Meta announced that Supernatural, the VR workout app for VR, will join the company. This adds to the number of studios currently owned by the former Facebook Oculus division. According to the company, Within, the company behind Supernatural will continue to work on its popular fitness app. Metas Reality Labs will also be enhancing future hardware to support VR apps.
Meta's acquisition of Within is not a surprising move. It has spent years buying tons of VR studios like Lone Echo Ready at Dawn and Beat Saber.
What is the metaverse? It all depends on who you ask. However, it refers to a variety of interconnected digital spaces that can be experienced in VR or through social networks, with real-time references to the physical world. It is possible to read more about it.
It is possible that Zuckerberg's company might want to add a popular VR workout game to its portfolio, given Metas emphasis on its headsets being used as workout tools (Supernatural got a mention in Thursday's Connect keynote). However, the move doesn't alleviate concerns that Meta will end up controlling all aspects of virtual reality.
Although Supernatural is Within's flagship app, the company's website states that it has also hosted VR experiences in 2016. The Mr. The Robot VR episode (executive created by Within founder Chris Milk), was shown on the app. There are many documentaries, music videos, and other content on the company's website. A company looking to create a metaverse in which people can watch and interact with content, will not be disappointed by the streaming tech and content library.
