Facebook Spaces Showcases Power Of VR In Social Media

In 2014, Facebook bought virtual reality company Oculus for $2 billion. Ever since then, the world has speculated over the social media platform’s ambitions in virtual reality. A lot of those questions were answered today with the unveiling of Facebook Spaces.

The VR app allows users to hang out with friends in a virtual environment. In that shared space friends can draw, play games, share photos, and experience 360 video together. The beta version of the app is available now for the Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch. The launch of the app was announced at Facebook’s F8 developer conference in San Jose, California.

One of the stranger features of Facebook Spaces is the use of avatars. Users select an image of themselves and have an avatar automatically generated, and can customize their virtual appearance as well.

Spaces also allows you to video call people in the real world, giving them a window into the virtual environment. Facebook says there are plenty more features to come, and will learn from the feedback of users during the beta phase.

Right now, Spaces, in a similar way to VR in general, feels a little gimmicky, and not quite worth the thousands of dollars you need to spend on the equipment to enjoy it. But as headsets get cheaper and the technology becomes more mobile and accessible, apps like these have the potential to grow in popularity dramatically. Facebook clearly sees a big future in virtual reality social media. The company has a huge investment in the virtual reality industry, and will likely have plenty more products in this space in the years to come.

Check out the video below to see exactly what Facebook Spaces offers.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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