Facebook is changing its company name and will now be called Meta.
In Mark Zuckerberg’s Founder’s Letter, which was published on October 28, 2021, he said, “To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build, I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta. Our mission remains the same — it’s still about bringing people together. Our apps and their brands aren’t changing either. We’re still the company that designs technology around people.”
He added, “all of our products, including our apps, now share a new vision: to help bring the metaverse to life. And now we have a name that reflects the breadth of what we do.”
The metaverse is “a set of interconnected digital spaces that lets you do things you can’t do in the physical world. Importantly, it’ll be characterized by social presence, the feeling that you’re right there with another person, no matter where in the world you happen to be.”
Just to be clear, the social media platform Facebook will still be called that. The same goes for Instagram and Whatsapp. The three will fall under the Meta umbrella.
Here are just some of the things you can expect on Meta, which Facebook shared on Connect 2021:
Horizon Home
This is described as your “home base” in the metaverse. There are plans to turn it into a social experience where you can invite friends to hang out, watch videos, play games, and use apps together, even if you’re physically apart. There will be more variations of Horizon: Horizon Worlds, which is currently in beta, and Horizon Workrooms, a productivity solution. Horizon Venues is described as an “all-access pass to concerts, sports, and more” that you can enjoy from home. They even hinted at the NBA.
Messenger calls via VR
Later this year, we’ll be able to join audio calls on any Messenger-enabled platform and eventually hang out or travel to VR destinations together.
Gaming
There will be lots of gaming opportunities from AR chess to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the Oculus Quest 2. There are more games and updates, including a “five-title partnership with Vertigo Games and new events for VR battle royale POPULATION: ONE.”
Fitness
The Quest 2 is ready to be the best piece of gym equipment it can be with VR exercise. The Active Pack for Quest 2 will be launched next year, which has new grips for controllers and an exercise-optimized facial interface to make it easier to clean after. There’s also the new Boxing mode for the fitness routine Supernatural, a new FitXR fitness studio, and exercises in Player 22 by Rezzil. The last one has trained pro athletes in different sports.
Work
Meta is testing Quest for Business, which lets you collaborate with coworkers and use productivity apps like Horizon Workrooms and Gravity Sketch. Gravity Sketch is a 3D design platform.
Here’s more that you can expect on Meta.
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