![]() ![]() You log on, and you’re herded into a virtual bar to listen to your boss telling jokes. This article was originally published in Jacobin. Creating a photorealistic avatar is a logical next step for Facebook's VR journey, as the company hopes that advancing technologies will help blur the borders between the real and virtual worlds.Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Messenger Telegram WhatsApp ![]() The result is still a cartoon-like representation of an individual, and it is not dissimilar to Snap's personalized Bitmoji or Samsung's AR emoji. Facebook originally represented avatars as a simple blue face, but the technology eventually allowed users to personalize their virtual selves with more details and lifelike features. The company has made progress over the years to evolve its avatar creation technology to make digital representations more lifelike and emotive. The technology was unveiled by Facebook chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer during the second day of the company's developer-centric F8 conference in Silicon Valley, California. Highsįacebook cancels F8 developer conference amid coronavirus fearsįacebook’s ‘brain-computer interface’ could let you type with your mindģD Facebook photos jump out of the newsfeed, no glasses neededįacebook takes aim at Tinder and Bumble with its own dating serviceįacebook confirms it’s making a big move with many of its executivesįacebook wants to transport your physical self into the virtual world by allowing you to create photorealistic avatars for virtual reality headsets. What the company needs to do is bring the app to more accessible VR platforms, like Google’s Daydream and (more likely) Samsung’s Gear VR. ![]() People aren’t going to spend hundreds of dollars to buy an Oculus Rift and a VR-ready computer to use Spaces. The jury’s still out on whether or not Spaces will take off. It’s the new exciting and immersive way to interact with friends, wherever they are. And like these games, Spaces is not meant to replace real life. Will people want to swap their real lives for virtual ones? Most definitely - it’s evident in the success of games and services like Sims and Second Life. ![]() At one point, the audio from our guide’s microphone also cut out.īut the social aspect is the key component of Spaces. When we tried it out, we kept disconnecting and reconnecting a few times. The app is far from perfect – it’s still in beta after all, and you will notice some bugs. It’s arguably more social than Facebook itself. You’re probably not going to go to Spaces every day like you would the Facebook app – it’s no San Junipero. It’s not about what you’re doing as much as who you’re doing it with. Facebook is emphasizing social interaction here. It’s also possible that the limited options of things to do is intentional. Eventually, expect third-party developers to jump in on the action too. Some key experiences include drawing in 3D space, and being transported to other places – which you do by eating an orb in virtual reality. Virtual activitiesīut at this point, there’s not a lot you can do once you’ve logged in. For example, you can video chat from Messenger with people using Spaces – so you’ll be in on the virtual dinner party too. After all, how many people own an Oculus Rift? As an incentive, however, the company is integrating its other products into Spaces. Like how you might message a friend online on Messenger, with Spaces you may jump into a VR session with a friend if they are online and VR-equipped.įacebook knows that not too many people are going to use Spaces at launch. It’s arguably more social than Facebook itself, though to get the full Spaces experience, your friends need to be online at the same time as you are. One of the cool things about Spaces, as opposed to other virtual reality experiences, is that it’s built around interacting with your real friends. Spaces is a way for people to interact with friends in virtual reality. ![]()
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