【Deborah Driggs Archives】

Hey,Deborah Driggs Archives remember Mark Zuckerberg's special metaverse app that people (fairly or not) dunked on last year? You don't even need a VR headset to visit anymore.

Meta announced on Thursday that it has started rolling out its Horizon Worlds metaverse ecosystem to mobile devices and desktop web browsers, starting (for now) with a multiplayer shooter called Super Rumble. This is technically an "early access" phase that's limited to people who are permitted by Meta to join. You can request access on the Meta website and try it out there or on the Meta Quest Android app, with iOS support to follow "in the coming weeks."

Of course, Super Rumbleis just the beginning. Meta's blog post said more laid back social experiences like virtual comedy shows and concerts will be available at some point, too.

It's been a bumpy road for Horizon Worlds over the last year or so. It quickly became notable not for its merits but for a visual style that social media hecklers found lacking (to put it softly), which put Zuckerberg in a defensive posture before most people could ever try it out. Making it accessible outside the realm of VR headsets is probably a smart move, though it does arguably devalue the headsets a bit before the looming fall launch of the Meta Quest 3.

• EU names Apple, Meta, Microsoft among six 'gatekeepers' facing strict DMA guidelines
• Meta allegedly considering ad-free, paid version of its EU apps
• Meta takes down massive 'Spamouflage' operation tied to Chinese law enforcement
• Meta is reportedly rolling out legs for its VR avatars
• A giant online book collection Meta used to train its AI is gone over copyright issues

Still, you might as well try it out. Maybe you'll love it!

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})