Facebook’s first physical store has a massive wall to show metaverse games

Meta Platforms, the parent company of social network Facebook, has offered a first look inside its first physical store that is set to open in California, USA on May 9. The company has a clear focus on selling hardware for its mixed reality platform, Horizon Worlds, and also has other related products to go with it.

A Reuters report on the matter said that the metaverse remains to be the main area of focus on Facebook’s physical store, with one of the main themes being a giant screen that showcases games being played inside the company’s Oculus headsets. Other products in the store include Ray-Ban’s smart glasses to take photos, share to social platforms and listen to calls and notifications – and Facebook Portal, the company’s video conferencing devices.

In November 2021, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg introduced Horizon Worlds, the company’s metaverse idea, alongside rebranding his company’s name from Facebook to Meta. The latter move was deemed by market analysts as one that saw Zuckerberg attempt to take some of the regulatory and investigative attention away from Facebook – and the numerous lawsuits that it faces with regards to monopolistic market behaviour and anti-competitive practices.

Since unveiling, Facebook has sought to diversify its business between consumers and enterprises. For consumers, it has pitched Horizon Worlds as a virtual universe where users could network, play collaborative games and attend group events together. However, the idea of the metaverse showcased by Facebook has since ballooned into various sectors.

In the enterprise space, the likes of Microsoft have showcased how companies can have collaborative spaces with avatars of users participating instead of their physical selves. Companies have also spoken about simulating touch to create an even richer experience – Meta, for instance, is also working on products such as haptic gloves that can make a virtual experience feel real. Numerous companies are also working on making the metaverse a viable concept to be experienced without needing virtual reality headsets.

Facebook, however, clearly predicts a potential business line for the future – which is what the new physical Meta store will seek to serve. For now, though, the store will open with a fairly slim product line in hand.