Chinese tech giant Baidu tests metaverse waters with new app

A file photo of Li at Baidu Create 2019 in Beijing. XiRang allows users to create a digital character and interact with other users in a 3D world, for example a fictional city. — AFP

BEIJING: Chinese tech giant Baidu on Dec 27 took its first steps into the metaverse industry with the launch of a virtual reality app, looking to test the waters in what is considered by many to be the next phase in the internet's evolution.

The Beijing-based company joins brands such as Nike and Ferrari in rushing to experiment with virtual goods against a backdrop of predictions that the metaverse could one day overtake and replace the web of today.