Facebook’s rebranding as Meta has been followed up with the acquisition of Within, the company behind VR workout service Supernatural.
As per The Verge, Meta recently revealed that the studio behind Supernatural will be joining the company, adding to the roster of studios owned by what used to be known as Facebook’s Oculus division.
The company said that Within will continue to work on the popular fitness app and will also help Meta’s Reality Labs “enhance future hardware to support VR fitness apps”.
Meta scooping up Within isn’t necessarily a surprise move. Facebook has spent the last few years acquiring tons of popular VR studios, like Lone Echo devs Ready at Dawn, the team behind Beat Saber, and others working on projects that some have called the VR versions of Fortnite and Roblox.
Supernatural has been one of the real success stories in virtual reality fitness, with movement-based, high-impact cardio exercises.
The name change from Facebook to Meta comes as the world’s largest social media company battles criticisms from lawmakers and regulators over its market power, algorithmic decisions and the policing of abuses on its services. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking at the company’s live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference, said the new name reflected its work investing in the metaverse, rather than its namesake social media service, which will continue to be called Facebook.
Meta is also reportedly developing a smartwatch with a front-facing camera and rounded screen, according to an image of the device found inside one of the tech giant’s iPhone apps. The watch is said to have a detachable wrist strap and a button at the top of the watch case. The large display looks similar to that of the Apple Watch.