Samsung Welcomes Users to Its Metaverse at CES 2022

Samsung has planted its flag in the metaverse with the launch of 837X, a virtual version of its flagship New York City experience center.

“Samsung 837X is a fully immersive experience, featuring quests and live music events,” the company said in an announcement Thursday (Jan. 6), timed to coincide with Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas this week.

“To see it for yourself, you’ll first enter Decentraland through your desktop browser. It’s a blockchain-powered virtual space, where you can buy and sell exclusive digital assets, like land and wearables,” Samsung said.

Once inside Decentraland, users will find their avatars outside the 837X building. From there, they can explore the virtual building, playing games and collecting. A virtual guide will direct users to three interior spaces, where they can go on quests to “discover how we highlight sustainability, customization and connectivity,” the company said.

Users can also earn NFT badges and exclusive, limited-supply collections of Samsung Decentraland wearables to customize their avatars.

Read more: Samsung Adds NFT Platform to Smart TV Lineup

The announcement comes two days after Samsung reported it was integrating a nonfungible token (NFT) platform to its 2022 smart TV lineup. The company’s NFT app can be used “for discovering, purchasing and trading digital artwork,” it said. Samsung was scheduled to unveil its new smart TV lineup at CES 2022.

“With demand for NFTs on the rise, the need for a solution to today’s fragmented viewing and purchasing landscape has never been greater,” the company said in its announcement.

Samsung has invested in NFT and metaverse projects through its venture capital arm, Samsung Next, and participated in an investment round for a metaverse gaming platform late last year.

Learn more: CES 2022: CTA Expects Consumer Electronics Sales to Crest $505B

This year’s CES was supposed to be return to form after last year’s entirely-virtual showcase. Then omicron arrived, forcing big names like Amazon, Microsoft Google and Facebook to opt for digital presentations.

Still, that’s not having much impact on industry outlook, as the Consumer Technology Association expects its industry to see more than $505 billion in retail sales this year for the first time ever.