Gaming company Roblox is set to launch its immersive digital worlds platform on Sony’s PlayStation devices in October. This move will provide access to the millions of people who use PlayStation, the world’s most popular gaming console. Additionally, Roblox plans to make its app fully available on Meta’s Quest mixed reality devices this month, following a successful test version that was downloaded over a million times within five days.
In an interview with Reuters, Roblox Chief Product Officer Manuel Bronstein explained that this expansion is part of their strategy to make Roblox available “anywhere users are trying to use it,” including mobile, desktop, and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices. Bronstein even expressed the idea of being on every TV.
Roblox, which boasts 66 million daily users, predominantly teenagers, is a popular gaming service for children and has caught the attention of major tech companies like Meta who are seeking to engage the next generation of users. Meta’s similar “metaverse” service Horizon, where users can gather in virtual spaces as avatars, has struggled to gain the same level of momentum. As of last year, Horizon had fewer than 200,000 monthly users, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Currently, Horizon is only available in virtual reality (VR), but Meta announced plans in February to release web and mobile versions in the near future, without specifying a date.
During Roblox’s annual developer conference, the company revealed its intention to introduce an AI-powered world-building chatbot by the end of the year. This chatbot, closely resembling a tool previously previewed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, will allow developers to generate virtual objects and scenes on command, without the need for coding. A demo shown to Reuters showcased Meta’s technology, which uses voice commands instead of written chats.
Another exciting tool in the works at Roblox is Connect, which will enable mobile and desktop users to engage in voice calls with their Roblox friends while represented by avatars. Connect utilizes the device’s camera to capture participants’ facial expressions and body movements, then mirrors them through their avatars.
By Katie Paul. Edited by David Gaffen and Josie Kao
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
