The Meta Quest 3 Has Incredible Potential, But Meta Keeps Holding It Back
I’ve been in the Meta Quest ecosystem for years, starting with the Quest 2 that I bought in the U.S. for about $250 on Black Friday. Later, I upgraded to the Meta Quest 3 here in Europe. I purchased the 512GB model at full retail price from Coolblue, which was close to €700 with no discounts. Because of that investment, I expected a polished, next-generation VR experience. Instead, the device feels restricted in ways that make no sense for its price or its potential. To bring friends into VR with me, I gave my Quest 2 to a friend so we could play together. He didn’t enjoy it and passed it to his brother, and now I’m the one trying to convince his brother to use it. I then bought the same friend a Meta Quest 3S, hoping a newer model would change his mind, but he lost interest after a few months and gave it back to me. That says a lot about how empty the ecosystem feels. If Horizon Worlds had more depth, better tools, stronger communities, and easier ways for creators to flourish, people wouldn’t walk away so fast. The biggest problem with the Quest 3 is how creator-unfriendly it is. Streaming to YouTube requires workarounds, third-party apps, and unnecessary steps. Streaming to Facebook is the only direct option, yet very few people use Facebook for live content anymore. The strangest part is that Meta owns Instagram, yet there is still no way to stream directly to Instagram from inside the headset. There’s also no simple option for TikTok, even though VR content performs extremely well on TikTok. If Meta wants VR to grow, they need to empower creators, not limit them. Right now, creators have to fight the system just to show people what VR can do. Inside Horizon Worlds, the gaps become even clearer. VRChat already allows avatar streaming, virtual selfie cameras, expressive tools, and full creative freedom. Horizon Worlds should be leading the industry, not lagging behind it. Instead, it often feels limited, closed off, and inconsistent. Many sessions are filled with trolls, children, and chaotic interactions that make the platform frustrating for adults who bought the device to relax, socialize, or create. Meta needs stronger moderation tools, age controls, and better systems to keep Horizon enjoyable for adults. Productivity is another area that needs improvement. I work remotely, so I wanted to use the Quest for work tasks, but Meta Workrooms and Meta Remote Desktop feel restricted. I had to buy Virtual Desktop just to get the proper functionality. A third-party app should not outperform Meta’s official version on Meta’s own hardware. This shows how much the ecosystem is still unfinished. Even accessories fall short. I bought the Meta Pen (the Logitech stylus collaboration) expecting a deeper creative experience, but many apps don’t correctly display the pen and instead show the standard controller. This breaks immersion and makes it feel like the pen was added to the lineup without developers being prepared to support it. The overall user experience feels inconsistent. Avatar consistency is another issue. Some apps show the updated avatars while others use older versions. This breaks the feeling of a connected metaverse. If Meta wants a unified VR identity system, avatars need to be consistent across all apps, not left to chance. One of the biggest concerns I want to warn buyers about is the replacement process. My original Meta Quest 3 had a strap loop break, so I sent it in expecting a repair. Instead, Meta replaced the device. Normally that would sound positive, but the replacement was not equal in quality. My original Quest 3 had a very clear and sharp screen. Every replacement I received was noticeably blurrier, almost like a downgrade. It felt like Meta was sending refurbished units of lower value instead of matching the premium device I originally purchased. This should not happen to customers who pay full price for a flagship headset. Meta keeps focusing on building the “next headset,” but they are ignoring the problems with the one they already sold to millions of people. The Quest 3 has incredible hardware and could be the strongest VR device on the market, but Meta needs to unlock its potential. They need to improve streaming, open up creator tools, unify avatars, fix Horizon Worlds moderation, push out affordable Quest 2 inventory to grow the user base, improve Workrooms, make the Meta Pen properly supported, and ensure replacement devices match the original quality. I’ve invested time, money, and belief into this platform. I’ve bought multiple headsets for myself, friends, and their family members, and even then, the ecosystem is not strong enough to hold their interest. That’s not a hardware problem. It’s an ecosystem problem. Meta can fix this if they prioritize the users who already believe in their vision. The Quest 3 could be incredible, but Meta needs to stop limiting it and start listening.
Meta, Please Fix Meta Store
Do you know what this super long image is? This is the list when I sort by "Newest" in "Brawse All Games" on Meta Horizon App. This is sooooooooooooooooooooooo bad it brings tears to my eyes. I have to scroll and load over 20 times to reach the actual newest game (red circle one)!!! 🤪 This isn't because there are a ton of crappy gorilla games, but because it shows even unreleased games. Meta devs, ARE YOU SERIOUS??? Have you never considered usability? Someone might say, why not just look at "New Releases" section? Unfortunately, there are many new games that aren't displayed in "New Releases" section. Not only crappy gorilla games. Even properly made games don't show up!!! 👿 What a terrible store. Meta, display new games in New Release section!!! Even if game devs put in a lot of effort to create their game, if it's not listed in New Release section, it's less likely to be seen by people who don't know about the game. This means lower sales. If there is no profit, developers will leave. And lower sales means lower revenues for Meta. Who exactly is this store made for? Coming soon & Pre-order games have their own section. "Newest" in "Brawse All Games" should only show games that have been released. If there are far more games being released than there are now, are you going to make us scroll 100 times to check new games? 🤨 And when Meta fix broken search function? The store's bad usability and glitches have been pointed out countless times since old days. What on earth are Meta devs doing? It seems like they're reducing game sales and Meta's profits by broken store. Before selling hardware at a huge loss, why not try building a great store?
Create Horizon Worlds For Steam
Hi, I just think it would be awesome if Horizon worlds could be a platform for all VR headsets - So if you have a Pico or a Index, you could still be social with the quest users. Its really that simple - A dedicated app for standalone competitors could be a good look from Meta and they could possition them selves as inclusive and grow their meta world, to beceome the dominant go to for all VR. Best Regards Jeppe JB
Worlds horizon is « unavailable » but I live in France ! Heeeelp
I bought my brand new meta quest 3 and I suddenly don’t find worlds available for the download. I used my meta profil in another meta quest 3 headset a couple of weeks ago but I wasn’t the owner of that headset, but worlds worked just fine. I haven’t been banned or anything. I just can’t download it on my meta quest as if it wasn’t supported but I live in France and it’s on the supported counties list ! What can I do ??Ongoing App Discoverability Issues Post-Recent Meta Horizon Store (Merging of App Lab & Main Store)
Hello fellow developers, I wanted to bring attention to an important issue that I’ve encountered since the merging of the stores, which I believe might be affecting more than just my app. After releasing an update to my app with the new metadata, I noticed a sharp decline in searchability—users can now only find my app by searching the exact name, whereas previously relevant keywords worked well in the search. I've been in communication with Meta's Developer Support team, who have acknowledged the issue and are working on it internally. However, I felt it was important to raise this in the community because this may be affecting other developers, particularly those who rely on searchability for discoverability and revenue. Here’s the situation: Only exact-name searches return my app in search results, despite all keywords being properly entered and compliant with guidelines. This issue arose immediately following the 5th August launch of the Meta Horizon Store. Meta is aware of the problem but has not provided a concrete timeline for resolution or clear interim solutions. If any of you are experiencing similar challenges, I think it’s crucial that we start a discussion. Discoverability is vital for every developer on the platform, and if this is a broader issue, we may need a more transparent approach from Meta, such as flagging it as a known issue. In the meantime, if you’ve encountered this issue and found any effective workarounds (such as changes to app metadata, or modifications to Early Access settings), I’d be grateful to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
