I've no idea what people think the metaverse is, but VR, MR, and eventually AR is the future of communication, collaboration, remote operation of vehicles, gaming, new forms of media and entertainment, telepresence, work, content creation, entirely new forms of apps and tools, education, exploration, and the list just goes on and on. It is merely a new compact form of visualization, an infinite workspace, an augmented world. Zuck did a shit job of marketing his vision, but the hardware and technology around next gen vr and then mr and then ar is literally game changing, but also will change everything about how we interact and use computers and many other pieces of technology. Even the simplest of things, like being able to sit with your distant relatives when you cannot travel to them each day, enjoying a cup of coffee and a movie together, that alone will draw in the masses, and gaming... I think that's not a small market, but hey what do I know. There are companies, including Sony, Microsoft, Unity, Epic, Meta, and Apple who are investing billions... BILLIONS per month to develop standards and protocols and already iterating next-next gen versions of this hardware. To think it's merely a fad or niche at this point is... like thinking the iPhone is a joke, a tiny niche market... or that horseless carriages will never replace the horse and buggy.