edge spatial technologies” to create “experiences that bring art, culture, and history to life in the most vivid and authentic way possible.”
According to a post on X, Galerio is working with Apple’s Developer Relations team to integrate more seamlessly into Apple’s ecosystem, and the mobile version is expected to go live in a few weeks. It is also inviting cultural institutions, private collectors, and museums to showcase their artwork and artifacts in the metaverse.
The Metaverse Continues to Evolve
Although the metaverse has had a couple of slow years, things could turn around very soon. According to statistics from Coolest Gadgets, by the end of this year, virtual reality (VR) headsets are expected to exceed 100 million units, and, by 2028, revenue from VR headsets could to reach $43.9 billion.
In the meantime, both Web3 and Web2 companies have been busy building their metaverse ecosystems and initiatives. Here are some of the most recent headlines about the metaverse:
- August 2024. SSC Napoli Enters the Metaverse with The Sandbox Collab
- July 2024. Disney Enters the Metaverse with Carrieverse Partnership
- July 2024. Coach Enters Web3 with Metaverse Activations
- July 2024. ‘Attack on Titan’ Experience Coming to The Sandbox Metaverse
- July 2024. Six Flags Unveils Metaverse Experience in Roblox
- May 2024. Yonsei University in South Korea Unveils Metaverse Experience
- February 2024. Forbes Establishes Permanent Space in The Sandbox Metaverse
As Web3 technologies and the production of VR headsets improve, the likelihood of widespread metaverse adaption increases — although it’s difficult to predict how much time it will take. But if companies like Phygital Labs continue to launch cutting-edge metaverse experiences, it could happen sooner rather than later.
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