Meta launches ‘Horizon Worlds’ as the first official metaverse app
Meta has released the first official app for the metaverse, allowing people to meet and interact in a completely virtual environment.
Horizon Worlds is the first step in Mark Zuckerberg’s master plan to invented the next version of the internet.
Currently, it’s only available in the US and Canada and Quest 2 virtual reality headset is required to experience.
But it allows possible participants to gather together, play games and build their own worlds within the metaverse. Like Roblox meets Oasis.
Horizon Worlds took two years to develop and is available to download for free if you have the right hardware. It was originally designed to be compatible with the first Oculus headsets, but Meta will end support in January.
‘Horizon Worlds is a social VR experience where you can create and explore together. Since launching as an invite-only beta last year, we’ve been amazed by the community that has begun to form and inspired by the unique experiences they’ve built, ‘Meta – before this is called Facebook – announced in a blog post.
‘Our vision for Horizon Worlds is to develop a VR space with best-in-class tools for creators to build words and explore together.’
So far the metaverse has been limited to virtual gaming platforms but companies like Meta are planning to bring it into our lives just as they did with social media. Since the pandemic has accelerated the use of virtual meeting spaces for work and play, plans for a metaverse do not appear to have been implemented so far.
What is Metaverse?
The word metaverse is a combination of the ‘meta prefix’, which means ‘outside’ and ‘universe’.
It’s essentially a world of endlessly interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work, and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.
According to Victoria Petrock, an analyst who tracks emerging technologies, it will also incorporate other aspects of online life such as shopping and social networking.
Zuckerberg said he hopes the metaverse will reach a billion people within the next decade.
This will be a place where people can interact, work, and create products and content that he hopes will be a new ecosystem that creates millions of jobs for creators.
Inside the metaverse will be different applications for different purposes.
Each person can design their own avatar and use hand gestures thanks to the wireless Oculus controller included with the VR headset.
Eventually, we may start to see other areas of everyday life move into the metaverse.
Seoul in Korea has announced that it will join the metaverse as a way for residents to enjoy tourist attractions and for residents to access city services.
THAN : Seoul becomes the first major city to join the metaverse
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https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/10/meta-launches-horizon-worlds-as-the-first-official-metaverse-app-15750193/ Meta launches 'Horizon Worlds' as the first official metaverse app