Elain Brown Tech 06.21.2022 08:Jun AM EDT

Meta Announces the Release of Two New Apps: MINIverse and Stratoverse

Meta went to Cannes to introduce the addition of MINIverse and Stratoverse.

During the Cannes conference, Meta showed off two new applications that were made by big companies using the Horizon Worlds metaverse tools.

The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation made the Fender Stratoverse, while the MINI brand of cars from the BMW Group made the MINIVerse.

The new Horizon Worlds applications made their debut at the Cannes Lions event and are now accessible to users of the Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset in the United States and Canada. Horizon Worlds is a social virtual reality experience that allows users to create and explore together in a shared environment.

Meta's Metaverse

As reported by VentureBeat, Meta's announcements for the release of the two collaborative apps seem to be timely as they appear to strike a balance between the establishment of gathering places and the development of games.

The former is used more for social experiences within the metaverse, which is the universe of virtual worlds that are all connected to one another. Games, on the other hand, are more of a mechanism for getting players deeply involved in the gameplay.

At a press event, Meta's Nicola Mendelsohn, head of the global business group, said, "If you tried something (in the metaverse) two or three years ago, it has changed so much."

Meta's executive expressed the continuing shift in the computing platform that is experienced every 10 to 15 years. This includes the shift from desktop to mobile and the development of fully immersive experiences.

Mendelsohn added, "And the true promise of the metaverse is really some still five to 10 years off. But that doesn't mean that people aren't getting engaged and involved today. And we're really seeing brands coming together."

BMW's MINIverse

The Meta and BMW's MINIverse are virtual reality experiences aimed at creating a fun go-kart racing game that can support up to four players at once.

A course that defies the laws of gravity is available for players to navigate in a BMW MINI. The chief marketing officer for the MINI of the BMW Group, Sebastian Warfield, expressed his excitement at being the first automotive brand to move into the virtual space of Horizon.

MINIverse is developed to be a fun, exciting, and immersive game using Meta's Quest 2. The player is able to modify their virtual ride to better suit the course, and as they accumulate more victories, they will be able to unlock increasingly unique EV MINI models.

The game will also allow their players to have fun with their MINI by altering its color scheme, adding bonnet stripes, and giving it a contrasting roof. In their pursuit to reach the top of the leaderboard and compete against their friends, they have access to a variety of racing suits and can unlock additional MINI vehicles.

Fender Stratoverse

Fender, as in Fender Musical Instruments, collaborated with Meta's Horizon World with the release of their Stratoverse.

The island that makes up the Fender Stratoverse Horizon Worlds is shaped like a Stratocaster guitar and is surrounded by other islands that float in the air. Meta says that the game has a co-play audio experience where players can make their own music riffs while being surrounded by huge Fender guitar amps and planets that float high in the stratosphere.

Players begin their experience by descending onto the headstock of the Stratocaster guitar-shaped island. Once players have moved down the neck of the guitar to the Riff Maker, they can move on to the game's main attraction.

In addition, in this interactive musical experience, guests go on a hunt for chords hidden throughout the Stratoverse and put them together in new and interesting ways to compose original pieces of music.