Meta finally opens access to users to its virtual reality social platform, Horizon Worlds. As of this Thursday, people 18 years of age and older in the United States and Canada can access the free app of Quest, without the need to have an invite.
Horizon Worlds is Meta’s first attempt at creating a virtual space close to Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse concept. It is an expansive multiplayer platform that combines features of Roblox and the OASIS VR world of Ready Player One; It is required to have a Facebook account to enter and allows you to hang out with up to 20 people at a time, in a virtual space.
Horizon Worlds was first announced in September 2019, as a private beta. Until now, the platform has evolved from being primarily a similar environment to Minecraft to create games on a more social platform. Its thousands of beta testers have regularly held comedy shows, movie nights, meditation sessions, and built objects., like a replica of the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters.
Beyond the social aspect and shared fun, security is a big concern for a virtual reality environment like Horizon Worlds, where users can easily interact with someone they don’t know.
Earlier this month, a beta tester user posted on the official Horizon group on Facebook about how his avatar was sexually harassed by a stranger. “Not only did they grope me last night, but there were other people who supported this behavior that made me feel isolated in the Plaza,” the user wrote on Facebook.
To avoid this type of situation, Meta has security features built into Horizon Worlds, including the ability to block someone from interacting with you. Also, when you’re on Horizon, a buffer of what you see is saved locally to your Oculus headset and then sent to Meta for human review if an incident is reported.
Another unique aspect of Horizon Worlds is the guides who are in charge of welcoming new users and guide them as they teleport from the Plaza to different worlds. These guides are advanced users who Meta trains you to know the best practices for navigating Horizon and following its rules of behavior.
For now, there is no way to make money in Horizon Worlds, either as a creator, guide or player.. The plan is to later link it with Horizon Venues, a standalone experience for hosting large events in virtual reality, and with Horizon Workrooms, the virtual reality workplace collaboration software.
Until monetization is added, Meta hopes that the world-building aspect of Horizon Worlds will be attractive enough on its own for users to join this virtual world..