Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, weighed in on a lively online meme debate after a new version of a metaverse avatar surfaced and drew ridicule for its graphics quality. The incident followed a businessman’s release of an updated avatar, with critics quickly pointing to the previous iteration as a poor example of the platform’s visual ambitions.
In mid-August, Zuckerberg shared a post featuring a digital replica of himself in front of the Eiffel Tower. The image sparked a wave of comments from users who criticized the graphics fidelity and used humor to question the progress of Horizon Worlds and the broader metaverse initiative.
In a subsequent post, Zuckerberg acknowledged the sarcasm and explained the context. “The earlier image is intentionally basic,” he wrote. “We are moving fast to meet the planned launch timelines for Horizon Worlds in France and Spain, and that urgency affected the graphical polish.”
He noted that Meta’s development teams are preparing substantial graphics enhancements for Horizon Worlds, including improvements to user avatars, environments, and overall rendering. The updates are expected to elevate visual fidelity and user immersion as the platform scales across new regions.
During a talk delivered to Meta employees, Zuckerberg described Apple as a primary competitor in the race to define the metaverse experience. He emphasized that the ultimate outcome will depend on the Internet’s trajectory and how developers, users, and platforms converge to shape social interaction, commerce, and creativity in shared digital spaces.