THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE METAVERSE.

The article examines the failure of Meta’s Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality (VR) metaverse project heavily funded by Mark Zuckerberg’s company, Meta, which invested over $80 billion before scaling back its VR ambitions in 2026. Despite promises of a persistent, interconnected digital world with use...

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Publicado en:Prospect no. 350; pp. 34 - 37
Autor principal: BALL, JAMES
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Prospect Publishing Limited Aug/Sep2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        Virtual reality
        Meta Platforms Inc.
        Facebook (Web resource)
        Shared virtual environments
        Virtual reality software
        Zuckerberg, Mark, 1984-
        Information technology industry
        Social interaction
        Innovation adoption
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          Virtual reality
          Meta Platforms Inc.
          Facebook (Web resource)
          Shared virtual environments
          Virtual reality software
          Zuckerberg, Mark, 1984-
          Information technology industry
          Social interaction
          Innovation adoption
      ab: The article examines the failure of Meta’s Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality (VR) metaverse project heavily funded by Mark Zuckerberg’s company, Meta, which invested over $80 billion before scaling back its VR ambitions in 2026. Despite promises of a persistent, interconnected digital world with user-generated content and commercial opportunities, Horizon Worlds struggled with low user engagement and technical limitations, reflecting broader historical challenges in VR adoption. The piece situates this failure within the long-standing vision of the metaverse and VR, noting that major tech companies are now shifting focus toward artificial intelligence instead. It highlights the disconnect between tech industry ambitions and public interest, emphasizing that consumers have ultimately rejected this vision of the future.
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    language: English
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