When you think of the internet, you think of a world-spanning network consisting of web pages which are cross-linked to access all sorts of information and functionality. To view these pages, you use an app called a browser.
The 3D world of VRWeb is viewed by a so-called Portal Hopper (or “Hopper” in short). Using this tool, you can “hop” from world to world much like a browser can “jump” from link to link. Just like web pages on the internet, anyone can host their own worlds. What’s different is that these worlds can be explored. You can typically walk around in them either while wearing a VR headset or on screen. The screen mode can be either from a 1st person or a 3rd person perspective and controlled by a game controller or the WASD keyboard and mouse, much like most video games.
Like in any browser you can type in any address to enter a new world. However, the VRWeb network is best explored by discovery. If you have no clue where to start, you can always go to the central hub located at vrweb.portalhopper.com. This domain is where you can also download the current hopper at www.portalhopper.com/download.
In the hub world you will find recommendations of other worlds to visit and a growing number of portals to games, events and whatever else our partners come up with.
To enter a portal to hop to another world (think domain), you just step through the portal or touch it, if it is a touch portal. It could be represented as a door or gate as well as a statue or any other object in the current world. Although there are recommendations for what a portal should look like, there is really no limit to the playfulness of the world’s creator.
But not all portals can be activated so easily. Some portals have requirements such as being a club member, paying a fee, or buying the game. Some portals may enforce an age limit or other restrictions. To hop through such portals, you will have to give up your anonymity through an authorization process. This authorization is simplified by the Hopper. You only must sign in once into the blockchain which keeps track of all your virtual possessions, your personal data and memberships, payment options etc. So, if a payment or authorization is required, the hopper will handle the details for you.
Some Portals may require a special app to enter this world. In that case, the special hopper app will download and install in the background before you can enter. Typically, this will be a game which needs access to the full capabilities of your PC or headset. However, in this game you will find at least one portal to get back to where you entered.
The abovementioned blockchain also stores virtual money which you need to pay into the system first, like a credit card which you cannot overdraw. This gives parents control over how much their children are spending and provides you with a standardized system for payments across the globe.