Virtual Reality

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-cto-metaverse-reality-labs-legendary-misadventure-memo-2025-2

[huxley]

They have the hardware side of things looking good, they need a killer social app to get people into their vision of the Metaverse.
Horizons is a flop while the most used social apps seem to be VRChat and Rec Room, if they had paid attention to the things drawing people in, maybe Horizons would of been better received.

Mean while this might appeal to a few users here - Steam demo out on the 14th

[Asura]

https://www.businessinsider.com/meta...re-memo-2025-2

This should concern anyone buying into Meta's VR platform.

They consider the success/failure of Horizon Worlds as tantamount to the success/failure of their VR initiatives. This is worrying because HW is never going to be a big success, as while (admittedly, credit where it's due) it is technically quite adept, pushing those technical boundaries in a number of places, the overly corporate, sanitised image it presents of "fun in VR" is deeply uncool and ultimately, not emblematic of what people want from VR.

People compare it to MiiVerse but that's not an apt comparison. MiiVerse and the wider Mii culture Nintendo built was family-friendly at the front-of-house, but was chaos behind it and that was a big part of the fun. Take Nintendo experiments like Tomodachi Life and its infamous "all hail the Virtual Boy" prayer circle; that's self-referential and anarchic in a way that Horizon Worlds lacks, and honestly, can never be.

This was evident when it first started and there was the expectation you logged into HW as your real-world, "Facebook self". Meta abandoned that idea early on because even their own employees didn't want it but I believe that's still part of the service's DNA.

Presently VRChat is the most successful service in this arena (technically Second Life, but that's not available in VR and is kinda dead in the water these days) and it's not a coincidence that joining a busy server in that will yield a world of users as an array of robots, buff adonises, anime catgirls and some dude running around as Zero from Megaman X. VRChat is absolutely not family-friendly but that's why people like it.

[MartyG]

I think people are reading way too much into an internal memo.

[Asura]

I think people are reading way too much into an internal memo.

I think the opposite. An internal memo, on some degree, isn't meant to go public, unlike carefully worded PR.

[huxley]

This thread needs to be changed to "facebook VR"

[wakka]

Most of the memo is folderol of the aggressive, vaguely threatening, excessively grandstanding type that seems to be the hallmark of Silicon Valley senior leadership's communications to employees (especially at Meta).

The only kind of interesting part is the reference to Horizon Worlds. I can see why they're putting emphasis on it - it's the only part of their whole MR business that actually has some tie back to their core business of selling advertising - but I actually don't at all buy it that if Horizon Worlds doesn't take off on mobile the whole MR division will be derailed.

I think two things will happen - one, no one will give a **** about Horizon Worlds on mobile, and two, Meta will keep pushing forward with products like Quest and Orion regardless, because I think Zuckerberg's belief that Meta needs a first-mover advantage in AR/MR is firmly held.

[MartyG]

Most of the memo is folderol of the aggressive, vaguely threatening, excessively grandstanding type that seems to be the hallmark of Silicon Valley senior leadership's communications to employees (especially at Meta).

Exactly this - this is just standard fare for Silicon Valley.

[Asura]

This thread needs to be changed to "facebook VR"

When Valve finally get their finger out and release the Deckard, we can talk about that!

[huxley]

When Valve finally get their finger out and release the Deckard, we can talk about that!

Its going to be a very long wait - I merely meant it would be nice to discuss some games once in a while

[Asura]

Its going to be a very long wait - I merely meant it would be nice to discuss some games once in a while

I guess, but how many people here are playing them? I play loads, but I didn't get the impression it was of much interest to people here when I previously posted about them, so I stopped.

[wakka]

I'm always interested in any impressions you have Asura but since I don't own a headset I can't contribute much (for what it's worth). Understand if it's not worth it to you to post impressions when it's hard to get a conversation going though.

[MartyG]

I use my headsets for gaming most weeks, but it's mainly sims, Beat Saber - Arizona Sunshine 2 was completed co-op in Dec; I wasn't a fan of the interactive reload, made things way too difficult when zombies swarmed, thankfully then changed it to give a simple reload options and we were able to complete the game.

I have the following on SteamVR, happy to talk about any of them ...

[Neon Ignition]

I'm really behind on playing with my headsets, time is so limited and whilst winter weather is the best for it standard gaming is easier to slip into when you have limited time and are already knackered from work

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.roadtovr.com/civilization-vii-vr-quest-3-release-date-trailer/

https://www.roadtovr.com/ndreams-xr-studio-shutdowns-layoffs-2025/

https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-cancels-mac-tethered-ar-glasses-report/