It doesn’t matter who or where you are, the chances are you’ve felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts agree that the pandemic forced us to accelerate our digital transformation at an incredible speed, putting more work into things like artificial intelligence and extended reality.
Facebook recently announced double the income from its “other revenue” segment compared to 2019 - a large part of which is down to the Oculus Quest 2 – the VR headset aimed at consumers and businesses alike.
Building on Quest's appeal, Facebook has announced that it is bringing Messenger to the VR headsets.
Leading the Way for a VR Revolution
Facebook believes that VR is an area of potential for not just the future workplace, but all forms of communication and collaboration. The Quest 2 headset is one of the most powerful VR experiences available on the market and comes at a price point that makes VR more of a realistic option for homes and offices.
According to Mike Verdu, Oculus VP of Content, one of the biggest reasons that VR headset purchasing hasn’t skyrocketed is a lack of access to content and applications. Initially, people scrambled to buy VR headsets for gaming purposes. When the pandemic hit, we started connecting and interacting with friends through virtual reality, creating more immersive social experiences.
The integration of Messenger into the Oculus aims to leverage the growing momentum of the VR environment, by allowing users to chat within a virtual environment. Verdu said that with the new update, users will be able to chat with their Facebook friends wherever they have Messenger – even if they’re not in VR with you.
