Facebook Spaces Lets You Mingle With Friends In Virtual Reality Using Oculus Rift

by Brandon Hill — Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 04:08 PM EDT

It’s been three years since Facebook first acquired Oculus, which at the time seemed like a rather curious purchase. Over the years, we’ve seen that Facebook is putting an increasing focus out virtual reality (VR) and devices like the Oculus Rift serve as the perfect hardware platform to take the plunge with early adopters/enthusiasts.

That focus on Oculus Rift is expanding today with the announcement that Facebook Spaces is launching in beta form. Facebooks Spaces is a separate VR app that allows you to interact with your friends “in a fun, interactive virtual environment as if you were in the same room.”

Similar to how you can create your own avatars on console platforms like the Xbox One, you’ll be able to create your own likeness to represent your virtual self. Facebook goes a step further by allowing you to choose an existing Facebook photo to jumpstart the process for your digital avatar. From there, you’ll be able to change things like your hairstyle, facial features and eye color.

However, the biggest barrier to sharing in the Facebook Spaces VR experience with friends is that all of you will need to have an Oculus Rift to participate. You may have hundreds of friends linked in on your account, but you could probably count the number of friends that have a Rift on one hand. And there’s no guarantee that you’d even want to partake in virtual interactions with that exclusive group of “friends”.

You’ll be able to invite friends to join you, where you’ll be able to draw using a virtual magic marker, share 360 videos, make video calls in Messenger, and even take VR selfies (which sounds quite silly when you think about it). Facebook goes on to explain that you have full control over the experience, with Social VR Head Rachel Franklin writing, “You have control of your experience, including the ability to pause at any time. Pausing moves you into a quiet space where you can take a break away from other people and activities.

“You can also choose to mute your friends or remove them from your space. Facebook Spaces is all about connecting with friends and family that you know and trust, and we’re committed to making VR a positive place for all.”

Facebook Spaces is launching first on the Oculus Rift, but it will eventually be spread out to other VR platforms; perhaps even the HTC Vive if we’re lucky.

Tags: Facebook, (NASDAQ:FB), VR, Oculus Rift, facebook spaces

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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