Facebook unveils Meta Store, its first retail store to showcase VR headsets for its metaverse

About two weeks, Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms announced a key part of its plan for its highly ambitious metaverse effort. The company said it has begun to test tools for selling digital assets and experiences within its virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds.

The tools were initially available to a handpicked set of users who are creating virtual classes, games, and fashion accessories within the company’s immersive platform, which is accessible via VR headsets, Meta said in a statement. Now, the company is making its VR headsets available to everyone.

Today, Meta unveiled Meta Store, its first physical retail location in an effort to sell people its Oculus virtual reality headsets as its attempt to open up its metaverse to billions of its users. In a statement on its website, Meta said the new physical retail space will be opened on May 9 on its campus in Burlingame, California.

Source: Meta

In the Meta Store, users will be able to get hands-on experience with all our hardware products. Unlike Apple and other tech companies that have stores in heavy foot-traffic areas like shopping malls, the Meta Store will have demo areas where people can try, among other products, its Oculus virtual reality headsets and the apps and games that run on them.

“Once people experience the technology, they can gain a better appreciation for it. If we did our job right, people should leave and tell their friends, ‘You’ve got to go check out the Meta Store.’” – Martin Gilliard, Head of Meta Store

As we reported last year, Meta has pledged to spend $10 billion over the next year to build the metaverse, a virtual world that CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes will become the standard for working, socializing, and gaming. The company is still years away from achieving that goal.

Through interactive demos, customers will be able to purchase the Quest 2 headset, accessories, and Portal video chat devices at the store and make video calls to retail associates with Portal. They can also learn how Ray-Ban Stories can help them stay present with the world around them, and explore the magic of VR with a first-of-its-kind immersive Quest 2 demo.

Meta also added that it’s making it easier to shop Portal, Ray-Ban Stories, and Quest all in one place online. Meta said it’s also rolling out a “shop” tab on its website. Starting May 9, the store will be open Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM PT. It’s located at 322 Airport Blvd in Burlingame, California.