Immerse wants to teach you languages in social VR
Immerse wants to teach you foreign languages in virtual reality. What does the language app for the Meta Quest 2 offer?
A US start-up is bringing a VR app to the Meta Quest 2 to help with foreign language learning. Immerse brings students and teachers together in a social VR experience and sends you into virtual everyday scenarios in the hands-on section. The comprehensive voice app comes at a price, however.
Voice VR app aims to compete with Rec Room and VRChat
Immerse was founded in 2017 in the US state of California. In the five years since its founding, the startup has secured investment funds totaling $11.4 million in three financing rounds.
Originally, the VR app of the same name was designed to learn English as a foreign language in an immersive environment. However, when it was released for Meta Quest 2 on June 23, 2022, Immerse has increasingly become a social VR platform.
If the developers have their way, Immerse will develop a VR community that will one day rival Rec Room, Roblox, and VRChat.
Immersive language classes in a subscription model
To achieve these ambitious goals, the language app offers encounters with real teachers and other language enthusiasts in virtual reality. Similar to the VR fitness apps Supernatural and FitXR, the developers of Immerse rely on a subscription model.
This currently includes twelve live lessons per month led by an experienced "language guide." Students receive personalized feedback and can also participate in weekly events in virtual everyday situations. There is also a social lounge where subscribers can meet at any time and use their learned language skills in conversations.
VR language app Immerse: A hefty price for the monthly subscription
However, VR language classes don't come cheap. Immerse currently charges $45 per month. It offers language courses for English and Spanish. French and Japanese are to be added in 2023. With the additional offering, the price will rise to $60 per month.
Criticized by a customer in the Oculus Store for its price, the startup justifies itself with its uniqueness. Compared to competing voice apps, Immerse supposedly offers more content. Twelve traditional lessons would cost well over $200 on other platforms.
To experience the language in real life, "hefty international travel fees" would be added. "Our goal is to increase people’s access to that kind of immersive language learning experience, but for a fraction of the cost." You can find out if the VR experience is worth the price by trying it for free for seven days.
Mondly: cheaper alternative for language learning in VR
If you can do without Immerse's social VR components and just want to brush up on your language skills, Mondly for Meta Quest 2 is a cheaper alternative. Here you meet a voice AI that speaks to you in up to 29 different languages in everyday scenes. The voice app is available for a one-time price of about $10 on various VR platforms.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
