Things are already changing in the metaverse.
Meta is going to move the event spaces from the Horizon Venues VR app to the Horizon Worlds platform on June 6, and that’s not the only change the emerging VR platform has in store.
For starters, Meta is removing the standalone Horizon Venues app that same day, which will cause some groups to lose access to the event space. For example, if you are under 18 and live outside of the United States or Canada, the new Venues feature will not be accessible.
The same goes for people who still play on the old Quest 1 virtual reality headset: they too will lose access. However, you can still access events through the Oculus TV App† so you can watch replays at a later time.
Players outside the US and Canada won’t have to wait long. Meta also announced that the new Horizon Worlds will roll out to other countries sometime this summer.
mediocre reaction
Horizons Worlds launched in December 2021 for all users over the age of 18 and received lukewarm reviews. Some critics appreciated what Meta went for in his first VR world experience. Horizon Worlds has been criticized for being dull, mediocre graphics and long loading times. The open VR gaming space has some interesting ideas, but eventually pales in comparison to other VR titles.
But the mediocre reviews haven’t dampened Meta’s enthusiasm for Horizon Worlds. The company has spent a lot of money getting big musical acts on Venues like the Foo Fighters who have played multiple shows in the digital space.
And in a blog post from mid-April, Meta announced that certain creators can build assets for Horizon Worlds and sell them for real money. However, the post failed to say how much creators can charge for their assets and it wasn’t until later that Meta confirmed it will take a 47.5 percent discount on trades.
Virtual office
Meta is not reluctant to expand into new areas. It essentially takes a page out of Microsoft’s playbook with Project Cambria. Like Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, Project Cambria will be a work-related VR headset. But instead of focusing on industrial or medical fields, Meta’s new headset will be aimed at office workers. Instead of meeting on Slack, you would ideally set up Project Cambria for a meeting in a digital world.
But most of what’s known about Project Cambria has been through leaks and the occasional statement from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Like the Venues update, the world won’t know its full potential until the day of release.