Inquiring minds really do wish to know why Facebook’s virtual world looks like … that … especially when there are other metaverse options out there. A Forbes contributor wondered whether Zuck even realizes these spaces look awful. A Hacker News poster asked: “Is there no art director? Why is there no lighting?”

There may actually be a good answer to these questions. Given the current state of the tech, the metaverse—or any large, online, immersive virtual world—may work better for more people if it looks worse.

At least, that’s what some have surmised. A Hacker News commenter, responding to the art director question, analyzed the processing power of Meta’s VR gear and concluded it just wasn’t strong enough for a more visually complex product. “Lighting, textures, transparency, and many of the effects that make things look good in modern games, at the resolution and framerate required for smooth VR, can’t currently be done on a $400 headset,” the user wrote. Or, as Slate’s vice president of technology Greg Lavallee put it to me: “In layman’s terms, you can’t wear a PS5 on your face.”