4 things you need to know about the metaverse this week

On International Women's Day, Meta (formerly Facebook) highlighted the role women are playing in the creation of the metaverse. Meta says it brought together five female VR creators, in avatar form naturally, for a podcast where they discussed their work and creative vision towards the metaverse.

In the podcast, Ang’l Artiste, Candice Houtekier, Mary Matheson, Mary Spio and Michaela Ternasky-Holland discuss how they are using immersive tech and creative art to build communities and conduct business.

Nikkei Asia reports surging sales for manufacturers of the virtual reality technology that will be fundamental in accessing the metaverse. The report highlights rising VR revenues for Sharp which shipped more than $200 million worth of VR units in 2021 according to Nikkei Asia's analysis. Displays and processor chips are most expensive components in VR devices, says the report.

The South China Morning Post has reported the launch of the Metaworld Development Project, an NFT scheme said to offer affordable investments in virtual land. The report says buyers of shares will receive a digital key which "represents a percentage of ownership of the project's total portfolio of virtual land." Earlier this month, Hong Kong's cybersecurity watchdog warned of the risks related to NFTs and metaverse property investments.

A 63-metre NFT superyacht named Project Metaverse has been listed for sale with a price tag nudging $100 million, reports Boat International. The good news for potential buyers is that the yacht builder will throw in a real-world version of the virtual craft along with the non-fungible token.

A market in virtual luxury is emerging as the metaverse is still in its infancy. A company called Cloud Yachts says it has teamed up with some of the world's top yacht designers to create a fleet of NFT vessels.