Explainer: What is the metaverse and how will it work?

An attendee stands between cameras used to live broadcast into the metaverse during a Sony news conference before the start of the CES tech show Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. — AP Photo/John Locher

The term "metaverse” is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry’s imagination – and while Facebook parent Meta is the best-known entrant into this futuristic virtual concept, it's certainly not the only one.

Mark Zuckerberg’s all-in embrace – including renaming his company and investing tens of billions of dollars – might be the biggest thing to happen to the metaverse since science fiction writer Neal Stephenson coined the term for his 1992 novel "Snow Crash.”