Meta Platforms Inc., Soon The First Physical Bookstore On Metaverse, Sells Virtual Reality Headsets

Meta Platforms Inc. intends to open a physical store in the metaverse. (photo: doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - Meta Platforms Inc plans to open its first physical store on the Metaverse, where shoppers can try and buy virtual reality headsets and other gadgets as the company plans a course to take the metaverse mainstream.

The 1,550-square-foot Meta Store on the Burlingame campus in California opened on May 9. The store will feature demos for the Quest 2 VR headset and Portal video calling device as well as Ray-Ban augmented reality (AR) glasses.

Monday, April 25 Meta said the devices, with the exception of the Ray-Ban glasses, would be available for purchase at the store. Products can also be purchased online via the new shopping tab on meta.com.

Meta invests heavily in the metaverse, the virtual space where people interact, work and play, adding new features to the hardware that serve as an access point to the virtual world.

Earlier this month, the Facebook owner said he would begin testing tools for selling digital assets and experiences on the virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds, the VR Meta platform that launched late last year.

Meta also says it will charge a 47.5% fee from experience creators and digital assets. This is a move that has drawn criticism from some app developers. Because the number of these pieces is considered too expensive. But Meta considers it appropriate because of the benefits and costs they have incurred for this investment.

Buyers are now waiting for the next version of the Quest 2 VR headset, which is likely to be released in the second quarter and is widely seen by analysts as central to the company's metaverse plans.