On August 19, Meta CEO and flag-bearer of the metaverse universe Mark Zuckerberg updated his metaverse avatar online. While some wondered whether Halloween had come early, Mashable did not mince words when it described the image as soulless and that it had a creepy, dead-eyed look.
The VR selfie reveal was accompanied by the announcement that Horizon Worlds will be launched in Spain and France. The project will be rolled out to other regions soon.
Horizon Worlds: A Metaverse Mockery
Zuckerberg was probably prepared for a lukewarm reception but what he did not expect was the amount of ridicule the metaverse avatar generated online. Netizens ripped the virtual reality game to shreds, comparing it to outdated software instead of a futuristic look. It was not just the deluge of memes and posts, but even seasoned reporters called out the outdated graphics. New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose called Horizon World’s graphics “worse than a 2008 Wii game.”
People were quick to point out that not just the avatar but Zuckerberg’s metaverse overall had nothing to recommend itself as it was cluttered with ugly aesthetic devoid of personality. The selfie was meant to announce the launch of Horizon Worlds into other countries but was eclipsed by the sheer amount of vitriol it generated for its ancient graphics.
The billionaire CEO took note of the brickbats and tried to reassure gamers that the metaverse avatar was not the final look and that it will see significant improvements over time. “Major updates to Horizon and avatar graphics coming soon,” he said on Instagram. “I’ll share more at Connect. As well as the photo I posted earlier this week, it was pretty simple — it was then taken to celebrate a launch quickly. The graphics in Horizon are much more powerful, even in VR, and Horizon is very rapid.”
Zuckerberg’s Metaverse
In 2017, Zuckerberg found himself in hot water after he revealed the VR app Facebook Spaces which showed an image of him. To call the avatar ugly would be an understatement and it did not help matters that the billionaire CEO chose to show off his metaverse app by visiting Puerto Rico via video. This was right after the island had been ravaged by a deadly hurricane. His tone-deaf release riled up netizens as they struggled to fathom the logic behind such a step.
Last year, Zuckerberg returned with an avatar that can not in any terms be called magical but it was better than the eyesore he debuted earlier. The latest version appeared in a video showcasing the social media company’s grand plans for Facebook and Metaverse.
While the 2022 version does not help his case, one of the reasons why it looks so soulless is Facebook’s insistence on making VR content available on as many devices as possible. In an interview to The Verge in 2021 about the metaverse, Zuckerberg had stated, “It’s going to be accessible across all of our different computing platforms; VR and AR, but also PC, and also mobile devices and game consoles.” However, for a mega billion-dollar project, it is unacceptable to launch such a lack-luster project.
Zuckerberg is currently working on making the $450-billion Meta future ready. In recent months, he has reined in spending, cut perks, restructured his leadership team and made it clear he would lay off underperforming employees. He has also called multiple meetings and urged executives to work faster to make their vision a reality. In 2021, Meta spent around $10.2 billion on the metaverse. According to Business Insider, Zuckerberg reportedly told shareholders that he wants to get the hardware to be as affordable as possible for everyone, and make sure the digital economy grows and the virtual world gains traction. In the metaverse, users will interact with different technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), AI, social media, and digital currency.
