Horizon Worlds, the metaverse of Meta, has just landed in France. With a Quest virtual reality headset, Internet users can visit digital worlds. It is also possible to design your own space. Despite scandals and financial losses, Meta continues to deploy its ambitious project.
Meta, the group behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, is continuing to roll out its metaverse. As expected, the Californian company launched Horizon Worlds in France and Spain.
“I can’t wait to see people explore and build immersive worlds, and bring this to more countries soon,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.
Other countries should quickly open up to the metaverse. The Facebook founder accompanies the announcement with an image showing the Eiffel Tower and Sagrada Familiathe Basilica of Barcelona, within the digital world.
For the record, Horizon Worlds has arrived in the United States and Canada at the end of last year. A beta version, open by invitation, was put online in 2020. In June, the platform entered the United Kingdom. According to figures released last February, 300,000 people connect every month to the digital world of Meta.
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Horizon Worlds, the future of the metaverse?
Like The Sandbox or Decentraland, Horizon Worlds is an accessible digital world in virtual reality. To access it, you must have an Oculus Quest 2 headset, the price of which recently rose to 449 euros. Eventually, Horizon Worlds will also be accessible via a web browser, without having to put on a VR headset, or via a smartphone application.
Once you’ve invested in a headset, just install the Horizon Worlds app through the Oculus website. Meta then asks you to connect your facebook account. Soon you will need to create a new account to immerse yourself in the metaverse of Meta. Besides, the platform is completely free. Meta does not charge for access to the metaverse in order to attract as many people as possible.
The metaverse of Meta is composed of several different universes. Within these worlds, you can organize conferences with your colleagues, play a plethora of games, attend concerts or even customize your avatar by buying virtual clothes. It is thanks to the sales of digital objects that the company intends to generate profits. With this in mind, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will be integrated into the universes.
Among the most popular sections are Arena Clash, a cooperative shooter, Wake The Robot, an interactive puzzle or the VR disco called Club Vivid. Recently, Meta inaugurated a “horror” world for the bravest Internet users, that of “arthropods, those crawling and frightening spiders and insects”.
Horizon Worlds is also a creative space open to everyone. Through the tool Horizon Worlds Builder, users can indeed design game arenas or organize activities. It is not necessary to have knowledge of computer programming to get there. As Meta pointed out last year, “you are not just a visitor, you are part of what makes this world great”. Over 10,000 worlds have already been created by the community.
Harassment and social distancing
Mirroring Facebook, Horizon Worlds has suffered a few scandals since its launch in the United States. Several women claim to have been sexually harassed as they pass through the metaverse. The avatar of one of them was even assaulted by two male avatars.
Following these testimonies, the American group promptly undertook to “optimize and facilitate access to its security devices”. To avoid abuses, Meta has therefore implemented new measures.
The Silicon Valley giant proposes to configure a perimeter around its avatar. This system of social distancing prevents Internet users from approaching. It is also possible to blur the voices of avatars that are not part of your friends. It is impossible for malicious individuals to shower you with insults.
In addition, Meta prohibits access to Horizon Worlds to minors. To immerse yourself in the metaverse, you must have over 18. Several types of content are also excluded from the platform, such as sexually explicit or violent images. Without clear boundaries, the metaverse could become a very toxic place, fears Andrew Bosworth, director of new technologies at Meta.
Despite these bans, minors are regularly spotted within Horizon Worlds, raising concerns about Meta moderation.
Mark Zuckerberg never gives up
The rollout of Horizon Worlds in Europe continues as Metaverse’s metaverse division struggles. Since last year, Reality Labs accumulate financial losses. The division lost $2.8 billion in the second quarter of 2022. Over the current year, it has accumulated $5.77 billion in losses. Meta’s overall revenue suffered from the results of Reality Labs. The firm recorded a fall in its turnover for the first time in its history.
Despite this setback, Mark Zuckerberg says he is convinced of the importance of investing in the metaverse. In a few years, digital worlds in virtual or augmented reality should bring colossal sums to Meta, reassures the CEO. It is also partly thanks to the metaverse that Zuckerberg intends to revive the faltering growth of Meta.
While waiting for the general public to take an interest in the metaverse, Meta for the first time offered bonds for raise funds. Funds received will be reinvested in “capital expenditures, redemption, acquisition or investment of outstanding shares of its common stock”. At the same time, Meta has canceled several Reality Labs projects, such as the connected watch for the metaverse. In addition, major projects have been postponed, including glasses for augmented reality.