Meta’s Quest VR Headsets Designed for Advertisements Not Great Experiences, claims Soundscape CEO Eric Alexander
In Brief
Founder and CEO of Soundscape, Eric Alexander asserts that Meta’s VR headsets only serve advertisements rather than immersive experiences.
Meta recently shared its Q4 revenue, where the company reached a notable milestone by exceeding $1 billion in revenue — largely driven by sales of its VR headsets. Meta showed a 25% year-over-year rise in revenue and a substantial 201% increase in net income for the three months.
Despite this financial success, industry leaders are raising concerns regarding the quality of its metaverse offerings.
In a conversation with Metaverse Post — Eric Alexander, Soundscape’s founder and CEO shared that Meta’s strategy has always been to sell hardware at a loss to prevent other innovators from competing.
“This quarter, we see the greatest example of that yet, with Meta spending over $5B to achieve $1B in revenue. The story of Meta is a story of continual loss since the quality of their VR offerings is so low that people will not participate unless they are essentially getting paid to do so,” Alexander said.
Soundscape is the hybrid reality musical metaverse project of Denver artist and entrepreneur Alexander.
“Soundscape doesn’t have billions of dollars to pump into its musical metaverse as Zuckerberg does, yet we created an unparalleled immersive experience,” Alexander added. “Losing 80% in 3 months’ time is a strange achievement to be celebrating.”
Soundscape’s Edge Over Meta in the Virtual World
According to Alexander, data reveals that Meta headsets have been on the shelf for many years, collecting dust shortly after purchase. If the experience were compelling, that wouldn’t be the case.
He added that Meta’s VR headset Quest is not designed to deliver immersive experiences; rather it is intended to serve advertisements, steal user data, and prevent others who can’t stomach billion-dollar losses from competing.
On the contrary, he asserts that Soundscape’s VR experiences are built for the love of music and visual arts, not just for corporate earnings. It’s a passion project designed for maximum immersion without worrying about trying to corner the market and appeasing investors.
“We believe VR and AR need to be great first before making them accessible. We need virtual experiences that are more than just a novelty. Soundscape is designed as a silver bullet to Meta, to ensure humans worldwide will always have access to pure, beautiful virtual spaces of the highest quality to connect within. We never had that choice in the social media era, but Soundscape is here to make sure we do in the metaverse,” Alexander told Metaverse Post.
The disparity in user experience between Soundscape and Meta’s metaverse is primarily attributed to technological factors.
Alexander emphasized that Soundscape utilizes the latest GPU hardware from Nvidia, providing exponentially more power than what is available in a Meta headset. This increased power allows Soundscape to create larger, more detailed worlds with compelling avatars, simulating reality rather than merely imitating it as Meta does.
Furthermore, he criticizes Meta’s use of the Unity game engine, which he deems vastly inferior to the Unreal Engine, limiting Meta’s ability to create high-quality 3D experiences. He argues that Meta’s reliance on pre-rendered CGI fails to match up to real-world experiences, ultimately damaging consumer confidence.
Alexander also shared advice for Meta – “Meta needs significant hardware and reputation improvements to address quality concerns and counteract its negative brand image, with its current losses exceeding $50 billion.”
“Meta’s existence will continue to poison the well and damage long-term VR adoption. Every day, I meet others who have sworn off the metaverse because they don’t like nor trust Zuckerberg,” he explained. “Those who have used Meta’s offerings all come to the same conclusion — they would rather connect with others in the real world than spend time using the Quest.”
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Kumar is an experienced Tech Journalist with a specialization in the dynamic intersections of AI/ML, marketing technology, and emerging fields such as crypto, blockchain, and NFTs. With over 3 years of experience in the industry, Kumar has established a proven track record in crafting compelling narratives, conducting insightful interviews, and delivering comprehensive insights. Kumar's expertise lies in producing high-impact content, including articles, reports, and research publications for prominent industry platforms. With a unique skill set that combines technical knowledge and storytelling, Kumar excels at communicating complex technological concepts to diverse audiences in a clear and engaging manner.
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Kumar is an experienced Tech Journalist with a specialization in the dynamic intersections of AI/ML, marketing technology, and emerging fields such as crypto, blockchain, and NFTs. With over 3 years of experience in the industry, Kumar has established a proven track record in crafting compelling narratives, conducting insightful interviews, and delivering comprehensive insights. Kumar's expertise lies in producing high-impact content, including articles, reports, and research publications for prominent industry platforms. With a unique skill set that combines technical knowledge and storytelling, Kumar excels at communicating complex technological concepts to diverse audiences in a clear and engaging manner.
