The fate of Meta, the current leader in virtual reality (VR), is uncertain but parallels with the 1983 video game crash are becoming clearer. The question remains whether VR will resemble the Google Play Store or something else entirely.
Similarities between Meta’s handling of the Quest app store and Atari’s failures are striking. Poor market conditions and mismanagement led to the closure of most of Meta’s studios in January, leaving many wondering if the company still cares about VR gaming. However, a small group of developers has found success with games like Job Simulator and Dimensional Double Shift.
Owlchemy Labs CEO Andrew Eiche believes that the industry is heading towards “play as play,” where players can enjoy free-to-play content without pressure to win. This shift has led to the growth of communities around cooperative games, which focus on having fun rather than competition.
Meta’s current store design has been criticized for promoting shovelware and pushing away lifetime gamers in favor of free-to-play content. While the company is working to turn things around, it may be too late for some users.
The future of VR gaming looks promising with upcoming releases like Steam Frame and Project Aura. However, whether Meta can fix its store issues before the release of new hardware remains uncertain.
Source: https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/virtual-reality/whether-meta-ends-up-as-the-atari-of-vr-is-tbd-but-the-2026-parallels-to-1983-are-becoming-clearer-for-one-big-reason