Zuckerberg reveals updated metaverse graphics amid mass ridicule

Meta was roasted en masse for sharing a very graphically downgraded image of its Horizon Worlds metaverse. Now Mark Zuckerberg shows everyone how Horizon will really look.

New upgrades (left) vs original image (right)

A few days ago, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared an image of what its new metaverse would look like. The graphics were decidedly unimpressive, especially for a company that has spent $18 billion on its VR and metaverse plans since 2020. The image was memed mercilessly and the fledgling metaverse platform was turned into a laughing stock.

In a bid to get ahead of the negative PR (or at least as much as possible), Zuckerberg shared a new upgraded image of what Horizon Worlds will actually look like and assured consumers (and watching investors) that Horizon was rapidly iterating and accelerating. The differences between the images remind us of the leap from DS to the Nintendo Switch--there's a stark night-and-day contrast.

"Major updates to Horizon and avatar graphics coming soon. I'll share more at Connect. Also, I know the photo I posted earlier this week was pretty basic -- it was taken very quickly to celebrate a launch. The graphics in Horizon are capable of much more -- even on headsets -- and Horizon is improving very quickly," Zuckerberg said on Instagram.

Meta will show off more Horizon Worlds capabilities at this year's Oculus Connect in September.

In other Meta news, there's also this: