KEYS Metaverse has announced that its immersive new platform, built with Unreal Engine 5 technology, will be available on all devices. The Alpha launch gives users the opportunity to experience a vast virtual world notable for its distinctive island biome and AAA quality graphics.
Real Estate On Unreal Engine
Like other metaverses, the KEYS world allows users to create, explore, and socialize with one another in a cutting-edge 3D environment. The device-agnostic platform also provides talented creators with a suite of tools they need to originate high-quality 3D content, including an easy-to-use development environment and a swathe of pre-built assets.
Having been built on Unreal Engine, a powerful game engine deployed by many AAA developers, KEYS is seeking to set itself apart from the crowd by delivering unparalleled graphics, audio and gameplay. A few hours in its sprawling metaverse certainly provides ample evidence of Unreal Engine’s recent upgrades, including a dynamic global illumination and reflections system and advanced rendering technology.
Envisioned as the world’s first “ultra-real, photo-realistic” open metaverse, KEYS Alpha is now accessible to both regular users and commercial enterprises, both of whom can immediately start to customize items (buildings, furniture etc) and create and monetize rich digital experiences.
The launch of Alpha follows a period of private testing and feedback collation with the KEYS community, not least holders of KEYCard NFTs. Though the metaverse is currently dependent on a centralized cloud provider, its team has expressed a desire to migrate to a decentralized alternative when one can support the GPUs which facilitate its AAA quality graphics.
A cornerstone of the KEYS metaverse experience is Meta Mansions, a collection of 8,888 luxury residence NFTs. These swanky pads – some of which more closely resemble iridescent spaceships than buildings – can be fully customized and shared with friends and family via a simple web link.
In the near future, the assets will also be monetizable thanks to KEYS’ forthcoming Mercury Marketplace platform, which lets owners host events or even rent out their palace to others, Airbnb style.
Evolving Virtual Reality Use-Cases
Virtual reality is no longer confined to gamers. The launch of KEYS demonstrates this point well, with the project focusing on creating opportunities for businesses in real estate and other sectors.
KEYS allows users of all stripes – buyers, home-makers, brokers, real estate agents, furniture brands, interior designers, artists – to come together in a hyper-realistic, interactive 3D world to provides an up-close look at properties from all angles.
There is of course a precedent for bringing real estate to the metaverse. Indeed, architects are already using VR to create immersive experiences that allow potential buyers to explore properties before a single brick has been laid. Construction workers, meanwhile, have started using VR to plan and execute projects more efficiently. As VR/AR/XR tech continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovative uses for it in the real world.
The KEYS metaverse is undoubtedly an exciting showcase for the latest Unreal Engine, a sophisticated tool that will allow for some truly immersive experiences in virtual reality. Pool party at my cliff-top Meta Mansion, anyone? A-anyone?
