Before you watch this video, prepare to cringe. Will Facebook Spaces be the future of communication?
When Facebook snapped up Oculus it was obvious this would be one of the directions the Rift would go, socialising in VR. This app will let you meet your friends in a virtual space, or as this video shows, even allow you to show off your incredibly tiny apartment in VR.
The PR blurb says the app “takes some of the best features of Facebook and brings them into your VR space”. I’m not sure if there are any “best features”. The full description reads:
Hang out with your friends in a fun, interactive virtual environment as if you were in the same room, no matter where you are. Use your Facebook photos to create your virtual self, then invite your friends to join you. You’ll find a variety of Facebook content, including 360 videos and photos, that can transport you to new places. Draw 3D objects with virtual markers, video call your friends outside of VR, and share selfies of your VR memories on Facebook. With Facebook Spaces, you can hang out in a whole new way – together.
With today’s youth spending more time on social media and talking to their phones than actually meeting their friends in real life, it could take off when prices come down and it’s more accessible to the masses with smaller hardware. As for taking selfies in VR, well that just seems a little sad.
There’s still no substitute for getting out of the house and seeing the world and you friends. For the sake of humanity, we can only hope this is not the way we’ll be communicating in the future.
The beta is available now in the Oculus store for free. Now prepare to cringe and watch this…
