Vernor Vinge - Author of Rainbows End and True Names

Vernor Vinge, renowned for his contributions to science fiction and for popularizing the concept of the “technological singularity,” has had a significant impact on the XR industry with his novel "Rainbows End." Published in 2006, the novel explores a near-future world of 2025, where augmented reality and networked, virtual environments are integrated into daily life. He explored the world of shared Virtual Reality (The Other Plane) well before the “Metaverse” or even “Cyberspace” were popularized, in a novella called “True Names” in 1981 that explored magical 3D spaces and their impact on society.

Vinge's depiction of a society where individuals interact with and manipulate their environments through advanced technology has been influential in shaping current perspectives on XR's potential and helped to underscore the transformative power of XR in redefining the human experience. “Rainbows End” not only won the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Novel but also served as a blueprint for many of the immersive technologies that we see today.