Meta has announced that it will open its first hardware store at its Burlingame campus in California. The store, which will open its doors on May 9, will allow visitors to try out its Portal video calling service, with proprietary devices, and Quest virtual reality goggles.
They will also have at their disposal the Ray Ban Stories smart glasses, a device that combines the traditional design of the famous Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses with the technological possibilities of smart devices.
What will only be on demonstration mode are the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, where users will be able to try different models to know which one fits them best, although purchases will already have to be made through the web, although from the store itself they will be able to have assistance for their purchase.
The Meta store will be divided into several areas where the company’s various products can be tested. Zuckerberg’s company is focusing its development on the metaverse and virtual reality, so much so that it even changed its name a few months ago to focus on that area.
Therefore, one of the objectives of this store is to show potential customers Meta’s progress in this regard. There they will be able to play several demos with the Oculus Quest 2, the latest virtual immersion glasses released by the company.
Visitors will be able to play Beat Saber, GOLF+, Real VR Fishing, or Supernatural, and get a free 30-second video of them playing with the goggles on. The same will happen with the Ray Ban Stories glasses, which will be available in the store for customers to try out their features before buying them.
Meta will add a “Shop” tab on its website to make it easier for potential customers to purchase its products. With this move, as well as the opening of a physical store, Meta is following in the footsteps of some of its competitors such as Google, which last year opened its first store.
However, the store will not be large in principle, with an area of about 144 square meters, located near the Reality Labs headquarters of the company itself and whose inauguration will take place on May 9, with an uninterrupted schedule from Monday to Friday, from 11 am to six in the afternoon, which to tell the truth, is not a very friendly schedule with the schedules of work and study.
Martin Gilliard, head of the Meta store, notes that choosing 322 Airport Boulevard in Burlingame to locate their physical store “gives us more opportunities to experiment and keep the customer experience at the core of our development” so based on what they have learned “they will help define our future retail strategy”.
This store will make it possible to learn more from users to improve its products and to unveil the next ones the company will launch in the future, including the expected mixed reality glasses and the most advanced control systems.
Users will at least be able to walk away happy with up to 30-second clips of their Quest tests with some game titles.