Meta unveils its first physical retail store near its headquarters

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his company’s first physical retail space, the Meta Store, near the company’s headquarters in Burlingame, California.

The store will open on May 9 and it will feature hands-on experience with all of the company’s hardware products, such as the Meta Quest 2, the Portal online communication devices, and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.

It will also feature a wall-size screen where other people can view what you’re seeing inside a virtual reality game or experience. The company is also adding its own online shop tab at Meta.com to make it easier to buy all of its products in one place online.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, in the Meta Store.

“The best way to understand virtual reality is to experience it. At the new Meta Store, anyone can demo popular apps on Quest 2 and project what you’re experiencing onto a big wall for your friends to see. You can also try our other products like Ray-Ban Stories and Portal, and get a sense of what’s coming as we build towards the metaverse,” said Zuckerberg, in a statement.

The company is following many other big tech companies that have opened their own physical stores with varying degrees of success, including Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and Amazon. Such moves can be annoying to other retailers carrying the hardware products but they can also be demo spaces to stir up interest in products.

In the Meta Store, you’ll be able to get hands-on experience like making video calls to retail associates with Portal, learn how Ray-Ban Stories can help you stay present with the world around you, and explore the magic of VR with a first-of-its-kind immersive Quest 2 demo, said Martin Gilliard, head of Meta Store, in a blog post.

meta store 2
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demos the Oculus Quest 2 before a demo wall that shows what he is seeing.

With the Ray-Ban Stories glasses, you can try on a range of style, color, and lens variations. Portal will be available in a special demo area where you can call a retail associate using its smart camera. And the Quest 2 demo lets others see what you are doing on a big curved wall LED screen. You can use accessories and access a wide range of content.

You’ll be able to try Beat Saber, Golf+, Real VR Fishing, or Supernatural. You’ll also get a 30-second mixed reality clip of your demo experience to share.

The store has about 1,550-square feet, a relatively small place.

Meta Store
The first Meta Store opens on May 9.

“Having the store here in Burlingame gives us more opportunity to experiment and keep the customer experience core to our development. What we learn here will help define our future retail strategy,” said Gilliard. “We’re not selling the metaverse in our store, but hopefully people will come in and walk out knowing a little bit more about how our products will help connect them to it.”

Starting May 9, the store will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. It’s located at 322 Airport Blvd in Burlingame, California. You’ll be able to purchase Quest 2, Quest 2 accessories, and Portal devices. If you’re interested in purchasing Ray-Ban Stories, a retail associate will help you order them directly from Ray-Ban.com


Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz

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