The object was simple. A crystal ball with a simulated world inside. When first created the crystal ball has naught but an empty void inside of it. Then when a user picks it up with the understanding of the item they can create a world inside of it. Whether the world be some futuristic metropolis, medieval kingdom, merely wilderness, or even just a ball of not yet cooled lava is up for the user to decide. After that the user is effectively the god of the world. With the crystal ball in hand the user merely has to think and the world and it's inhabitants will change. They can also will the crystal ball to look anywhere in particular in the world.*
*Note, if the user creates a facsimile of the actual world it is only based on the best information they have.