Facebook’s Metaverse: This Thursday (28), during Facebook Connect, the public was shown what the company is preparing for the future. Following the metaverse concept, which arrives in the midst of several controversies involving Facebook, the news hopes to “unite” the concepts of augmented reality (AR) and virtual (VR) in the physical environment.
In conversation with journalists, Spark AR director Sue Young gave details about the future of the augmented reality platform. She says that this mix of “worlds” is “the evolution of apps” that we are used to using, but with the inclusion of continuity between them. The integration between all of this, she claims, “is the next generation of the internet.”
Sue points out that the metaverse is not a single space and that there will be “multiple access points”, “whether it’s an AR glasses, or VR device, or even connected from your cell phone, one of the things we wanted to make available with the metaverse is for that multiple people can connect [to the platform] no matter what device they’re using to be close”.
An important point, in addition to the interactivity between devices, is what Sue describes as “a sense of presence”. “This continuity experience is what connects people across devices,” she explains, adding the example that “many people can have multiple devices.”
As such, users should have a similar concept experience across devices. “We want this continuity experience, whether it’s a Portal device, computer, VR headset, AR glasses — this experience to be customized for you,” says the executive.
The company gives the example of Oculus Quest 2, which should help virtual reality become broader. For example, in Horizon Home, users can “meet” in the virtual environment to spend time with friends, watch videos, play games or use apps. Messenger will also allow “soon” VR calling.
This concept, estimates the company, should also be expanded to the fitness and work world, where employees will be able to connect a personal and a professional account to Quest 2, for example. The company should also provide businesses with tools to work with the concept. VR testing at Facebook’s work begins this year, but should be available to everyone by 2023.