Following its recent rebranding, Facebook transformed itself into Meta, a metaverse-focused company. Even though it has only been a few days since that development, Meta is already working to make its vision a reality. Meta recently acquired Within, the creators of the VR-based workout app Supernatural. It is an app for Oculus Quest headsets that allows users to engage in immersive VR-based exercises and routines while working out.
Within will continue to develop the popular fitness app, according to the company. It will also assist Meta’s Reality Labs in “improving future hardware to support VR fitness apps.” Facebook has spent the last few years acquiring a slew of popular virtual reality (VR) companies. Studios such as Lone Echo’s Ready at Dawn, the Beat Saber team, and others are working on projects dubbed the VR Fortnite and Roblox by some. However, Meta’s acquisition of Within isn’t entirely unexpected.
As the world’s largest social media company, the proposed name change from Facebook to Meta comes as a surprise. It is being scrutinized by legislators and regulators for its market power, algorithmic decisions, and policing of abuses on its services. At the company’s live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the new name reflected the company’s work investing in the metaverse rather than its namesake social media service, which will continue to be called Facebook.
The app’s designers were successful in developing movement-based cardio exercises. Supernatural Boxing was also recently added to the app. The app’s workouts are made up of music-mapped routines that can be done anywhere.
Meta has been very clear about its objectives since the beginning in this way. The company’s goal is to make the metaverse a reality by allowing its valuable users to view digital content and experience it by becoming a part of it through virtual reality. With the acquisition of Within, Meta will develop fitness-related VR applications and use its expertise to create an integral part of the metaverse that will allow users to take care of their fitness. Meta is also said to be working on a smartwatch with a front-facing camera and a rounded screen. Aside from that, an image of the device was discovered inside one of the tech giant’s iPhone apps. According to reports, the watch has a detachable wrist strap and a button at the top of the watch case. The large display appears to be similar to the Apple Watch.
