Connected without disconnection: Overview of light field metaverse applications and their quality of experience

With the rapid technological advances of the recent years, the practical instances of the metaverse have become more immersive and engaging than ever before. In their most frequent forms, the 3D virtual worlds of the metaverse are enabled by virtual reality headsets. This means that the user is completely disconnected from its real environment and is fully immersed in such a virtual world. The quality of experience of virtual reality and other headset-based technologies is now definitely a hot research topic, and the findings of the relevant scientific efforts are continuously emerging. However, as a headset-free immersive 3D technology, light field visualization is greatly underinvestigated with regard to the concept of the metaverse. In this paper, we address the applications of light field metaverse, compare its advantages and disadvantages to more conventional metaverse technologies, and discuss the most important issues regarding user experience. The paper highlights the user-oriented considerations for the development of general-purpose and dedicated light field displays. Additionally, our work examines state-of-the-art display systems and the current feasibility of a light field metaverse.