Why is the metaverse something work investing billions of dollars in?

I just don't understand how the “metaverse” won't just be a gimmick that is never widely adopted. I do not see how it can be more attractive than just regular video chats where you see the actual person. What am I missing?

I've used VR headsets many many times and have owned one of my own…one of my biggest issues is that you get fatigued with that headset on your face pretty fast. It puts weight on your face, it makes you too warm, and my eyes get fatigued staring at that screen for an extended period of time.

Furthermore, with a video chat, you see the actual person, not just some animated cartoony looking version of them. With a video chat, you see a person's subtle facial expressions, whereas the metaverse characters only pick up body movements and I don't see how they'd ever get to the point where they can pick up on every little facial expression that an actual video can pick up.

I do think the metaverse can produce some really fun gaming opportunities, although I still feel they're a bit gimmicky. I have noticed that Mark Zuckerberg seems to focus primarily on the business application of the metaverse. I just don't understand how the metaverse can convince any significant number of businesses to buy metaverse equipment and get into the whole metaverse, when we already have video chat capabilities.

I believe Zuckerberg is a smart guy, but I don't understand how going ALL IN on the metaverse can possibly be a good idea. Obviously there are other players in the metaverse space (not just Meta/Facebook), but Meta seems to the the furthest along and they're pouring billings of dollars into this. The thing is, I think the traditional Facebook businesses are a solid investment. Their “Reels” are growing very rapidly. 50% of the time people spend on facebook is on videos…a lot of that is Reels. 20% of time on Instagram is on Reels. They're fighting back well against Tiktok. But the fact that they've changed their name to Meta and they're going all in on the Metaverse makes it impossible for me to invest.

Thoughts? Am I missing something?