Meta Could Be Turning Horizon Worlds Into a Cross-Platform Virtual Machine (Guest Post)

Above: Experience offered on the Meta Horizons page

Meta Connect is happening next week, and longtime New World Notes reader Martin K, an executive who works in XR, recently sent me some intriguing thoughts around Meta's Horizon Worlds. On the surface, it's an also-ran metaverse platform that has such a tiny user base, it barely registers on my platform leader chart.

But Martin argues that Horizon Worlds is destined to be a different arrow in Meta's quiver:

The Meta Connect 2024 conference is approaching fast, and there is no doubt that Meta will talk about their metaverse-app Horizon Worlds at the conference. Even though Horizon Worlds was announced almost 5 years ago (at the time as "Facebook Horizon"), and even though Meta bought and closed competing metaverse apps (e.g. Crayta), and even though Meta is aggressively luring its users into Horizon Worlds, the app is still far less popular (according to Google trends) than other metaverse apps competing on Meta's platform, e.g., Roblox, VRChat, or Rec Room.

Which begs the question: why is Meta clinging on to Horizon Worlds? What's their plan for it? 

Here, I suggest a change of perspective:

Do not think of Horizon Worlds as a metaverse app, game creation system, nor virtual community.

Think of it primarily as a virtual machine to execute code in a specific file format, like the Windows' EXE format, Android's APK format, or MacOS' PKG format. My hypothesis is that this framing helps explaining many of Meta's recent and future decisions around Horizon Worlds, and it provides a useful lens when watching talks at Meta Connect 2024.

Is there evidence for this change of perspective at Meta?

Have a look at the recently added "Worlds" tab of the Meta Horizon Store: This "Worlds" tab is not for games or apps that may be downloaded and installed on a Meta headset, but it lists only maps in Horizon Worlds. When starting any "world" of the "Worlds" tab, the app that is actually launching is Horizon Worlds, which automatically starts in the selected map. Note how the user interface of the store intentionally blurs the difference between a fully-fledged, installable app and a map of Horizon Worlds. The purpose is probably to establish Horizon Worlds as a new standard way of distributing experiences to Meta headsets and other devices.

What's Meta's motivation for this change?

Virtual machines (like Horizon Worlds) are great to execute code on many platforms without the burden of adapting said code for each platform. As Meta releases new VR headsets and wants to expand the reach of experiences in the "Meta Horizon Store" to other devices (in particular mobile and desktop devices, but also future AR glasses), a virtual machine is a reasonable solution. It also happens to provide Meta with a lot more control over the user experience. For example, if a developer wants to include ads in their "world", they will probably have to use Meta's service instead of, say, Google's ad service. If a developer allows users to go to another "world", app, or web site, Meta will happily provide this service, track the movement of users, and could also suggest related destinations that might be more lucrative for Meta. And so on. Part of it is that Meta is clawing back control that it has lost on the web as well as on Android and iOS devices. Of course, Meta's hope is that this additional control will one day allow Meta to make real money in virtual worlds.

Why would users (want to) flock to Horizon Worlds?

The main user benefits of Horizon Worlds over individual apps may be summarized in one word: convenience.

This includes: no worries about the size of downloads, no worries that you invite someone to an app that they haven't installed, full integration of many of Meta's services, standardized user interfaces in many experiences, more experiences that are free to enter, etc. But there is more: jumping directly into a private "world" avoids contact with potentially toxic users of metaverse-apps. If you don't want to hear more racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic language of pre-teens, you might be able to avoid it in this way. If done right, I have no doubt that Horizon Worlds could attract many users - even as a metaverse app.

But remember: Horizon Worlds is more than a single metaverse app, it is also a virtual machine to execute code on many platforms, which will probably include all kinds of online and offline, single-user and multi-user, 2D and 3D, VR and MR games and apps.

Where does all this leave us?

Horizon Worlds is just one puzzle piece in Meta's larger mixed-reality strategy, which focuses on the vision of wearable glasses that replace smartphones. However, Horizon Worlds as a virtual machine might become particularly important for Meta's ability to make money in a future mixed reality.

Thus, when watching Meta Connect 2024, maybe pay more attention to Horizon World than to other failing metaverse apps.

Interesting theory; it would be a smart pivot on the company's part. I have wondered why Meta hasn't done much with Horizon Worlds since literally running a Super Bowl commercial for it in 2022. It would make sense for the company to shift it into being a different beast entirely.

Another point from Martin from earlier this month:

It certainly looks like Meta has big plans for Horizon Worlds and its UGC tools. Closing the Spark Engine means that they need a new technical platform for user-generated content - Horizon Worlds would be the natural choice unless they want to develop another set of UGC tools that offer very similar functionalities. For example, the core functionality of a UGC boardgame could be similar, whether it is a VR or MR or AR experience on a quest headset or on future AR glasses.

Now let's check in next week to if anything like this is announced at Meta Connect. And thanks to Martin for this digital food for thought!

Comments

[Joey1058]

This concept suddenly just clicked for me. Virtual machines have been in use for years. Horizon would fill this perfectly, and overnight become the "everything app" we've all been looking for. It's brilliant!