Meta’s Metaverse Is Finding Its Legs — In Avatars

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Meta’s Horizon Worlds, the metaverse flagship app of the company formerly known as Facebook, is reportedly getting legs as part of users’ avatars in the coming weeks. The functionality is already present in a public test version of the app, but it is only present in Horizon Home, the default space of each user.

Meta’s Metaverse Gets Legs for Avatars

Horizon Worlds, Meta’s metaverse app, has reached a goal proposed almost a year ago: to give legs to its avatars. According to Uploadvr’s reports, the feature will be included in Horizon Worlds in the coming weeks, with the functionality being present in a public test version of Horizon Home, the default room in which all Quest headset users enter when logging on.

The legs donned by the virtual avatars will only be visible in third-person view to avoid the awkwardness caused by leg movements not being accurately represented, as leg tracking hardware and software have still not been included in Quest’s headsets.

The legs issue was raised in October when Meta presented avatars with legs as part of its Connect keynote, enraging users who thought this feature was coming to the app shortly when it was just a showcase of what could be implemented. At the time, users blasted Meta for not including this feature with its high level of spending on the metaverse.

Planning a Metaverse Comeback

Meta seems to be focusing on making its Horizon Worlds metaverse more enticing by changing its focus. In July, Meta’s metaverse VP Vishal Shah presented Ouro Interactive, an in-house gaming studio directed to revitalize Horizon Worlds by including gaming experiences on top of the app, as part of a “reboot” of the platform.

Also, Meta is moving to make the app more accessible, and it has recently launched a closed beta that will allow mobile and web users to be part of the metaverse of the company. Shah expects most Horizon users to connect using mobile devices in the future. Before, Horizon Worlds was only available for users of Meta’s Quest headset family.

Nonetheless, Meta’s metaverse division, Reality Labs, keeps bleeding money. During Q2 2023, Meta lost $3.7 billion in research and development tasks for metaverse products, including Quest headsets and Horizon Worlds.

What do you think about Meta’s metaverse and its upcoming virtual legs feature? Tell us in the comments section below.