US EditionMeta Is Pulling the Plug on Its VR Metaverse and Meta Quest 3 Fans Don't Know How to Respond
Meta will end VR building and editing on Horizon Worlds by June 15, 2026, shifting to mobile-only access amid strategic focus on AI and smart glasses.
- Meta announced the removal of Meta Horizon Worlds and Events from the Quest Store starting March 31, with VR access ending on Quest headsets after June 15, 2026.
- Citing a strategic refocus, Meta is shifting resources to AI and smart glasses after prior VR cutbacks, with Reality Labs moving away from first-party VR development to support hardware and third-party developers.
- Thousands of creators built more than 10,000 Worlds that remain mostly empty, and Meta says digital purchases will stay tied to accounts but only work in mobile-optimized Worlds.
- Many VR users reacted with mixed feelings as Meta says Horizon Worlds will continue on mobile only, reshaping how users engage with content, Meta stated in a community blog post.
- Mark Zuckerberg's prior multibillion-dollar metaverse investment frames this as a notable reversal, though Samantha Ryan wrote, 'It’s no secret that we’re still in the hardware game' with a robust hardware roadmap.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Meta to shut down Horizon Worlds VR platform by June 2026: Metaverse plan faces major setback
Meta just announced that it is pulling the plug on Horizon Worlds for VR devices, with the final shutdown which is set for June 15, 2026. You will still find the app on mobile, but it will vanish from the Quest Store by the end of March. That’s a pretty big shift in Meta’s whole metaverse plan. After the VR version goes dark, Horizon Worlds will live on as a mobile-only app. But users are also losing a bunch of in-app perks—digital assets, credi…
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg had tried for years to establish virtual reality as the next computer platform. However, the interest of the users remained low.
Meta Platforms will close the social platform of virtual reality Horizon Worlds, marking an additional withdrawal from its metavers-related ambitions, transmits CNBC.
Meta shuts down Metaverse after $80 billion loss, ends Horizon Worlds era - Tech Startups
Meta just pulled the plug on its metaverse dream, drawing a line under one of the most ambitious bets in tech history. The company said Tuesday it will shut down Horizon Worlds, the virtual reality social platform once positioned at the center of its metaverse push. The app will disappear from the Quest store at
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