• Corona and home office as driving factors?
• Metaverse in a professional context
• Strong growth in the VR industry
Metaverse before comeback?
The Metaverse trend got rolling last year, but since then it has been largely silent about the supposed hope. The industry was initially driven by the COVID pandemic, which resulted in fewer contacts and more people staying within their own four walls. With new virus variants, Corona is still an issue. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the outbreak of monkeypox an international emergency. Consumers could thus continue to avoid physical contact. The trend towards working from home, which received a good boost from the pandemic, is also unlikely to peter out too quickly, as more and more employees are insisting on a good work-life balance. Here, too, metaverse solutions could facilitate professional communication.
According to the analysis platform “TipRanks”, it could now be worth investing in shares of Metaverse pioneers before the hype picks up speed again. To do this, the online medium used its comparison tool to examine three Metaverse stocks that are benefiting from the burgeoning hype and – according to the experts’ forecast – could reach a price of 475 US dollars each by 2028.
Apple’s mixed reality headset apparently ahead of announcement
The iPhone manufacturer Apple has been working on augmented reality solutions for years. With the help of the ARKit and RealityKit frameworks provided for app developers, objects can be brought into the real world using the smartphone camera – at least in the representation of these on the iPhone display. With its own Clips app, users can “rain confetti, a virtual dance floor [
] place or trail a star behind [sich] The technology is also used in combination with third-party apps: Filters in the Snapchat app can also be applied to the environment, just like furniture can be used in your own home using the IKEA Place app walls can be placed.
In the future, Apple not only wants to be represented in the field of augmented reality, but also offer virtual reality solutions. Both technologies are to be linked in a mixed reality headset, which according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo should be released as early as next year. In a study from June, which is available to the Apple magazine “9to5Mac”, the expert explained that the iGroup will announce corresponding MR glasses as early as January 2023. Although it was long believed that the company led by Tim Cook would launch the long-awaited headset this year, this is no longer possible in terms of software and hardware. It should be remembered that this is the “most complicated product that Apple has ever designed”. “Although Apple has repeatedly reaffirmed its focus on AR, I believe Apple AR/MR that supports video see-thru could also provide an excellent immersive experience,” said Kuo optimistically. “Therefore, the introduction of Apple AR/MR will further fuel the demand for immersive gaming/multimedia entertainment.” According to TipRanks, the headset will also feature the powerful M2 chip that was only recently announced and is used in the current 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. According to the portal, the operating system installed on the MR glasses should be called realityOS or rOS. Not only is the visual aspect of the new Apple product promising, but the company, based in Cupertino, California, could also intensify the VR experience in combination with the audio component.
Since the beginning of the year, Apple shares have been pulled deep into the red by a general weakness in the market, which has particularly affected tech stocks. Most recently, the rate of decline this year was 7.15 percent. Apple shares last cost 164.87 US dollars (closing price on August 8). From a total of 27 analyst ratings listed on TipRanks, 20 of the experts recommend buying the shares. The stock also received six “hold” ratings and only one sell rating. The average price target is $179.89, which is higher than current price levels but slightly below January’s all-time high of $182.94.
Is Microsoft Bringing Teams to the Metaverse?
Even if the software giant Microsoft is best known for its Windows operating system, the company from Redmond has long since gained a foothold in the gaming market with four main generations of its Xbox games console. The tech giant also offers the Xbox Game Pass subscription service and the Xbox Cloud Gaming cloud solution. These competencies could be that of Bill Gates co-founded group now also give an advantage when it comes to first steps into the Metaverse. The gaming division Xbox Game Studios, which is behind popular titles such as Minecraft, Age of Empires and Fable, could not only bring games into virtual reality, but also allow players to interact in the Metaverse.
In addition, according to TipRanks, Microsoft’s programs could also be used in the professional sector. It is conceivable, for example, that meetings will take place in virtual reality using Microsoft teams, thus bringing back a sense of community that many employees in the home office may lack.
With the mixed reality glasses HoloLens 2, Microsoft is already offering an opportunity to support employees at their workplace. According to Microsoft, the gadget can be used in the automotive industry, in healthcare or in retail and provide employees with important information while they work. Data should be visible by means of holograms, but at the same time the glasses can also enable a view of the actual workplace.
The Microsoft share also had to lose quite a bit this year on the NASDAQ. Since the beginning of January, the minus has been 16.65 percent, so the paper was last traded at 280.32 US dollars (closing price on August 8, 2022). According to TipRanks, the analysts are positive about the share certificate. With a total of 29 buy recommendations and no “hold” or “sell” rating, the experts’ verdict was unequivocal. The strategists’ average target price is $331, well above the current stock price.
NVIDIA’s Omniverse enables the creation of “digital twins”
Although NVIDIA is best known as a chip manufacturer, it has ventured into the software industry in the recent past. The group is not only considered a massive driver of AI solutions, but has also recognized the cloud gaming trend, just like Metaverse competitor Microsoft. With the GeForce NOW platform, the company enables gamers to play already purchased games on various platforms – including less powerful computers, but also smartphones or smart TVs. However, a stable and fast internet connection is required for the fun of the game. NVIDIA is also already well positioned in the metaverse area. With the real-time graphics collaboration platform Omniverse, the group wants to enable industrial companies to develop so-called “digital twins”, which can then be used in scalable, realistic simulations. “Omniverse revolutionizes the way we create content, develop as individuals, and collaborate as teams, bringing greater creative opportunity and efficiencies to everyone and every project in every organization,” the project page reads. According to TipRanks, future Metaverse applications from other developers could also run on top of NVIDIA’s applications. Computer components from the chip group could also experience additional demand when metaverse apps have become suitable for the masses.
On the NASDAQ, NVIDIA shares have already fallen by 39.50 percent since the beginning of the year to USD 170.25 (closing price on August 8, 2022). Out of a total of 30 analyst ratings listed on TipRanks, 25 currently have buy recommendations, while five experts recommend holding the share. The average price target of $245.55 also offers strong upside potential for NVIDIA stock.
Meta is getting more and more competition
But what about the meta group, which was still known under Facebook until October 2021? Ultimately, CEO Mark Zuckerberg was so serious about penetrating the Metaverse that he made the name part of the program and quickly renamed the operator of the platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. As of December 2021, the company’s Metaverse project “Horizon Worlds” is available in the USA and Canada for persons aged 18 and over. But what happens next? According to 9to5Mac, Kuo attested that the VR pioneer had driven the industry, which was not least due to the relatively cheap headsets, but the top dog could withdraw from the area in the future to concentrate on its core business, namely advertising. However, this should not harm the industry – on the contrary. Other manufacturers of VR glasses could benefit from Meta’s withdrawal, as the industry is still growing strongly, says Kuo. For example, the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC offers various VR models with the VIVE series, and the Steam gaming platform is also represented on the market with the Valve Index. Sony also started with a VR solution for its games console in 2016 with the PlayStation VR (PS VR). PlayStation 4. The successor PS VR2, which is specially adapted to the next generation of consoles, the PlayStation 5, is to come as early as next year and, among other things, comes up with a better resolution, a more comfortable application and a large number of new games, as Sony promises.
So there is no shortage of competition for Meta. However, this is hardly reflected in the TipRanks check: in a total of 36 expert assessments, 28 analysts recommend buying the shares, while six strategists recommend holding the notes. Two assessments even include a sell recommendation. At $226.26, the average price target for Meta shares is also well above the current price level of $170.25 (closing price on August 8, 2022). Since the beginning of the year, however, the paper on the NASDAQ has suffered a minus of 49.38 percent.
Editorial office finanzen.net
This text is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation. finanzen.net GmbH excludes any claims for recourse.
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