Meta retreats from metaverse after virtual reality check(theregister.com)
theregister.com
Meta retreats from metaverse after virtual reality check
https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/16/meta_quest_horizon_workrooms/
8 comments
I will never forget how they literally renamed one of the most well-known tech companies on the planet to chase an idea that would very obviously fail to make money.
It's a shame the metaverse had to become such a big thing with so much stupid money behind it. There's a kernel of a neat idea in there.
i wonder if how many people actually spoke up and said 'um i don't think many people actually want to use this product' or did they just think it was easier kept their head down, collect their paycheck and go home.
When I was dogfooding their Horizon/avatar products I would often provide this kind of feedback on surveys.
I no longer work there anymore.
On a serious note testing VR stuff was only a minor side thing I occasionally did and unrelated to my main scope.
On a serious note testing VR stuff was only a minor side thing I occasionally did and unrelated to my main scope.
There were folks there who seemed to be gaslighting themselves that VR was "amazing". I also no longer work there anymore.
Anyone want a slightly used Quest Pro for cheap? :)
Anyone want a slightly used Quest Pro for cheap? :)
I think honestly the story would be much different with more product sense and better market intuition, Horizon is just a perfect example of pure idiocy. They may as well have just ported chat roulette.
Once Apple Vision Pro released I finally understood what VR really could be which is an incredible immersive escape. Once I watched an Apple Immersive movie, and then even a completely regular old 2D movie in theater mode at night in Joshua Tree, I got it. Obviously completely unattainable but it to me was very smart: low volume but execute the best version of your vision that you possibly can, and see how people respond to it. It proves out the vision and then you can start working down the price.
The only thing Meta VR got right is gaming: it's the only use case that works with the resolution & hardware at the price point that they're trying to occupy. AVP could obviously work too but look: I've nearly punched out a window with my quest pro. Sitting and playing a game is weird, standing and playing is tiring. What I like infinitely better is just: watching a movie. Escaping. Relaxing.
Once Apple Vision Pro released I finally understood what VR really could be which is an incredible immersive escape. Once I watched an Apple Immersive movie, and then even a completely regular old 2D movie in theater mode at night in Joshua Tree, I got it. Obviously completely unattainable but it to me was very smart: low volume but execute the best version of your vision that you possibly can, and see how people respond to it. It proves out the vision and then you can start working down the price.
The only thing Meta VR got right is gaming: it's the only use case that works with the resolution & hardware at the price point that they're trying to occupy. AVP could obviously work too but look: I've nearly punched out a window with my quest pro. Sitting and playing a game is weird, standing and playing is tiring. What I like infinitely better is just: watching a movie. Escaping. Relaxing.
I still use my Quest after a year but it is mostly on the web and youtube 360. youtube 360 is actually quite cool given the fact no one really makes content for it.
I have no interest in games and anything inside Horizon is just not impressive.
I just don't understand how Meta spent this much money to get so little in return. VRChat has immense worlds compared to anything in Horizon. Everything in Horizon is just so amateur looking and lacking any kind of imagination.
I got the Quest because I wanted to try developing for VR but that is a total nightmare. Horizon/Unity/Unreal are all different forms of a nightmare. I suspect this is actually the problem. Development is just too hard to do much of anything interesting. Anything interesting I have made has been in vanilla javascript/three js/react three fiber.
Vision Pro level resolution + webxr I think has a huge amount of potential. I even like wearing the Quest. The physical act of wearing the headset is really no issue to me at all. That was what I figured I would get tired of.
The Quest is ultimately an amazing piece of hardware with amazingly bad software.
I have no interest in games and anything inside Horizon is just not impressive.
I just don't understand how Meta spent this much money to get so little in return. VRChat has immense worlds compared to anything in Horizon. Everything in Horizon is just so amateur looking and lacking any kind of imagination.
I got the Quest because I wanted to try developing for VR but that is a total nightmare. Horizon/Unity/Unreal are all different forms of a nightmare. I suspect this is actually the problem. Development is just too hard to do much of anything interesting. Anything interesting I have made has been in vanilla javascript/three js/react three fiber.
Vision Pro level resolution + webxr I think has a huge amount of potential. I even like wearing the Quest. The physical act of wearing the headset is really no issue to me at all. That was what I figured I would get tired of.
The Quest is ultimately an amazing piece of hardware with amazingly bad software.
Let's not forget the infamous demo of the Metaverse where Zuck's avatar was jumping and another avatar, a female one, was trying to do high-kicks on high-heels... And it turned out the vid was fake because they hadn't figured out how to do legs yet.
I mean: it was faked, using motion capture, and... it still sucked big times. That vid lives rent-free in my head.
I mean: it was faked, using motion capture, and... it still sucked big times. That vid lives rent-free in my head.