Goal promised a revolution with his metaverse, but the reality is that the idea seems to be dissolving like a sugar cube while it does not have a clear direction of where to go. The virtual reality universe started badly due to a rather Wii-worthy graphic finish and a star application, Horizon Worlds, which not even the company’s employees like. All this has been added to an official helmet whose initial price is 1,799.99 euros, so in the end, seriously squeezing the invention will be within the reach of very few, especially considering the current economic context.
How misguided the Metaverse is can be seen in details like the fact that Meta avatars lack legs, an aspect that was rectified yesterday. The company has said that “legs have been one of the most requested features on our roadmap, and have been a major area of our focus”. The updated avatars will initially be available in Horizon Worlds before the Meta opens them up to other developers.
It is important to note that the Meta intent with your Metaverse is to create an open ecosystem, so through its software development kit (SDK) it is possible to use avatars in third-party virtual reality experiences and other applications, hence the inclusion of legs begins with Horizon Worlds , which is developed at the company’s facilities.
In fact, Meta plans for the SDK to provide support for Unreal Engine 5 for VR and for iOS and Android via the Unity engine. It also hopes to enable what it has called “natural facial expressions” in the Meta Quest Pro helmet to replicate the user’s facial expressions in the avatar.
Meta wants to introduce a feature that facilitates the creation of the avatar from a selfie taken with a mobile camera. Obviously, the user would be allowed to modify the resulting initial avatar after processing the photo, and alternatively, it would still be allowed to start from scratch to create one that does not look like the user. Another planned feature is the ability to create and share a Meta avatar on WhatsApp, with the ability to also be on Instagram and Facebook Messenger.
As we can see, Meta is trying to add value to his Metaverse, but it is obvious that for now the invention is heading in a somewhat uncertain direction that casts doubt on its future. They are going to have to improve things a lot, apart from reducing their prices, if they want to be a true success.
On the other hand, we find ourselves with the situation of virtual reality in the consumer market, which has become what is known in sports terms as “eternal promise”. Yes, virtual reality has its users and there are even ambitious projects of community origin around it, but the reality is that, after many years, it has not ceased to be a niche sector and it does not look like that is going to change in The near future.
