Meta To Open Its First ‘Meta Store’ This May In California

Meta, the Facebook company that is all about VR experiences and totally not collecting and selling the data of its users, is going to be opening a physical location in Burlingame, California. The ‘Meta Store’ will be doing business with the public on May 9th. This initial location is just south of San Francisco.
Now, what could you possibly buy at a store like this? Ars Technica is reporting that visitors will be able to pick up and/or test out the Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus) and the system’s various accessories. Or you could go to your local Target or Best Buy.
Those looking to overpay for RayBans can try on the new Meta-powered sunglasses. However, if you decide to purchase the Ray-Ban Stories shades, you’ll have to do so on Ray-Ban.com. The sunglasses with the built-in camera and speakers run about $329 each.
Pictures from inside the retail space are what you’d expect. It’s minimalist, like an Apple Store, but with fewer portentous faux socialists and $1k monitor stands.

The 1,500-square-foot space will most likely be sparse mainly because there are not many Meta devices on the market. Aside from the Quest 2 and a handful of accessories, the brand carries nothing else. Currently, the Quest’s only other function is to act as a VR headset for your PC. This may change if Meta partners with Microsoft to take on Sony’s upcoming Playstation VR successor.
Don’t expect a lot of third-party Quest 2 parts, either. Judging by the images Meta released, everything on the shelves bears the official branding. So, get ready to pay $50-$80 for that USB-C cable. Ugh.
I would not mind visiting the location if only to test out some of the VR games that I don’t have room to play inside my studio. However, once the novelty wears off, which will be quick, how long will Meta maintain the space before handing sales duties back over to other brick and mortar stores?
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
[Source: Ars Technica]