Читать книгу Step into the Metaverse онлайн | страница 8

Laya stood up and walked over to her Communication Wall. There, she removed a sleek lightweight metal-coated headset and walked to the middle of the room where a 6×6 box had been outlined on the floor. On the far side of the box, a comfortable but sturdy-looking safety chair sat. Most VR zones had one considering how tiring VR could be. Laya stood in the middle of the outlined box, put her gear on, switched on the smart lidar system that captured her movements, and issued a command.

The screen illuminated, and suddenly she was standing in a digital twin of her office. It was almost exactly the same in every way, down to the panic button under her desk and even the pile of coats hanging in the corner. The only difference was a data screen with live economic projections and headlines floating above her desk.

Using her default avatar, Laya walked over to a digital wardrobe. The glowing doors opened automatically, spiraling away into nothingness. She cycled through a few outfits and avatar choices, before settling on a light tan suit. It had an air of casualness, ideal for family and any unannounced digital paparazzi.

With another slightly different wave, she raised a group of tabs. Swiping through a few, she stopped on People. There at the top of the list, a contact labeled “Terry XOXO” sat. Having pressed the name, Laya selected the “Travel to” option.

Laya's vision turned black for a moment, spare a small ball, roughly the size of a basketball, spinning in front of her, slowly filling with color. The moment the ball was fully colored, Laya found herself in front of an endless row of squash courts, all styled in various fashions. She still hadn't quite gotten used to how instant everything was, when only a couple of years ago lag was pretty much expected no matter where you went in the metaverse.

To her front was the back of her husband's digital twin. He was intensely watching a match of hyper-squash between two avatars. One of which looked like a salmon, the other George W. Bush. The avatars smashed a golden ball back and forth, dashing and jumping in ways only possible in the digital realm.