Facebook Spaces is now available on the Oculus store. The free application, which is entering into an open beta phase, is the company’s attempt to integrate your social network with virtual reality. The 3.35 gb program is rated T and requires an Oculus Rift headset and Touch controllers.
“Spending time with friends and family creates many of our most meaningful memories,” wrote Facebook’s head of VR, Rachel Franklin, “but it’s impossible to always be physically near the people we care about. That’s where the magic of virtual reality comes in.”
Spaces was first demonstrated publicly in October 2016 by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He showed off how users could conjure virtual objects out of thin air, and how real-world images and live video could be seamlessly integrated inside the VR experience. The final product seems to share many of those core features.
The first step is making a custom cartoon avatar of yourself. You can then gather together around an interactive table in a virtual space, using 360-degree videos and images as your backdrop. While inside Spaces, users can even invite friends to participate via Facebook Messenger video calling.
Of course, Oculus itself already has its own social app called Oculus Rooms. That program connects with Facebook to populate a friends list, then allows players to socialize in a virtual space and even launch into Oculus compatible multiplayer games together.
VR Social AppMark Zuckerberg shows off social spaces in VR with fencing, chess and selfie sticks.
Posted by Polygon on Thursday, October 6, 2016