If you’ve been meaning to watch The Office but never got around to it, you can now start in the metaverse as NBC’s Peacock streaming platform is now available on the Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets.
Currently, the service is available to users (opens in new tab) across the United States and certain US territories like Puerto Rico. However, don’t expect a global roll-out as Peacock is landlocked to those regions (unless you have a VPN, of course). For people living in a supported area, they have access to over 90,000 hours of virtual content from sports to TV shows like WWE wrestling. You can also adjust the in-app screen to either have a large theater-like experience or shrink it down to have it play in the background while you multitask, according to the announcement (opens in new tab).
To entice adopters, Meta is offering “three months of Peacock Premium (opens in new tab)” for free, but only if A) you’re at least 18 years old, B) you live in one of the supported regions, and C) you already have a registered Quest 2 or Quest Pro headset. The company is also providing a free, year-long offer “if you set up and register a new qualifying Meta Quest VR device now through April 11, 2024”. Instructions on how to redeem the trial offer can be found on Meta’s post.
Virtual experience
This launch is part of a three-year partnership between NBC Universal and Meta with more content arriving later down the line. In the coming months, users will soon be able to watch more sporting events from the Indianapolis 500 as well as the U.S. Open golf tournament on their Quest Pro headset. The company is also working on immersive VR experiences based on NBC properties from Universal Monsters (Dracula or The Wolfman, for instance), to The Office. So if you ever dreamed of reenacting the Diversity Day episode or Kevin spilling his famous chili in a virtual version of the Dunder Mifflin office, that could become a virtual reality later this year.
A release date for the virtual experience is unknown, but we did ask Meta for more details. This story will be updated if we hear back.
It’s good to see Meta's virtual reality platform getting a positive update after a tumultuous start this year. You may have seen reports back in March of company CEO Mark Zuckerburg shifting focus towards generative AI technology as he eases up on going all-in on the metaverse. Zuckerburg’s VR endeavors continue chugging along; just on a smaller scale. Plus, what company would spend a ton of money on projects only to kill the whole thing off in a relatively short time span (apart from Google)?
Whatever Meta is working on, it will soon face fierce competition as Apple may be ready to throw its hat into the ring. The tech giant is reportedly working on its own VR headset. Not much is officially known about Apple’s device although rumors suggest it’ll be powered by the M2 chip.
Recently, TechRadar discovered what could be the best deal on the Meta Quest 2 for the year. You can purchase the device at a reduced price plus get two free games. Be sure to check it out.
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