Starting today, Horizon Worlds is open (to US and Canada)

[kojack]

https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/9/22825139/meta-horizon-worlds-access-open-metaverse

https://uploadvr.com/horizon-worlds-beta-open-us-canada/

If you are in the US or Canada, Horizon Worlds is no longer invite only, anyone can join, if they are 18+.

A bit annoying that it's not world wide.

The Verge article says it's a Quest app. The UploadVR article says it's for Quest2 and Rift, support for Quest 1 will end Jan 13 2022.

I'm a bit surprised that Oculus is favouring the Rift over the Quest 1.

Really they should be pushing this for all headsets. Not just Oculus ones, but every brand.

[kojack]

I entered "horizon" in the search bar and sorted by date before posting. 🙂

Anybody able to get it who didn't have an invite so far? Besides jonesc0705 above, I've been others say it's still listed as "Coming Soon".

Interestingly, both the Rift and Quest stores list Horizon Worlds with an age rating of 12+. Are the articles wrong about the 18+? Or is it just limited to 18+ while it's in limited north american release but going to 12+ when it's global?

[DaftnDirect]

Re: the Quest 1 support, I agree it would be smart to bring it to all headsets.

I wonder if they're working on features that are getting to be too demanding for Quest 1 (unless it's PC linked).

I always thought it would make sense to put it out on Steam for other manufacturer headsets so I wouldn't be surprised if that happened some time in the future. It depends how important they think strengthening the ecosystem is, or whether they start to see the Metaverse as the ecosystem irrespective of headset manufacturer.

[kevinw729]

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@kojack wrote:

I entered "horizon" in the search bar and sorted by date before posting. 🙂

And guess what did not pop up when you did...

Funny that 😎

[DaftnDirect]

As kojack said, sort by date.

For anyone not sure, the 'sort by' is on the right, after you press on the magnifying glass, directly opposite the number of search returns.

Now, can we get back to the subject please.

[kevinw729]

For the exact quote from the press announcement regarding Quest1: 

https://about.fb.com/news/2021/12/horizon-worlds-open-in-us-and-canada/

[Zenbane]

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@kojack wrote:

Really they should be pushing this for all headsets. Not just Oculus ones, but every brand.

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Agreed. Although I wonder what the demand is for non-Oculus users to want to engage in Horizons?

Judging from the comments on this forum, it would appear as if those with non-Oculus HMDs have no interest in Meta's Horizon, Metaverse, or even in acquiring a Facebook Account.

Perhaps if non-Oculus users start to voice their desire to enjoy Horizons with a non-Oculus HMD then Meta will open it up to everyone.

[DaftnDirect]

It's difficult to judge. For some, buying a non-Oculus headset was a vote against Facebook, so I wouldn't expect those people to want Horizons, even though some may by interested in it as an experience, they'll likely just be against it on principal.

Some people may have just bought a non-Oculus headset because they saw it as a headset that better suits their particular needs but aren't necessarily against the idea of trying out a Meta metaverse.

I think there may also be an aversion to admit being interested if it brings with it the implication that they have a headset that doesn't do something that they may want it to do. We all want positive affirmation when we spend our hard earned money and for some that means pushing positive affirmation that the headset they didn't buy is bad in some way, and the software for it is bad. From that stand-point some people may even be happier if Horizons isn't that good.

If it does turn out to be good and proves popular I'm sure a lot of people who aren't anti-Meta, regardless of headset they have would try it out, even if they haven't expressed an opinion. So much depends on the experience.

[Anonymous]

No desire on my end to participate in Horizon Worlds. I am strictly a gamer that loves VR for what it brings to gaming for me. Primarily flight and racing sims with some other popular VR titles mixed in here and there. That is all I will ever use my headsets for.

[DaftnDirect]

You're assuming Horizons wont ever have games that interest you.

I'm not making any decisions before the platform matures.

[Zenbane]

Well said @DaftnDirect 

Plus, it is only a matter of time before other VR providers follow Meta's lead. We've seen this trend from the beginning. Even now we see the rumors of Valve moving towards Stand-Alone thanks to the success of Quest 2 as a leading PCVR HMD. If Meta can proof out the effectiveness of the VR Metaverse with their Horizon concept (including Workplaces), then it's only a matter of time before the other large tech organizations submit their own offerings.

Heck, Microsoft and Meta are already integrating workplace VR. And this is an incremental step towards the VR Metaverse.

Horizon Worlds is targeting content creators in a way that gives them a revenue stream:

Facebook’s new $10 million fund for VR creators is hopefully just the beginning

A series of community competitions to build “the very best worlds in Horizon.” Facebook will give up to $10,000 in cash for the top three entrants in the competitions.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/7/22714876/facebook-horizon-worlds-creators-fund-social-vr-platform...

It is a grandiose effort, and perhaps the financial aspect is what currently limits Meta to keeping the software exclusive to the Oculus platform. I can see that changing over time; but it might take awhile.