At a Glance
- Meta will shut down Horizon Workrooms on February 16 after three years
- The company is cutting 1,500 Reality Labs jobs and closing VR game studios
- Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses now carry the productivity push
- Why it matters: Your next office meeting may move from headsets to smart glasses
Meta is finally admitting what headset-wearers already knew: VR meetings are dead. The company will shut down Horizon Workrooms next month and pivot to augmented-reality glasses for work, according to News Of Fort Worth‘s investigation.
The End of Virtual Office Space
Horizon Workrooms launched in 2021 as Meta’s flagship VR office app. Users sat blocky avatars around virtual tables while wearing Quest headsets. The platform let teams share desktops and keyboards without removing hardware.
That vision ends February 16. Meta quietly updated its help page to say Workrooms “has since developed into a social platform that supports a wide range of productivity apps and tools.” Users must switch to Remote Desktop, Microsoft Teams Immersive, or Zoom Workspace.
Why Workrooms Failed
Comfort killed the concept. Headsets become painful after a few hours and cause eye strain. A 30-minute meeting drains the novelty of seeing avatars instead of Zoom windows.
The hardware limits made multitasking impossible. With only 104 degrees of horizontal vision, checking a phone meant removing the headset or mirroring screens. Power users tolerated it; bosses forcing headsets on staff created “excruciating” experiences, Natalie A. Brooks reported.
Massive Reality Labs Cuts
The shutdown follows deep cuts to Meta’s VR division. The company:
- Eliminated 1,500 Reality Labs positions
- Closed multiple VR game studios
- Axed Camoflaj, developer of Batman: Arkham Shadow, a Quest 3S launch title
These moves signal Meta’s retreat from VR gaming and workplace applications.
The AR Glasses Pivot
Meta now bets on smart glasses instead of headsets. The Meta Ray-Ban Display offers POV video calls and limited apps. Future versions could combine Vision Pro-style personas with livestreaming for meetings.
The company wants screens floating in front of users’ eyes rather than enclosing them in headsets. This shift keeps the promise of perpetual meetings alive while avoiding headset discomfort.
Key Takeaways
- Meta admits VR meetings failed after three years of promotion
- 1,500 job cuts show the company abandoning VR gaming too
- Workers may soon wear AR glasses instead of VR headsets
- The goal remains the same: keep employees tethered to digital meetings
