“We are convinced that the metaverse is the future of computing”

Graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and based in San Francisco, Anand Dass is the director of “Metaverse Content” of the Meta group (new name of Facebook). He believes more than ever in the metaverse.

Since the acquisition of Oculus VR by Facebook in March 2014, what does the ecosystem built up around your virtual reality headsets represent today?

More than 1.5 billion dollars (1.4 billion euros) have been spent on games and applications in the Meta Quest Store [la boutique de contenus et d’accessoires pour les casques Quest de réalité virtuelle]. Of these games and applications, 33 have made more than $10 million in gross receipts, and 55, more than $5 million. And of the more than 400 apps on the Quest Store, about a third generate millions of dollars in revenue. The developers are already creating amazing games. As for the App Lab, which since 2021 has allowed developers to address their community directly without going through the Quest Store, it has more than 2,000 applications.

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How are the uses of virtual reality headsets evolving?

Meta Quest 2 [modèle de casque VR disponible depuis octobre 2020] has proven that virtual reality is a fun and immersive way to play, move and be entertained. But this is only the beginning. Work is one of the areas where the metaverse will be the most transformative. People really feel present, productive and connected there, regardless of their physical presence. The Meta Quest Pro [casque de réalité mixte permettant depuis octobre 2021 de fusionner mondes réels et virtuels] has been designed for collaboration and productivity.

The Horizon Workrooms virtual workroom is a first step towards an office in the metaverse. And, thanks to the Presence platform (mixed reality, feeling of social presence …), new types of applications will be created. Companies that want to prepare for the metaverse are enthusiastic. We see very strong potential in training, hospitality, collaboration and design.

Do you have an example of a user company?

Accenture has successfully deployed 60,000 Quest 2 headsets since 2020 for internal training and welcoming new employees. In Europe, many companies are experimenting with our virtual reality equipment.

Read also: Natixis immerses itself in virtual training

What’s the next step?

This year we will launch Quest for Business, a virtual reality subscription offer for professional accounts, device and application management, premium support, etc. The partnership with Microsoft will allow you to use Office 365 in Quest and integrate Microsoft Teams with Horizon Workrooms.

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