Facebook Introduces Virtual Reality App for Remote Working

With the COVID-19 outbreak, many people's workplace and shape have changed, Facebook has recently introduced a new virtual reality application for its employees to interact remotely.

Facebook Introduces Virtual Reality App for Remote Working

The app will come to life as part of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plan to fully and interactively integrate the company into both the physical and digital worlds.

This app, called Horizon Workrooms, will be free for users with Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets.

In the statement made by the company, it was stated that Facebook's Workrooms is a "high-level collaboration experience" that can bring together 16 people in a virtual reality environment, regardless of physical distance.

Employees who attend meetings with these glasses will be represented by a customizable cartoon avatar, gather together as if meeting in person, and use virtual whiteboards to draw their ideas.

“We don't have to be physically together to feel present, collaborate or brainstorm somewhere,” Zuckerberg told reporters at a virtual briefing.

Andrew Bosworth, Vice President of Facebook Reality Labs, said that the company has been using Workrooms for its internal meetings for about a year, and that the pandemic has boosted their self-confidence in the technology space.

Workrooms are just one part of Facebook's efforts to become a fully integrated virtual company. The ultimate goal is to capture the technological opportunity to fully interact in the virtual environment. Facebook invests heavily in the technologies needed to make this happen, especially virtual and augmented reality. While Workrooms isn't Facebook's first foray into virtual reality, it's an ambitious attempt to bring it mainstream and de-monopolize spaces like gaming. Many other companies are also competing to play a role in creating this digital universe. This initiative showcases the popularity and potential of augmented reality games like Pokemon Go and virtual worlds like Fortnite and Roblox that aren't entirely immersive.