What the Metaverse Gets Wrong — and Why Immersive Technology Still Matters

Reflections from the Venturi Podcast, revisited

This article is adapted from a 2022 appearance on the Venturi’s Voice podcast.

In 2022, I was invited onto the Venturi’s Voice podcast to talk about virtual reality, immersive technology, and the growing hype around the Metaverse. At the time, the conversation felt urgent. The Metaverse was everywhere, in headlines, investor decks, and brand experiments, yet something about it felt slightly disconnected from reality.

Three years on, that instinct still holds true.

This article revisits that conversation with the benefit of hindsight, real-world experience, and a clearer understanding of what immersive technology does well, and where the Metaverse narrative often goes wrong.

The Metaverse as an Idea, Not a Place

Strong vs Weak Metaverse Theory

One of the key distinctions I raised in the podcast was between what I described as strong and weak Metaverse theory.

The strong version imagines a future where digital identity, assets, and experiences move seamlessly across platforms, a genuinely interoperable digital ecosystem. The weak version, which dominates today, is far more modest: branded online spaces that extend the existing web rather than replace it.

Most so-called Metaverse projects sit firmly in this second category.

Why Most “Metaverse” Projects Are Just Extensions of the Web

This is not inherently a failure, but it becomes a problem when expectations are misaligned. Calling every 3D website or virtual showroom a “Metaverse” creates confusion, disappointment, and mistrust. These experiences often replicate existing digital behaviours rather than offering something fundamentally new.

When people struggle to log in, move between platforms, or understand why an experience exists at all, the technology becomes the barrier rather than the bridge.

The Car Salesman Analogy: Selling an Imagined Future

In the podcast, I used an analogy: imagine going to buy your dream car, only for the salesperson to draw you a picture instead of showing you the vehicle. That’s where much of the Metaverse conversation still sits, selling a future vision without delivering a tangible, usable experience.

Until interoperability, accessibility, and real user value are solved, the Metaverse remains more concept than destination.

Why Immersive Technology Works When the Metaverse Doesn’t

Immersive Technology vs Metaverse Hype

Where the Metaverse struggles, immersive technology succeeds, because it already works.

Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality are not speculative. They are tools being used today in training, education, healthcare, heritage, and storytelling. The difference is focus: immersive technology solves specific problems rather than promising total digital reinvention.

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality Explained

Under the XR umbrella, we have:

• Virtual Reality (VR): fully immersive, embodied experiences.

• Augmented Reality (AR): digital layers over the physical world.

• Mixed Reality (MR): blended environments where physical and digital interact.

Each has strengths, limitations, and appropriate use cases. The mistake is treating them as interchangeable, or assuming they must all lead toward a singular Metaverse future.

Where XR Already Delivers Real Value

In areas such as immersive training, especially within healthcare and MedTech, XR has proven impact. Well-designed simulations improve learning retention, confidence, and understanding by placing people inside the experience rather than asking them to imagine it.

This is not hype. It is measurable, practical value.

Empathy, Experience, and Meaningful Design

Stepping Into Someone Else’s Shoes

One of the most powerful aspects of immersive technology is empathy. The ability to experience a situation from another person’s perspective is something no flat medium can fully replicate.

This is why some of the most moving immersive experiences are not flashy or complex, but deeply human.

Designing for Emotion, Memory, and Connection

In the podcast, I spoke about experiences created for people with dementia, including personal reflections on my grandmother’s condition. Her desire was simple: to escape, to feel connected to places and memories she could no longer reach physically.

Immersive experiences, when designed with care, can remove emotional and physical barriers. They can reconnect people to memory, place, and identity.

Removing Barriers Rather Than Adding Technology

Sometimes the best immersive experience does not involve headsets at all. A simple train-carriage installation using screens allowed elderly users to feel the sensation of travel again. The technology was secondary; the experience was the point.

This is the lesson many Metaverse projects miss.

From Hype to Craft: How We Build Experiences at AVimmerse

User-Centred Design as a Studio Principle

At AVimmerse, everything starts with people. Not platforms. Not buzzwords.

We ask:

• Who is this for?

• What problem are we solving?

• What does success actually look like?

Without clear answers, immersive technology becomes expensive noise.

Explore the work our studio does here.

Why Prototyping Comes Before Platforms

Immersive experiences are difficult to get right. That’s why prototyping and discovery are essential. We test ideas early, refine assumptions, and avoid unnecessary build costs.

This approach has shaped our work across immersive training, heritage storytelling, and spatial experiences.

Collaboration Over Speculation

Some of our strongest projects came from saying “not yet” instead of “yes”. Building relationships, understanding users, and collaborating closely leads to better outcomes than speculative development ever could.

Where This Leaves Us Going Into 2026

Why the Future Will Be Subtle, Not Spectacular

The future of immersive technology will not arrive as a single moment. It will appear gradually, through subtle mixed-reality interactions, spatial mapping, and context-aware experiences embedded into everyday life.

Mixed Reality, Spatial Computing, and Human-Scale Experiences

Mixed reality, in particular, offers a more believable path forward: experiences that enhance reality rather than replace it. These moments feel natural, useful, and human-scale.

What Will Likely Replace the Metaverse Narrative

Rather than one dominant Metaverse, we will likely see many interconnected experiences, purposeful, contextual, and grounded in real needs.

Technology as a Vehicle, Not the Destination

Learning from Books, Film, and Storytelling

A book remains one of the most immersive technologies ever created. It relies entirely on imagination, emotion, and participation. Immersive technology should aspire to the same depth, not just visual novelty.

The Role of Imagination in Immersive Design

True immersion happens when people feel part of a journey. That principle has existed since ancient storytelling traditions, long before headsets and software engines.

Why Meaning Matters More Than Novelty

Technology should not distract us from the world; it should help us understand it better. When immersive experiences prioritise meaning over spectacle, they endure.

Turning Ideas into Reality: A Practical Next Step

Why Early-Stage XR Ideas Often Stall

Many XR ideas fail not because they are bad, but because they skip clarity. Teams jump straight into development without defining purpose, audience, or success metrics.

The Role of Discovery Before Development

Early discovery saves time, money, and frustration. It transforms ideas into coherent, fundable concepts.

Introducing the XR Discovery Sprint

To support this, I now offer an XR Discovery Sprint: a short, structured process designed to help early-stage ideas become clear, feasible, and ready for funding or development.

Final Thoughts: Building a Human-Centred Immersive Future

Immersive technology is not about escaping reality. It’s about understanding it more deeply.

If the Metaverse ever arrives, it should be built around connection, empathy, and real human need, not hype. Until then, immersive technology already offers powerful tools for learning, storytelling, and shared experience.

The future will be shaped not by the platforms we build, but by the care with which we design for people.