After preventing to accumulate Supernatural, Meta has positioned the VR health app in upkeep mode, prompting questions on what comes subsequent for virtual-reality exercises
Meta-owned Supernatural introduced that it’s going to not launch new content material or function updates, citing “organizational adjustments” inside its studio.
The VR health platform will stay energetic with its present library, and its official Fb group group will keep open, the corporate stated.
Supernatural’s determination to halt new content material arrives as Meta trims its Actuality Labs division, a transfer that’s anticipated to end in layoffs affecting about 10% of the unit’s workforce because the tech big shifts its focus in the direction of its AI initiatives.
“Attributable to latest organizational adjustments to our Studio, Supernatural will not obtain new content material or function updates beginning in the present day,” the corporate confirmed in a submit to its group group on Fb. “Supernatural will stay energetic so you may proceed your health journey with all at present out there content material.”
A Onerous-Fought Acquisition
Meta’s determination lands practically three years after it battled the Federal Trade Commission to complete its acquisition of Within, the VR studio behind Supernatural, a preferred VR health app that provides immersive, game-based exercises.
In 2021, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contrast VR health subscriptions to Peloton, describing immersive exercises as a main alternative. However throughout court docket testimony in late 2022, he struck a special tone, minimizing the significance of health and elevating social apps as the next precedence.
These remarks unsettled Supernatural’s loyal group, which had shaped connections with its coaches and programming. Many feared Meta would deprioritize the platform, considerations that have now come to fruition.
For a lot of customers, Tuesday’s affirmation felt like a intestine punch.
“This app has been life-changing,” one poster shared on Reddit’s OculusQuest group. “Meta even fought the federal government to purchase this app. Now they destroyed it. Unhappy.”
Is There a Future for VR Health?
Whereas Meta steps again, firms like Virtuix are nonetheless pushing ahead.
The VR {hardware} startup presents an Omni One system, a full-body 360-degree treadmill platform, as a brand new option to mix gaming and health. The system tracks steps, energy and distance traveled, letting customers run, bounce and crouch inside digital worlds.
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