Everyone says it's crumbling…but is it?
VR IS NOT NEW TO THE MARKET.
Every decade, there are always some breakthroughs from the developers, but VR never got the right position to catch the tide due to many reasons.
Along with the Metaverse waves and hardware upgrades. VR is shifting itself to a more mature AR and MR stage.
This article is my personal opinion, and I’ve already tried on the latest Meta Quest Pro for a few weeks.
First of all, here are a summary and conclusion of my PERSONAL thoughts:
Overall, Meta Quest Pro and its software ecosystem are products that are obviously far from ready.
1. $1,499.99 USD for an XR device is “Normal.” A “Good” headset is costly to build. Meta spent billions to make Quest 2 cheap enough.
(FYI, PICO is acquired by ByteDance, their latest headset is $499 USD with estimated 50,000 units sold so far)
2. Meta (Facebook) finally realized the problem of the unreasonable price point of Oculus Quest 2. The brand image of Oculus is already sticking to “Affordable,” not “Amazing.”
3. VR is still niche, but the direction towards Productivity & Openness, and strategic partnership with Microsoft, is a HUGE step forward.
4. Microsoft is officially delivering the status and statement of giving up HoloLens (HW) projects…BUT quietly being a partner for VR company, also building its Open-Service while being the rival of Apple.
5. Meta is misleading the public again and again and again… the tech and truth behind Meta Avatars are not entirely correct from Mark…Adding Legs for Avatars is not hard…
Last Month, on October 11th, Meta announced its latest flagship headset for enterprise, Meta Quest Pro, VR titles, Meta ecosystem, and software integration on Meta’s Metaverse.
And here are some major Announcements and Updates you should keep an eye on. These could be rolled out early next year or later.
> Meta Quest Pro is a high-end enterprise headset
> Microsoft AAD & Intune are available on Quest for enterprise device management and deploy
> Horizon Worlds’s integration to Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Including Avatar and Worlds experiences.
> Horizon Worlds Web version coming soon
> Meta Avatars update (Outfit & Avatar system)
> You can use Microsoft Teams Meeting in Horizon Worlds
> Microsoft Teams VR App coming soon
> OTT Apps coming soon (NBC Universal, Peacock…etc.)
> Free creator and developer toolkits (SDKs, API, source code)
From the current circumstances we have seen from Meta and the tech industry; all the developments are expected to be delayed or canceled. Just as important to know is Meta’s huge 10 Billion investment is contributing to the content ecosystem and making an unprecedented positive impact on users and the industry.
The Definition of the Metaverse
From MarkZuck, his definition of “the Metaverse” is,
1. Metaverse is First Person
2. You can Teleport Anywhere
3. You can Bring Anything with you
4. Less silo than traditional app model
5. Fundamentally More “Present.”
Those points are valid, correct, and very likely will come to reality. However, I think it is still way too grounded. Why?
I was expecting to receive the messaging of the future to be more visionary and bold. The HoloLens project was cut off not only because of the limitations of the scenarios but also because developers had no idea of the next-gen human-computer interactions could be. Instead of creating more and more chaotic experiences or unnecessary journeys.
Yes, we all knew and agreed that the traditional application model lacked integration and had a lot of silos. The creation of the Metaverse is supposed to figure out that persistent and interoperable experience.
You will never want to put on the headset, but the first thing you see has no different from the mobile phone launcher. It is a very awkward and trippy experience. Imagine you visit a highly developed country with advanced technologies, but when you try to file for some documentation, they ask you to bring all the identity documents to verify yourself. (Hmmm)
I’ve done comprehensive Metaverse research lately, and my personal thought is, Metaverse services have 3 traits in common.
- Service Aspect: Land, Space, Property, Avatar…
- Experience Aspect: In-Sync / Real-Time MMORPG
- Use Cases Aspect: Social, Concert, Event, Watch Party…
So…is it that bad…Ugh… Kind of
In my humble opinion, Mark (Meta) is telling everyone, “We are establishing a new era of Social Media.” Meta is not only spending billions to invest in content, software, and hardware, Meta is also trying to build a massive ecosystem that allows every user to be part of them (UGC).
Mark is trying to pursue people that “Meta is not owned by me. Meta is Made From All of Us” ehhhhhhhhhhhh
Metaverse might not be what we think of since last year, but I think people should keep in mind that Metaverse is far from mature, and the visibility is still relatively low…
It is a massive bet for Meta, and a transition for the next-gen social network since User Tags, Profiling, Ads, Privacy, and Information are facing a now-or-never issue. It is also a big bet for tech companies that stepped into this metaverse race to figure out the next generation of the Internet or human-computer interactions.
That’s all for today. Share your thoughts with me.
Let’s dive deeper into Avatars & Quest Pro hands-on experiences next time. Catch you soon.
Caillou Huang - Tech Talker / Product Designer / Product Marketer
FrictionLess Design Studio 