Meta: Facebook owner launches virtual reality subscription service

Facebook proprietor Meta has launched a virtual world (VR) subscription work arsenic it tries to marque that portion of its concern profitable.

Meta says paying users volition get entree to 2 caller games a month.

For the archetypal 3 months of the year, the genitor institution of Instagram saw a $4bn (£3.1bn) nonaccomplishment astatine its VR unit.

Meta faces contention from firms including exertion elephantine Apple, which unveiled its highly anticipated mixed-reality headset this month.

On Monday, the institution said the Meta Quest+ service, which costs $7.99 a period oregon $59.99 for an yearly subscription, was compatible with its Quest 2, Quest Pro and upcoming Quest 3 headsets.

In 2021, Meta main enforcement Mark Zuckerberg unveiled plans to physique a "metaverse" - an online satellite wherever radical tin play games, enactment and pass successful a virtual environment, often utilizing VR headsets.

"Over time, I anticipation that we are seen arsenic a metaverse institution and I privation to anchor our enactment and our individuality connected what we're gathering towards," Mr Zuckerberg said.

In February past year, Meta unveiled respective ambitious artificial quality projects, and Mr Zuckerberg described AI arsenic "the cardinal to unlocking the metaverse".

However, its Reality Labs division, which produces VR headsets and different products, reported a nett nonaccomplishment of $4bn for the period.

Earlier this month, Apple unveiled its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, successful its archetypal large hardware motorboat successful astir a decade.

Apple's headset, which volition beryllium released aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth successful the US, volition beryllium priced astatine $3,499.

That is considerably much than different headsets presently disposable successful the market. Meta's VR headsets are priced betwixt $299.99 and $999.99.