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While I agree that the 'metaverse' was useless crap, much and most of the Facebook money has been going more to VR hardware and infrastructure. That has been getting remarkably good, both in terms of direct stats (resolution, image quality, refresh rate, headset weight, tracking fidelity, passthrough video quality) and user experience. The StreamLink/AirLink over Wifi6 works with surprising quality, and even five years ago that was a ridiculous unbelievable pipe dream to get as even some glorified iPad Game gimmick.
It's just the business case kinda sucks.
VR can become a lot better, but it will never solve the fundamental technical hurdle that has always held it back: It's supporters bill it like it will eventually usher in Ready Player One, but without physical movement the tech just sucks. All demos have to make critical compromises with how the player or user moves around, and they usually do it by teleportation or by being on-rails since the alternative is a one-way trip to the floor as the user's cochlea decides that remaining upright is no longer an option.
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