New Delhi: Facebook Inc has launched Horizon Workroom's new VR remote work app on Thursday. It is a test app to create virtual reality office space which is much more interactive than regular video conferencing. Facebook hopes remote working will become the new norm. It is being developed with the help of Oculus.
Facebook looks at its initial move towards the metaverse of the future which the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has discussed in the past few weeks.
To use facebook's new app Horizon Workroom, the user must use the Oculus Quest2 headset to conduct meetings as an avatar. The internet company is currently testing the beta version of this app.
Facebook has taken over Oculus and made its move into the virtual reality segment. The company is working on VR as well as AR Glass. AR Glass was introduced by the company at a Facebook conference.
During an information briefing conducted through VR, the company showed how workroom users create their own avatars. These will be used to meet others in reality conference rooms and collaborate on shared whiteboards or documents.
Facebook's newly launched app is free to download. The required hardware, which is Oculus Quest 2, costs around $300. The new platform allows up to 16 people in VR and 50 people including video conference participants. Facebook employees themselves hold meetings through new workrooms.
The company says it has to gain dominance in the sector. Facebook's next largest computing platform, will make it less dependent on other hardware manufacturers such as Appat Inc. in the future.