Gaming is a critical bridge for Meta’s metaverse vision, with VR gaming set to be a key element in guiding broader VR adoption, and getting more users across to its more immersive social spaces.
Which is why its Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is important, in highlighting the coming games that will drive the next stage of VR gaming adoption, and could spark a new push on VR sales.
As per the above intro clip, the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase event will be held on June 1st at 10:00 am PT, where Meta will share the latest VR gaming advancements, and titles coming to its headsets.
As per Meta:
“This is a banner year for VR, and the third annual Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is our biggest celebration of the depth and breadth of content across the Meta Quest Platform yet. We’ll have over 40 minutes of content, including a brand-new pre-show of game updates and debut trailers to help you count down before the Showcase kicks into high gear, as well as a post-show developer roundtable for a deep-dive conversation around some upcoming games. And as in years past, you can expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates to existing games, and more during the main event.”
A foundational element of Meta’s metaverse planning is the growth of gaming, and gaming worlds as social tools, with platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and more becoming key interactive surfaces for the next generation of users.
It’s with this in mind that Meta has built its metaverse plan, with these younger users set to become the first generation of digital platform-natives, who are increasingly likely to be looking to use such tools to connect, for all types of activities.
Meta wants the metaverse to be the foundation of this group, and maybe, through gradual improvement and development, it could be the thing that becomes the essential tool for all forms of digital interaction in future.
But it still has a way to go yet. In its most recent earnings announcement, Meta reported that Reality Labs, its VR development unit, recorded a $3.99 billion operating loss for the period, while Reality Labs sales, primarily via VR headsets, brought in $339 million for the quarter, a 50% year-over-year decline.
Negative press around its costly metaverse gamble has impacted VR take-up, but as you can see, Meta’s still investing in VR development, which it still sees as critical to its next stage.
But it will likely take a few killer VR applications to bring that vision to life – and maybe, through its Meta Quest showcase event, we’ll get a glimpse of that big VR title that will make VR a more desirable product this Christmas.
We’ll have to wait and see.
You’ll be able to watch the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase on Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, and in Meta Horizon Worlds on June 1st at 10:00 am PT.
