Ever since Facebook became Meta, we’ve heard the word “metaverse” ad nauseam. However, life in virtuality still does not unleash passions, and the current state of Horizon Worlds demonstrated. A report of The Wall Street Journalbased on internal documents from the firm led by Mark Zuckerberg, reveals that the figures for the platform created for the Meta Quest virtual reality glasses they are falling too short compared to those originally projected.
The aforementioned medium indicates that the objective of Meta was to reach half a million active users per month in Horizon Worlds At the end of the year. But in recent weeks he has drastically “honest” his expectations by cutting it to 280,000. However, even in this way it is not managing to reach the stipulated mark, since the statistics show that less than 200,000 people regularly access the service monthly.
But that is not all. It is also mentioned that visitors to Horizon Worlds usually they do not return to the application after the first month; and that the user base has dropped considerably since the spring. On the other hand, only 9% of the worlds created by developers have received visits from at least 50 people. While the number of attendees —that is, people simultaneously connected to the platform— would be lower than that of VRChat or the old Second Life.
During the recent presentation of the Quest Pro, its new virtual reality glasses, Mark Zuckerberg and company emphasized the expansion of Horizon Worlds to web and mobile. A decision that is most likely related to the need to attract new users, beyond those who are already enthusiasts of the VR gadgets.
Meta’s CEO himself assured that the metaverse will only be feasible when virtual reality headsets see mass adoption among the public. A curious statement, considering that it was made just when announcing a device that will sell for $1,500.
Horizon Worldsthe metaverse of Meta, still does not arouse passions
The report of The Wall Street Journal also mentions that Meta researchers surveyed a handful of users of Horizon Worlds about your experience. It raised complaints from the public for not being able to find virtual worlds that they really like, or where there are other people to interact with. However, there was also criticism of the aesthetic section, especially the lack of legs and more realistic expressions in the avatars. Sections that the company has promised to improve with future updates.
But this goes far beyond a mere matter of appearances. The real problem they face Horizon Worlds and Meta’s future plans for the metaverse is the inability to keep users interested. WSJ indicates that the retention rate of its virtual reality hardware has fallen in the last three years. It even ensures that more than half of the Meta Quest glasses they stop being used just 6 months after being purchased.
This represents a challenge for the parent company of Facebook and the other companies that plan to launch their own headset of virtual reality. The Meta Quest 2 is estimated to be the world’s best-selling VR headset, with some 10 million units sold. But it is unknown how many are actually in use. And it is not a minor fact, if we consider that there is also a strong push for its adoption outside the metaverse. Especially, in regards to gaming.
goal ensures that the commitment to the metaverse is long termY Horizon Worlds it is just one of the pieces that he intends to take advantage of. However, it will also be interesting to see to what extent the company is willing to continue burning money to achieve life in virtuality. Not so much because of the will of Mark Zuckerberg, who has signed an uncompromising commitment to this idea, but because of that of investors, who have already expressed their concern about such a sudden change in direction.