Meta reaffirms its commitment to metaverse

Reality Labs CTO Andrew Bosworth stated in a statement that while 2022 was “harder” than expected for its metaverse plans. However, Meta is still committed to the technology. blog post. To that end, the company is planning to put 20 percent of its total spending toward Reality Labs in 2023, with half of that going directly toward augmented reality (AR) initiatives — around the same amount as last year.

Meta was criticized This is the year to put billions into metaverse projects, and see a change. loss of $9.4 billion From Reality Labs through 2022’s first three-quarters. “Economic challenges across the world, combined with pressures on Meta’s core business, created a perfect storm of skepticism about the investments we’re making,” Bosworth acknowledged.

He said that reversing course could have “disastrous results”. Noting that the daily active Facebook users (DAUs), were at an all time high, the 20% investment in Reality Labs is “logical” for a company dedicated to AR tech.

Bosworth explained that Reality Labs is in financial trouble, but the spending allowed Meta “foundational pieces technology” to be developed for the future. Meta shipped the Quest Pro headset, which features mixed reality, eye and facial tracking. This headset has been adopted by builders, creators, and developers. “We’ll be living with the benefits of this work for decades to come.”

Meta and its investors will have to remain patient. The company’s vision of immersive AR glasses is still years away. Bosworth stated that “our vision for true AR glasses requires years of progress making the devices smaller, lighter, more powerful, and using far less power, while also generating far less heat.”

Reality Labs will be working on improving its basic avatar system in the short term. More news is expected for 2023. It is also planning to assist Horizon Worlds in “flourish”, will present a Meta Question Gaming Showcase during the spring and reveal the “successor” to the Meta Quest 2 sometime next year.

John Carmack is a pioneer of virtual reality recently left MetaBosworth also criticized the company’s inefficiency. Bosworth also mentioned the imminent arrival of Apple’s AR headset, as well as HTC’s Meta Quest rival, which is likely to arrive in 2023. Meta likely wanted investors and users to know that they are continuing their efforts with AR, despite the challenges.