I don't really like the Verge. I used to, but they just became so nakedly partisan and ideological that I just kind of gave up on them. So I came into this review with low expectations, because I wouldn't put it past them to try and sink this just due to anti-FB ideological bias.

But with that being said, I thought there were definitely some salient points in this review. I did enjoy the review.

One important thing they touched on was the high weight of the headset. I have to ask, perhaps there are some Metamates out there on HN - what was the rationale for making this a standalone headset? They're including so much new tech in here, but the hardware form factor just isn't there yet... why try and force it into this bulky box that sits on your head? It makes sense for lower power headsets like the Quest 2, but for an elite headset like this, I'd much rather have a sleek and light headset tethered to a PC / base station, or even wear some kind of power pack on my back, or ANYTHING other than have all this weight on my head.

The killer quote seems to hit the nail on the head:

"Meta is promoting it for uses that its hardware still can’t make enjoyable, offering technically innovative features without doing a good job of showcasing them."

As much as I look forward to the foveated rendering, face tracking, AR/VR future, I don't think Meta's going to be the one to trailblaze it. No, we'll have to wait for Apple to jump into the mix before these technologies become widely used, just like smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and many others.