Facebook parent Meta's physical store officially opens

Facebook parent Meta has officially launched their first physical store in Burlingame, California, US. Officially announced on April 25 by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his Facebook page, the Meta store has opened its door to customers starting May 9. 

Reporters who visited the Meta store claims it looks similar to an Apple store, with products arranged atop wooden shelves. The store is reportedly 1,550 sq. ft. in size.

The Meta store is currently selling three types of products: Quest virtual reality headsets, Portal Go speakers and Ray-Ban smartglasses. 

Quest 2 VR headsets are available for purchase in the new Meta store

The Quest VR headsets, renamed from Oculus Quest 2, is a series of VR headsets developed by Oculus - a VR hardware company bought by Meta in 2014 for $2 billion. 

Portal Go is a mobile communication device that looks and functions similar to a smart tablet. Meta has their own line of Portal Go products which they promote as their go-to video-calling devices.

Ray-Ban Stories smartglasses displayed in the Meta store

Ray-Ban smartglasses, also known as Ray-Ban Stories, is a joint collaboration between Meta and the American-Italian eyewear brand Ray-Ban. These smartglasses can take photos and up to 60 seconds of videos, with additional features such as calling on Facebook Messenger and listening to music. 

The Meta store also has dedicated space for trying out two of their products: the Quest 2 VR headsets and the Portal Go speakers. However, according to reports, there are currently no newly released gadgets being sold in the store.

Mark Zuckerberg trying out the projection screen that displays what is seen on Quest 2 VR headsets

Visitors to the Meta store can try out the Quest 2 VR headsets and project what they are seeing to other visitors. The projection is displayed on a curved LED screen situated inside the store.

There is also a soundproof room where visitors can try out Portal Go speakers. They can call store assosciates from a distance and see first-hand how the interactive camera of Portal Go video-calling functions.

Situated next to the headquarters of Reality Lab - the group that oversees AR, VR and Metaverse-related projects - the new Meta store is focusing on creating a new environment for their unique assortment of hardware technology. 

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Facebook parent Meta opening first physical store

Earlier reports state that Meta's Reality Labs lost about $10 billion in 2021, with Zuckerberg claiming that it will take several years for the investment into the Metaverse to turn up a profitable revenue. 

However, with new projects in the horizon and the launch of its first physical store, Meta claims it is on its way to build an inclusive and exciting digital universe for everyone.