Stepping into a new tech zone, Chinese technology major Baidu formally moved into the metaverse industry with the launch of a virtual reality app. With this, the Beijing-based company joins brands such as Nike and Ferrari in rushing to experiment with virtual goods against a backdrop of predictions that the metaverse could one day overtake and replace the web of today. The firm, nicknamed the Chinese Google, earlier held a conference inside the virtual world of its new app XiRang, which means ‘Land of Hope’. The new app can be accessed from a smartphone, computer or through virtual reality goggles….