Top 5 perks of exploring the AO Metaverse

The Metaverse was one of the major stories revolving around this year's Australian Open. The mega tennis sporting event began on January 17, 2022 and it was not just the physical experience that was up for grabs in this year’s edition.

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The Metaverse is going to be hugely entertaining for its users

Fans were provided with a virtual experience into the world of the Australian Open, thanks to the event's alliance with Decentraland - an open-source metaverse platform. Supporters of the event could engage through their VR headsets and browsers and explore several key utilities.

On that note, we take a look at the top five perks of exploring the Australian Open Metaverse:

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#5 Future Series Whitelist

The 3-D platform had several exciting collectibles lined up for this entertainment spectacle. One of the more interesting value-added services provided in the virtual experience was the AO Art Ball. The virtual ball is currently available on OpenSea but fans will be keen to know that its uses lie beyond this tournament.

Each AO Art Ball has its own unique appearance but supporters can enjoy its benefits even after the end of the event. The Australian Open has created a metaverse and NFT roadmap which will see 2023 add value to other utilities in all four Grand Slams.

Similarly, 2024 has been plotted out to expand into other verticals and events like the US Open and Roland Garros (Play-to-earn gaming and Web3 enabled experience across ticket sales, on-site and off-site experiences). Thus, holding on to the 2022 AO Artball could get you whitelisted for some of the future releases that could take place in the coming years.

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#4 Limited edition collectibles

One of the key aspects of the virtual event is the desire to create something unique for every single person that is interested in participating in this innovative world. With that in mind, fans who log in to Decentraland to experience the sporting tournament can come away with some limited-edition collectibles.

First, there is the limited edition AO merchandise, which will be available on select websites affiliated to the tournament. The merchandise will include any piece of digital art connected to the event.

The second and most eye-catching element are the limited-edition wearables. This includes free wearable NFT drops, events, and various other similar giveaways. Metakey, which is a useful tool in blockchain technology, is also something that can be won by supporters.

#3 Real Match Data Integration

Real Match Data Integration is yet another perk of the Metaverse. There will be 6776 unique NFTs around the Melbourne Tennis courts, and each Art Ball NFT's metadata will be linked to a 19cmx19cm plot on each tennis surface. If a winning shot from any of the 400 professional matches land on any one of these plots, the NFT meta-data will be updated in real time to highlight the match information (e.g., match players, round of the tournament, match score, and more).

But the more interesting aspect is that depending on which round your ball wins the match, your Art Ball will have a matching sticker next to it along with updated traits and metadata.

For example, there will be specific stickers for games between the second and third rounds, while there will be exclusive stickers for matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. If a Championship point lands on any of the aforementioned plots, then the owner of that Art Ball will receive a gold sticker as well as a special sticker denoting most wins. This added feature of giving real-time data integration to each Art Ball is a nice touch by Decentraland and Tennis Australia.

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#2 Full Official AO Metaverse Access

One of Metaverse's most premium perks is access to the Melbourne Park precinct in AO Decentraland. Fans will be able to gain virtual access from anywhere in the world to discover the precinct, view 24-hour live streams, access historic match content, play virtual tennis and interact with other users.

To put it into perspective, the entire precinct includes: the Rod Laver Arena, the AO Beach House, Grand Slam Oval, AO Ballpark, Garden Square, and the Rod Laver Arena Terrace.

Supporters will also have value-added experiences in the metaverse, including AO Radio live commentary, fan conferences with players, behind-the-scenes live feeds and archive match footage feeds. COVID-19 restricted several fans from attending the Australian Open in 2021, so Tennis Australia wants its viewers to enjoy this event from the comfort of their homes.

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#1 NFT Genesis AO Art Ball Collection

Arguably the best perk of the Metaverse experience is the NFT Genesis AO Art Ball Collection. As mentioned before, this collection will comprise 6776 unique NFT points. But what makes these Art Balls special is that each of them will have their own individual appearance.

Generative art, an algorithmic combination of different color schemes, patterns and textures, ensures each AO Art Ball is unique in appearance. The creators have drawn inspiration from pop art, modern art, and tennis culture.

To further the intricacy of work, there are eight different types of patterns available. There are two base colors – AO Blue and AO Green. Going deeper, there are eight color schemes as well. As such, it has been a monumental effort to provide an extremely unique appearance to every single supporter that purchases an AO Art Ball.

To top it off, you can even mint your own ball, making it a delightful user experience. So it is no surprise that the entire first collection went out of sale in three minutes. However, you can still catch one on the secondary market, i.e., the OpenSea website.