The Metaverse platform's trajectory looks increasingly uncertain. With no pipeline for cost-effective VR hardware devices on the horizon, the ecosystem faces a structural problem—the user base keeps shrinking rather than expanding. Without affordable entry points for mainstream adoption, the network effects that should drive growth are working in reverse. It's a classic catch-22: fewer devices mean fewer users, and fewer users mean less incentive for hardware manufacturers to invest. The platform's future hinges on solving this hardware affordability gap, but so far, the moves suggest that's not happening anytime soon.