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Since changing its name to Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook has opened up its first project to all adults over the age of 18 in the U.S. and Canada. In an announcement made on its website, Meta said that the virtual reality (VR) platform released as an invite-only beta last year was now freely accessible to all.
Earlier in October, the Massachusetts-based company announced its rebranding with an intent to build the metaverse, a virtual world where users could interact with each other and even play games. Meta is hiring 10,000 engineers to build the tools of the Metaverse, where users can turn creators and even build their own games using templates and scripts provided by Meta.
In a bid to encourage creators on the new platform, Meta announced a $10 million Creator Fund in October, the website claims that the company will announce the winners of its first-ever Creator Competition later this month.
Just to be clear, Horizon Worlds is accessible only through the Quest VR headsets that the company makes. Once downloaded, users can enter the meta world where all avatars float around freely without legs.
As part of its open launch, Meta is rolling out Arena Clash, a 3v3 laser tag game that users can play. For those interested in an arcade-style multiplayer battle, there is Pixel Plummet. If shooting people mindlessly is not something you are interested in, there is also the option to sit on your broom and fly over Townscity while waving your wand or simply relax on a boat ride in a triple-decker boat.
Interestingly, Meta has also put in a Code of Conduct for its VR Space that it encourages users to read and follow and if you are a little overwhelmed by the floating avatars, you can jump into your Safe Zone and block, mute, or report people, the announcement said.
For those using Quest 1 headsets, there is some bad news though. Horizon Worlds will only be available on these headsets for a little over a month, the company said in its post.
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