Meta Brings Horizon Worlds To Smartphones, Computers

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has recently expanded his virtual world platform, Horizon Worlds, to include smartphones, computers, and virtual reality headsets.

According to a blog post on September 15th, the 3D avatar-based social platform has begun releasing the first Meta Horizon world for early access on mobile and web.

The only experience available is Super Rumble, a fast-paced shooter game for two to six players launched in late July. Meta has announced that more experiences and worlds will be added to the platform in the upcoming months.

With the initial rollout, only a small number of people will be able to access it on the web or the Meta Quest app on Android, with an iOS rollout slated for the coming weeks.

“Early access will roll out to more people gradually as we gather feedback and evolve the experience,” Meta said.

The tech giant noted that while Quest headsets provide the most immersive way to access the metaverse, they believe it should be available to everyone from multiple entry points.

According to Meta, making Horizon Worlds available on more devices will allow more people to enjoy the experience. Although Meta has not shared any public data on its monthly active user count, a report from The Wall Street Journal in October 2022 suggested that it was less than 200,000.

Currently, Meta’s social platform is only accessible in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Interestingly, blockchain-based metaverse platforms like Decentraland and The Sandbox took a different approach. They began as PC and web-based experiences, with Decentraland launching its browser-based 3D virtual world in February 2020 and The Sandbox releasing its Alpha on PC in November 2021. However, both are yet to release an official virtual reality version.