The world of VR has just become more immersive.
At Oculus Connect 6, Facebook announced Facebook Horizon, a social VR world that is coming to Oculus Quest and the Rift Platform in 2020. The VR simulator will allow players to hang out with friends and participate in activities that they may not regularly experience in the real world such as flying an airplane and participating in outer space laser tag.
So far, the VR has been advertised as "an ever-expanding world of connection and exploration where anything becomes possible." Players create an avatar to their liking and use it to explore the world and try new things. They can even create worlds of their own where they can participate in activities that are nigh-impossible in reality.
Because Facebook Horizon will debut next year, Facebook will close down Facebook Spaces and Oculus Rooms on October 25. A beta version of the simulator is expected to open early next year. Currently, Facebook is accepting participants for the beta.
Facebook purchased Oculus in 2014 for more than $2 million USD. While Facebook has made attempts to introduce VR to audiences, its efforts were met with tribulations. In the past, Oculus has faced criticism due to headset shipping delays, executive departures, accusations of intellectual property theft by Zenimax, and the departure of founder Palmer Luckey after information surfaced that he had donated to a pro-Trump group. Despite these setbacks, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has claimed that users have spent more than a $100 million USD on Oculus products and content.
With its emphasis on personal freedom and power to the players, Facebook Horizon comes off as an attempt to introduce VR to a wider audience while integrating the platform into mainstream gaming. VR gaming, while gaining traction, lingers on the fringes of the gaming community and hasn't been the success that investors hoped it would be. Still, Facebook has chugged along and continues to push forward with its ambitions. Perhaps by creating a malleable experience that can be enjoyed by everyone, Facebook is tapping into a new market.
A beta version of Facebook Horizons will open early next year. The final VR will be available sometime in 2020.