Meta Store Opening: VR Demos, Smart Glasses, and Campus Fitness Journey

On May 9, 2022, Meta opened its very first retail store to the public at its Reality Labs campus in Burlingame, California (322 Airport Blvd). As an avid enthusiast and developer in AR, VR, and wearable tech, I knew I had to make the trip up to the Bay Area to experience the opening day firsthand.

The Journey and Coyote Point Fitness

The Meta campus sits directly along the San Francisco Bay waterfront, with gorgeous views overlooking the water. However, the campus did not offer EV charging for visitors. Since I drive an electric vehicle and prefer staying in EV mode, I scouted nearby charging options and parked at the Magic Mountain Playground inside Coyote Point Recreation Area, which had ChargePoint Level 2 chargers available.

While the car was charging, I stopped by the outdoor exercise machines at the Coyote Point Park Fitness Zone for a quick workout session. From there, I took the scenic walking path along Aardvark Beach and Anza Fisherman’s Park to reach the Meta campus—a brisk walk of more than a mile each way. Between the park workout, the long trek along the bay trail, and the VR demos later in the day, the trip turned into quite an active fitness adventure!

Right outside the campus buildings, I also stopped by the local bicycle shop, RIDE by BikeHub. They had free tools outside for quick repairs, and I had a great chat with the shop mechanic about custom bikes and the crazy 36-inch wheel monster bike featured on GCN.

Outside the Store and The Line

When I reached the store, a long line of tech enthusiasts and curious visitors was already stretching along the sidewalk.

While waiting in line, store staff walked down the queue signing people up for hands-on demos. Visitors could choose a ~10-minute demo slot for a specific Quest experience.

It was also a fantastic opportunity to chat with fellow developers in line. I demoed some of my mobile AR and 360° WebGL projects (including my AR Physics engine, the DevFest AR Map, and the Recycling Trash Cans site), exchanging thoughts with creators working with ARKit, Snap Spectacles, and Unity.

Demos: Fishing, Saber Slicing, and Smart Glasses

Inside, the Meta Store was designed as an interactive playground for Reality Labs hardware.

The demo stage featured a massive floor-to-ceiling curved LED wall showing spectators what the headset wearer was seeing in real time:

The variety of demos was great to watch:

• The very first participant in line was an elderly gentleman who demoed the VR Fishing Quest while seated comfortably in a chair—a wonderful demonstration of accessible, seated VR.
• Other attendees took on high-tempo games like Beat Saber and Fruit Ninja-style laser slicing quests, dodging obstacles and slicing color-coded targets with virtual sabers.
• In the hardware area, I tried out the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. They were lightweight and surprisingly comfortable, featuring built-in speakers, microphones, and dual cameras capable of capturing first-person video and audio.

Les Mills Body Combat VR Demo

When my demo turn arrived, I chose the athletic workout app Les Mills Body Combat. I immersed myself completely in the boxing and martial arts combinations—throwing jabs, hooks, uppercuts, and knee strikes to the beat.

By the end of the 10-minute round, I had worked up a serious sweat! During signup, the store staff pair your demo session with your account, and Meta generates a mixed-reality video clip captured by the studio cameras and displays in the arena.

Here is the video clip the Meta Store emailed to me after my session:

Wrapping Up

After an exciting afternoon testing hardware, discussing spatial computing with fellow developers, and watching the demos, I walked back along the bay trail to Coyote Point Park to retrieve my charged vehicle. On the drive back across the San Mateo Bridge, I made a quick recharge stop in Tracy, wrapping up an unforgettable trip.

For more 360° photos and panoramic captures from the event, check out the dedicated MetaStoreOpening 360° website.