With the rapid evaluation of virtual and augmented reality, massive Internet of Things networks and upcoming 6 G communication give rise to an emerging concept termed the “metaverse,” which promises to revolutionize how we interact with the digital world by offering immersive experiences between reality and virtuality. Edge computing, another novel paradigm, propels the metaverse functionality by enhancing real-time interaction and reducing latency, providing a responsive and seamless virtual environment. However, realizing the full potential of the metaverse requires dynamic and efficient resource-allocation strategies to handle the immense demand for communicational, computational, and storage resources required by its diverse applications. This survey comprehensively explores resource-allocation strategies in the context of an edge-computing-enabled metaverse, investigating various challenges, existing techniques, and emerging trends in this rapidly expanding field. We first explore the underlying metaverse characteristics and pivotal role of edge computing, after which we investigate various types of resources and their key issues and challenges. We also provide a brief discussion on offloading and caching strategies, which are the most prominent research issues in this context. In this study, we compare and analyze 35 different resource-allocation strategies, benchmark 19 algorithms, and investigate their suitability across diverse metaverse scenarios, offering a broader scope than existing surveys. The survey aims to serve as a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners, helping them navigate the complexities of resource allocation in the metaverse and supporting the development of more efficient, scalable, and user-centric virtual environments.

中文翻译：

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边缘计算元宇宙资源配置综合调查


随着对虚拟现实和增强现实的快速评估，大规模物联网网络和即将到来的 6G 通信催生了一个称为“元宇宙”的新兴概念，它有望通过在现实和虚拟之间提供身临其境的体验来彻底改变我们与数字世界的交互方式。边缘计算是另一种新颖的范式，它通过增强实时交互和减少延迟来推动元宇宙功能，提供响应迅速且无缝的虚拟环境。然而，要实现元宇宙的全部潜力，需要动态和高效的资源分配策略，以处理其各种应用程序对通信、计算和存储资源的巨大需求。本调查全面探讨了在边缘计算支持的元宇宙背景下的资源分配策略，调查了这个快速扩张的领域的各种挑战、现有技术和新兴趋势。我们首先探讨了边缘计算的底层元宇宙特征和关键作用，然后我们研究了各种类型的资源及其关键问题和挑战。我们还简要讨论了卸载和缓存策略，这是在这种情况下最突出的研究问题。在这项研究中，我们比较和分析了 35 种不同的资源分配策略，对 19 种算法进行了基准测试，并调查了它们在不同元宇宙场景中的适用性，提供了比现有调查更广泛的范围。该调查旨在为研究人员和从业者提供全面指南，帮助他们驾驭元宇宙中资源分配的复杂性，并支持开发更高效、可扩展和以用户为中心的虚拟环境。