24 Hours in the Metaverse Version of Facebook Was Surprisingly Fun

Mr. Ball talked about the technological constraints in keeping the Quest 2 small and relatively comfortable. A less cartoony metaverse is possible, he said, but, as it stands, will require wearing an Xbox-size device on our heads, or one that is much more expensive. He said a high-powered V.R. headset called the Varjo Aero had more impressive graphics, and the Apple headset that Bloomberg has reported to be in the works most likely will, too. But the Varjo Aero costs $1,990.

Early adoption of technology is often determined by who can afford it. In my many hours in the metaverse, I met people of different ages and professions, and from all over the world. It’s impossible to know if an avatar reflects a person’s real-verse appearance, but Horizon, on its surface, appears to be a racially diverse virtual world. Regardless of whether or not entering the metaverse is a wise way to spend one’s time, Meta’s headset is relatively affordable, available to anyone with $400 for a vacation from reality.

Meta-trepeneurs

One Thursday night, I fell asleep putting my kids to bed and woke up past midnight full of energy. I decided to hop into the metaverse, but I hadn’t charged the headset, which meant I had to break my self-imposed rule. Yes, I plugged and played.

My internet connection was slow, so I moved to my husband’s office, closer to the Wi-Fi router. He had a couple of weights strewn about for workout breaks. The only accessible outlet was on the floor. Also, the room was very cold. So, I huddled under a blanket, on the floor, with a computer on my head, tethered to a wall, hoping not to bang my hand on a dumbbell.

It was a low point in the real world, but, in the metaverse, I was Iron Man, zooming around a popular world called the Superhero Sandbox, where users don the costumes of Marvel superheroes and assume their powers. As I flew to the top of the “Avengers” tower, I wondered how it was that Disney had not yet blasted this world out of existence with a copyright-infringement cannon. Then, as I threw Captain America’s shield, I whacked my hand so hard against a coffee table that I cried out in pain.