Facebook/Meta's Horizons Planned to Shut Down VR Option, Then Changed

 

Some Second Life users may remember Horizons, the virtual world created by Meta, the company behind Facebook. Announced in 2021 as the effort of Mark Zuckerberg's company to "build the Metaverse." But there was skepticism from the start as it's avatars had nothing below the waist, which was fodder for a number of jokes, including a few from Linden Lab and others in Second Life. As time went on, it became clear it was not attracting many people, and Meta netted only a fraction of the money it put in. Among the signs things weren't right, unlike Second Life, the people who worked on it did not spend time in the virtual world when off the clock. 

 

Earlier this month on March 17, it was announced that the software to use Horizons on VR headsets would no longer be available at the end of the month, and in June it would be taken offline. “We are separating the two platforms so each can grow with greater focus, and the Horizon Worlds platform will become a mobile-only experience,” the company stated on a community blog. The move came just weeks after Meta laid of a thousand workers from Reality Labs in January, the part of the company that works on it's virtual world. Besides VR, the virtual world can be accessed through a mobile app, which was remaining up. 

But a few days later, Meta backtracked, it's CEO announcing, “We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR for existing games to support the fans who’ve reached out.” But, VR won't be the main focus, "Most of our energy is going towards mobile and the Meta Horizon Engine there."

Commentary: In Second Life, and Discord channels with SL users, yours truly heard several residents bring up Meta's decision to close Horizon's VR option, and react with smugness. The feeling was a multi-billion dollar company had gone up against the much smaller Linden Lab and the people behind VR Chat, and it couldn't even begin to compete with them, the company Mark Zuckerberg created losing big. Second Life, for all of it's Linden blunders over time, remains the champion virtual world. And a startup like Resonite can do more with a few people, a few dollars, and a little elbow grease and imagination, than a billion dollar megacorp that is all dollars and no brains and bare-bones effort. 

 

Image from Techcrunch 

 

Sources: Wired, Meta, PC Gamer, CNBC 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Facebook/Meta Quietly Leaving Virtual Worlds Behind

 

Last year, Facebook/Meta was really harping itself as the future of virtual worlds. It was touting it's Horizons as the up and coming brand new virtual landscape that the masses would want to join and experience. This year, they've been quiet about it. CEO and owner Mark Zuckerburg has gone from repeatedly promoting Horizons as the must be-in place online, to having stopped.

 

So what happened? Well, Horizons turned out to be a big money loser. Zuckerburg invested billions in his company's virtual world, only to get very little return for it in comparison. 

 

The number of people signing up was far short than the half million expected, and most didn't stay after their first month. It seems the "lack of realism" on the avatars, notably having no legs, was one of the big reasons. Of it's virtual worlds, only a handful were visited by more than 50, most not visited by anyone but it's creator. And unlike Second Life, which continued to do very well, Facebook/Meta workers didn't enjoy using the place on their free time "because it's riddled with bugs and other quality issues."

For all the money invested, Horizon's returns are small in comparison. It brought in 727 million USD in 2022, 17% less than in 2021. The result has been huge loses, losing nearly 24 BILLION dollars in 2021 and 2022, 13.7 billion in 2022 alone. Considering their overall income was 32.1 billion, the company had been continuing to spend and invest heavily after initial small returns, and was getting even less. So no wonder Facebook/Meta is cutting its losses.

Fortunately for Zuckerberg, technology tends have allowed him to quietly leave virtual reality behind: AI, which in recent months has gotten more attention thanks to programs like Chat GPT. An article on "The Street" stated in an announcement, he announced, "We're creating a new top-level product group at Meta focused on generative AI to turbocharge our work in this area. We're starting by pulling together a lot of the teams working on generative AI across the company into one group focused on building delightful experiences around this technology. ... In the short term, we'll focus on building creative and expressive tools. Over the longer term, we'll focus on developing AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways."

So it seems Horizon is being left behind, joining the ranks of the virtual worlds such as There and Blue Mars that had gotten plenty of talk but ended up falling short, while Second Life and to a smaller extent VRChat, continue to flourish.

 

Sources: The Street, Kotaku, PC Gamer

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of The Day: Practicing For Horizons

 

Taken at VWEC Eduverse. Those weren't Elli Pinion's exact words, but when someone pointed out her lack of legs, she did joke about a certain virtual world in which players are half the person they were. 

By Bixyl Shuftan
 

News And Commentary: Questions Raised About Horizon Following Zuckerburg's Comments, Announcement of Creator Fees

 

It's no secret that many Second Life users roll their eyes at Linden Lab a lot. But can anyone else do a better job at developing a virtual world. The biggest company gicing it a try is Facebook/Meta, with it's Horizons. This virtual world has already been ridiculed for having avatars with nothing below the waist. But certain comments by the company founder plus how much of a cut it plans to take from content creators is making it look worse.

Read more in Other Grinds, MMOs, and Games.

More April Foolery, Including Themed Last Names

 
The reaction to the Newser's April Fools article a few days ago was mostly positive. "Well played," one put it in one Discord thread. Another responded "Joker!" In Cyrillic. Still, I did get one mild complaint about the time the hack started not being right, and one angry reader whom felt I was making light of the Ukraine invasion. The answer is no I wasn't, but poking fun at the dictator and his trolls. I did think the joke had some risk, though felt just as many would appreciate an oppressor being made the butt of a joke. Still, it wasn't the one parody over the years that had gotten the most flak. Those that describe Second Life as about to be shut down due to glitches tend to get the most chuckles and the most boos.

And I'm sure the Uighurs and the people of Hong Kong appreciate a good "Winne the Pooh" joke.

As for Linden Lab's April Fool, what they did this year was more clever than their "Rick Roll" a few years ago. It was a step above their "Pandemonium" avatar insurance joke, this time poking Facebook/Meta in the ribs with it's virtual world Horizons having a very obvious flaw - nothing below the waist. They did three Youtube shorts, and mentioned them in three forum threads. The reaction to them was very positive. In my opinion, they were Linden Lab's best April Fool joke ever: a poke at the obvious flaw of the other virtual world that was genuinely funny. 

Besides the April Fool joke in the form of a few videos and forum posts, Linden Lab had something else on April 1st, They had six new last names, with a humorous theme.

Happy April Fool’s Day! The following Limited Edition last names are available until April 15th:

Joker
OwO
UwU
Hoax
Quirky
Shenanigans

Some may remember OwO and UwU from last year as the April Fool themed limited edition surnames for 2021. It seems they proved to be popular enough for the Lab to bring them back. But they won't be available again for too long. As the announcement stated, after April 15th, they'll be gone.

There were more examples of funnery. The Juicybomb blog posted a joke article of Linden Lab being bought by Facebook/Meta. The news was delivered by a Half Linden, “This transition will take place over the next few months, and we will do everything we can to make it as smooth as possible. Don’t be alarmed if you notice your legs disappearing; this is a new user function.”

Some games also had some April Fools stunts. Among them, the WW2 shooter "Enlisted" had a "Battle For The Moon" campaign. 

That's all for now with the April Foolery. Hope yours was a good one.

Source: PC Gamer

Bixyl Shuftan
 

SL Videos: Linden Lab's April Fool

 

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The Newser's April Fool yesterday wasn't the only one around. Linden Lab had one of it's own that was a poke at Facebook/Meta's Horizon. Or rather, three, in the form of a few Youtube videos. One also parodied the "Lifelock" videos (forum post).

"Brand new from the creators of Second Life comes our latest premium feature: LEGLOCK!

"Second Life is the ONLY metaverse that will actually guarantee your legs will be right here where you left them upon your return!  We consider it our sacred duty to give all our customers the whole metaverse experience. We care about our residents and what they care about, and we know one thing they care about are legs. In Second Life you can have all the legs you want, One leg, two legs, four legs, eight… a hundred… be a human centipede if you desire. Actually, I don’t think anyone really wants that last one, but you can!

"And the best part is, it is so easy! Here’s a helpful video explaining just how this handy tool works and how you can keep your avatar protected." 

(Click here if the video does not play)

"Finding one's other half" is an expression meaning to find one's soulmate. Though with avatars looking like Horizon ones, it takes on a new meaning (forum post).

"At Linden Lab, we’re all about bringing people together. We’ve heard countless stories from individuals that discovered their other halves in Second Life. Today we’re floating you a spotlight featuring a union that was love at first sight.

"If you feel like something is missing in your life, we hope we can help you find it in Second Life."

 (Click here if the video does not play)

Abnor Mole stared in this one as a used leg salesman. Guess his joke had a few legs to stand on, unlike Facebook/Horizon's virtual world (forum post).

Happy April Fools.

Addition: There were three threads in the forums about the videos, so they're now included.
 

Reader Submission: Moving About the Metaverse

 

Longtime readers will likely remember DrFran Babcock whom wrote for the Newser several years ago. Since then, she's gone on to other virtual worlds, first High Fidelity, then others. Recently, she sent us an article about the state of three other virtual worlds. These are Sansar, which used to be owned by Linden Lab, Horizons, which is owned by Facebook, and Vircadia. So how are these virtual worlds doing? DrFran had some observations.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.
 

Facebook Announces Upcoming Virtual World "Horizons"

 By Bixyl Shuftan

Today, Facebook announced it was in the process of making it's own virtual world: Horizons.

Today at OC6, we unveiled Facebook Horizon, a new social VR world coming to Oculus Quest and the Rift Platform in 2020. A culmination of what we’ve learned so far about virtual spaces and communities, Horizon is the first step into an ever-expanding world of connection and exploration where anything becomes possible.

... Starting with a bustling town square where people will meet and mingle, the Horizon experience then expands to an interconnected world where people can explore new places, play games, build communities, and even create their own new experiences.

With the announcement there was a youtube of a spokes-avatar showing off the place.



"Beyond our world, there's another world. And it's right here, on my face!"

"Horizon's filled with possibilities. We can play stuff, make stuff, fly stuff. ... Horizons isn't about rules or limits ... It's about getting out there and trying new things, making your mark, making friends ... And you can even build a world of your own. In Horizon, the world is your lobster. ... So come join us, a never-ending, ever-changing world beyond your world."

Horizons will be playable with Facebook's Oculus VR headset and controllers. It was not specifically stated that the virtual world would be playable without a VR rig.

Judging from the pictures, while there's things to do, including able to build things, and places to go, the Horizons is still very much in beta. The most obvious example of this is the legs for the avatars haven't been designed yet, so they just float over the ground instead of walking.

As part of their announcement, Facebook announced they would be closing Facebook Spaces and Oculus Rooms in one month, October 25.

The announcement stated Horizon would be open to play, in beta, "early next year" in 2020. There was a link for people to sign up for access to the currently closed beta.

Hat tip and image credit: Ryan Schultz

Bixyl Shuftan

Gift Grab Week Ten

Week Ten of the SL15B "Gift Grab" is almost done. For those with the "Swaginator HUD" from the SL15B, there's one day left to get the prize if you haven't gotten it yet. This week's hint is, "Come have a drink at this futuristic bar. This is where the gift will not be too far." The location is the Horizon's Community H-Bar in Horizons Themis (121/194/24).

Unpacking the item, you get a crystal hoverboard. This is a small vehicle that you can control with the arrow keys or viewer movement controls, and can skim over water. Pressing "jump" will boost the board in the air. Doing so a number of times will make it take flight. And yes, it glows in the dark.

Tomorrow is Week Eleven, and after that just four more until the fifteenth and last item.

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab's New Horizons Game

When Linden Lab unveiled their Horizons Residential Regions on Tuesday, they released something else for the residents as well: a new game. As the games six sims are in the middle of the Horizons homes, the Lab is calling it "Horizons Experience." Dr. Talpa, the villain from last year's Paleoquest game, is back, having kidnapped a prisoner. And once again Magellan Linden is "too busy" to deal with it and is asking the residents for help in rescuing her.



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The Horizons experience takes you through six regions starting out in the great advanced city itself.  Here, Residents are introduced to the challenges that await, so be sure to check out the videos outlining the great adventure. Your journey will take you from towering canyons to dark and deadly mines, all the way through forests and swamps,and finally, to the command center where Tyrah awaits her rescue. 

This 5 quest storyline takes you through various challenges laid out by the evil Dr. Talpa.  Everything from vicious splorches, killer robots, laser defense systems, the terrifying pet Fluffy, all the way to hidden traps, mazes, puzzles and more!  Residents will have to use the provided weapons to defeat menacing foes, while taking on other elements with their own wit. But beware, saving Tyrah won’t be as simple as conquering these challenges.  The greatest adversary you face is the clock winding down to 0.  Can you save Tyrah in time?

The first of the sims, called the landing base, is for tutorials and where those completing it can pick up their rewards. Upon entering, you have a choice of being a player or explorer. Those who chose to explore around can fly around, but won't be able to interact with anything, though will still be knocked out if they run into hazards. The players of course get to play the game, getting a simple HUD which keeps track of how many levels they've gone through, one per sim.

The beginning of each level offers you the chance to pick up your HUD again if you lost it, and a notecard with simple instructions on what to do. Getting through each level means doing a task within a certain amount of time. If you get clobbered by any of the hazards, which can be anything from toxic water, to creatures, to vacuums, to killer robots, and more, you get send to the level's "resurrection circle" to start again, though if you've done the task already you don't need to repeat it. That is, unless time runs out, in which case you get sent back and the clock is reset, and you need to do the quest again. At the end of the first four levels is a panel you click on to progress to the next one. At the end of the fifth is the prisoner.



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Here's a video tutorial of the game, which includes a look at all five levels. The fifth one is the most difficult of course. But with a woman about to be turned into a robotic slave, you're not going to let that stop you, will you?

After completing the game and returning to the landing base, players have a choice of receiving a random prize, or a Linden dollar prize. But in order to qualify for the latter, your account needs to have bought Linden dollars at least once from the Lab.

Giving the game a try myself, I eventually finished the first four levels . The fifth has been a hard nut to crack though. No doubt many residents will be braving the dangers to get the prizes.

Portal Park 201A (129/195/24)

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab Launches Horizons Residential Regions

Last month, a number of new sims under development by Linden Lab were spotted, but no one but the Lindens and the Department of Public Works knew at the time what purpose they would serve. yesterday in the Linden blog, the Lab finally revealed the purpose of these sims and a name: Horizons. For those who guessed these were going to be new Linden Homes, you were partially right. 36 of the sims have been designated the Horizons Residential Regions.



(click here if the video fails to load)

Unlike a Linden Home which has a static look, the owners of these plots can alter the style of house with a selection of several possible furutistic-looking choices. The house itself is described as having zero land impact. The land itself cannot be terraformed.

The homes are apparently not a bonus for Premium accounts. The Linden blog states they  will be auctioned off to buyers on Friday November 18.

Besides the Horizon Residential Regions, there are a few "Community and Info Hubs" among them, "The first of the two, the community hubs, are designed for Residents to use for their community groups, meetings, and events. These beautiful hubs feature a nice, serene environment to be social and enjoy alongside all your favorite fellow Residents. The second of these two areas are the info hubs. These hubs feature land information, as well as an easy access portal that takes you directly to the mainland experience itself. There are also links to the wiki available which provide access to helpful knowledge regarding the housing system. A mailbox demo and building demos are set up to show you the controls featured in the new housing system. Residents will also find any update information here regarding the housing and mailbox system!"

Daniel Voyager wrote that the new sims were located just north of the adult continent of Zyndra, visible from Shell Beach . But as it turns out, the sims can be accessed by both flying in from the sim and teleporting over. The area had a general futuristic feel to it, with some variations in the terrain and occasional decorative structures in between. So feel free to explore these new areas.

In the middle of the Horizons Residential Regions, there were six sims for a "Horizons Experience" game by Linden Lab. This will be discussed in another article.

Bixyl Shuftan