Facebook’s Metaverse could be described as a version of AOL for people who play Beat Saber during their lunch break.
Horizons Workrooms? Perfect for making remote work even more complicated than it already is.
Do you remember that iconic Star Wars scene? Of course, the moment R2D2 approaches Obi-Wan Kenobi and hands him a virtual reality headset.
No? That’s because it doesn’t exist. Imagine this: Obi-Wan fiddling with the headset straps for three full minutes on screen, mumbling:
“Wait, it’s blurry… What am I supposed to see? Is that Jabba the Hutt? Where’s the slider to fix the image? Oh, there it is. That’s Leia!”
Inside the virtual world, Leia’s slightly pixelated avatar exclaims with a concerned tone:
“Help me, Obi-Wan! Am I muted? No? Great. Help me, you’re my only hope!”
Now picture leaving your office to work from home, only to put on a bulky and uncomfortable headset to join a meeting in an animated virtual office. A groundbreaking idea, isn’t it?
Facebook has really outdone itself with Horizon Workrooms, the new standard for the future… as demonstrated by the Avengers franchise.
Remember that epic scene in Endgame? The heroes, scattered across the cosmos, pause everything to look for their Oculus Rifts.
My favorite part: when Hawkeye shouts at his daughter:
“Damn it, Lila! You were the last one to use the charger. My headset is dead! Are you working for Thanos or what? Go get the damn charger, Lila!”
Then they all meet in Horizons… except for Hulk, of course. Apparently, Facebook doesn’t prioritize accessibility for users outside the average hardware specs.
In summary, using VR to recreate animated offices when we already have perfectly good webcams is like trying to play “Enter Sandman” on a child’s xylophone. Sure, it might turn out interesting, but it’s not exactly an improvement.
In the end, the Metaverse feels more like a gateway connecting people who are already connected, only to place them in a space where they’re… a little less connected.
Fun? Maybe. Innovative? Kind of. But inevitably, some will be left out or end up spending work meetings feeling nauseous. Do avatars replicate that too?
Ultimately, augmented reality glasses like Apple’s could offer the same experience without making anyone sick. Holograms are the real trend. And you don’t need to be a Jedi, a superhero, or a tech genius to figure that out.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director