Meta Now Lets People Hang Out Face-To-Face In Metaverse Once Headsets Are On

In Meta’s quest toward the metaverse, a new update that is expected next week allows users to hang out with friends and family in this alternate-reality space. From the moment you put your headset on, you will immediately be immersed in a social environment, as announced by chief Mark Zuckerberg.  

Meta has been trying to push the notion that meeting in the metaverse is the next step for social gatherings. However, so far there has not been a place to actually hang with your friends.

Meta Quest 2 is looking to solve that with the official rollout of Horizon Home; the new update gives users a space from one of its pre-designed options that will appear right as they put their headsets on. From traditional Japanese inns to space stations, the world is your virtual oyster.  

Horizon Home offers a space to meet and relax with friends in the virtual world, where you can play games and watch 360-degree videos, among other activities.

Meta is trying to change the way we interact online by giving us the ability to see each other face-to-face with these headsets. However, the platform has also come under fire before for the lack of action against harassment in the metaverse. This saw the introduction of boundary bubbles that keeps each user at a safe distance.

Horizon Home comes in addition to Horizon Worlds and Horizon Workrooms that let you play games or work with colleagues in a virtual space. Meta is also currently working on giving people the ability to create their own worlds and to host social gatherings in the metaverse.  

[via TechExplore and Engadget, cover image via Meta]