meta – Tech News

Meta’s metaverse layoffs apparently include some of its VR studios

Meta is laying off about 10 percent of its Reality Labs metaverse division, and the cuts include closing down some of its VR gaming studios. In a statement about the broader Reality Labs layoffs, Clayton said that “We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/861420/meta-reality-labs-layoffs-vr-studios-twisted-pixel-sanzaru-armature

Threads is developing in-message games

Threads is exploring games in chats, beginning with a basketball game. Launching in-message games would give Threads an edge over competitors like X and Bluesky, which don’t offer built-in games. It’s also worth noting this isn’t the first time Meta has explored in-message gaming, as Instagram launched a hidden emoji game in DMs last year.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/06/threads-is-developing-in-message-games/

Meta eyes big cuts to its metaverse budget in the AI era

According to Bloomberg News, Meta is considering slashing its metaverse spending by as much as 30% in 2026 — although no plans are final yet — after meetings at Zuckerberg’s Hawaii compound laid out a slimmer future for its namesake ambitions. For three years, the company tried to brute-force another new reality into existence: new name, new stock ticker, new keynote vocabulary about “presence” and “embodied internet.”
https://qz.com/meta-metaverse-cuts-mark-zuckerberg-reality-labs

Meta’s Hyperscape is ready to turn your real living room into a VR hangout

Meta’s impressive, photorealistic digital replicas of real places built using its “Hyperscape” capture tech, which uses the cameras on a Quest 3 or Quest 3S VR headset to scan a room, have so far been solitary spaces. But beginning this week, Meta is rolling out the ability to share links that will let other people visit Hyperscape rooms with you in a Quest 3 or 3S VR headset or via the Meta Horizon mobile app.
https://www.theverge.com/news/825705/meta-hyperscape-social-links-capture-scan-metaverse

Meta releases a new tool to protect reels creators from having their work stolen

Facebook creators are getting a new tool to help them protect their work from being ripped off by others. On Monday, Meta introduced Facebook content protection, a mobile tool designed to detect when a creator’s original reels posted to Facebook are being used without their permission. If the creator is alerted that someone else is using their reels, they’ll also have the ability to block the reel’s visibility across both Facebook and Instagram or track the reel’s performance and optionally add attribution links to their work.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/17/meta-releases-a-new-tool-to-protect-reels-creators-from-having-their-work-stolen/

Meta unveils new smart glasses with a display and wristband controller

Meta on Wednesday unveiled a new pair of Ray-Ban branded smart glasses with a built-in display for apps, alerts, and directions on the right lens. The smart glasses are controlled by a wristband that picks up on subtle hand gestures, called Meta Neural Band, the same one it unveiled at last year’s Connect as part of its Orion demo.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/17/meta-unveils-new-smart-glasses-with-a-display-and-wristband-controller/

Meta’s Smart Glasses With Built-In Display May Launch Next Month

Meta's display-equipped smart glasses may launch next month and cost less than previous estimates, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The wearable, codenamed Hypernova, has been rumored for some time. It is expected to be a high-end version of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, with a small display at the bottom of the right lens. The display will only be visible to the wearer, and it can be controlled using a wrist accessory called Ceres—something Meta first teased in 2022.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/metas-smart-glasses-with-built-in-display-may-launch-next-month