Quick take:
- Meta is doubling down on user onboarding to its Horizon Worlds metaverse with the launch of mobile and web versions.
- The new versions are now available on early access via the Meta Quest app on Android with iOS expected in the coming weeks.
- The only experience currently available on the web and mobile is the free-for-all shooter game Super Rumble.
Horizon Worlds is expanding its horizons to mobile and web platforms as it seeks to onboard more users to its 3D worlds. The metaverse platform is now available on early access via the Meta Quest app on Android and on any web browser at horizon.meta.com.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of Yuga Labs CEO Daniel Alegre’s claims that Meta, the creator of Horizon Worlds ruined the metaverse.
Meta “ruined the term because it said: ‘This is something brand new’”, Alegre told Cointelegraph. “I was at Activision Blizzard, we had World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft is a metaverse, Fortnite is a metaverse — so the metaverse is evolving, I think, in very, very positive ways,” he added.
Meta’s own vision of the metaverse has struggled to retain users with reports last year suggesting that people could not stay on the platform for more than a month.
Horizon Worlds could only be accessed with a VR headset, which may have hindered the user onboarding campaign.
“The metaverse should be available to everyone—no matter what device they’re on,” Meta wrote in a blog post on Thursday.
“And while Quest headsets are the most immersive way to access the metaverse, we believe there should be multiple entry points. Bringing Worlds to more surfaces is a step toward delivering on that vision and opening up the experience to more people.”
This expansion allows users to do more in the metaverse by expanding their reach. Users can see when their friends are online and join them on the go. They can also invite friends who don’t have a headset to meet up and have fun together. “This new flatscreen version of Worlds is a great way to keep the FOMO at bay,” added Meta.
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