'Hanging out' in the Metaverse

Meta asserted it's adding the opportunity to easily socialize in virtual reality by having an update to its Quest 2 headsets in another step toward the metaverse.

The tweak heading for the latest model Quest from Meta-owned Oculus will let wearers hop into virtual settings with friends, chief Mark Zuckerberg said.

“I’m here to announce the opportunity to, once you put on your Quest 2 headset, have people spend time with you inside a social environment,” Zuckerberg said in a video.

The software update will open a door to the Horizon World virtual reality platform that Facebook-parent Meta opened to the public in The united states at the end of this past year.

Meta can also be focusing on letting people create their very own virtual worlds where they host gatherings of avatars, Zuckerberg said.

Horizon Worlds is way from a fully realized metaverse, a future internet where online experiences like chatting to a friend would eventually feel face-to-face thanks to VR headsets.

But the platform does let people gather online with friends or others, play games and immerse themselves in 360-degree videos.

Facebook parent Meta captured instituted a minimum distance between users’ avatars in its virtual reality Horizon network after reports of harassment, among the thorny issues for its metaverse vision.

The “personal boundary” function in the immersive platform puts a diamond ring of area surrounding users’ digital proxies.

Facebook renamed its parent company Meta in October to emphasize its aim to shift from a scandal-prone social networking platform to its virtual reality vision because of its future.

The firm’s metaverse push includes tools for remote working, which boomed throughout the pandemic.

Facebook bought virtual reality headset maker Oculus in 2022.

The technology has removed within the gaming industry, and be popular among players of Fortnite and Roblox.