Independent magazine · Since 2025
Field notes from the virtual frontier
Clear, unhyped writing about virtual worlds, XR headsets, avatars, live events and digital twins — what they are, where they came from and what actually works.
XR headsets in 2026: a buyer’s overview
Standalone headsets, premium spatial computers, PC VR and smart glasses: how the market splits up this year, and how to choose without reading a single benchmark.
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Interoperability and open standards: OpenXR, glTF and USD explained
OpenXR, glTF and OpenUSD are the unglamorous plumbing that could let virtual worlds connect. What each one does, and what is still missing.
Virtual concerts and live events: what actually works
From Fortnite blockbusters to weekly club nights in social VR: what six years of virtual shows tell us about why people turn up.
Digital twins in industry: the quiet side of the metaverse
Factories, grids and cities are being mirrored in real-time 3D. Digital twins may be where shared virtual spaces pay their way first.
Avatars and digital identity: who are you in a virtual world?
Your avatar changes how others treat you, and how you behave. Who controls that body is quickly becoming a governance question.
From Snow Crash to today: a short history of virtual worlds
The word arrived in a 1992 novel, but the idea is older. A brisk tour from text-based MUDs to mixed-reality headsets.
What a metaverse actually is (and what it isn’t)
Strip away the keynote slides and the word still describes something real. A working definition you can actually use.
Quick glossary
- XR
- Extended reality: the umbrella term for virtual, augmented and mixed reality.
- Passthrough
- Headset cameras that show your real surroundings, so virtual objects can share your room.
- Spatial computing
- Using the space around you as the interface: windows, objects and controls placed in 3D.
- Persistent world
- A virtual space that keeps existing, and changing, when you are not logged in.
- Digital twin
- A virtual model kept in sync with a real object or system through live data.
- OpenXR
- An open interface that lets one XR application run on headsets from many makers.
- glTF
- A compact open 3D format for delivering models to real-time engines and the web.
- Avatar
- Your body in a virtual space — and, increasingly, a portable part of your identity.