Facebook believes that one day we’ll be able to connect with friends in virtual reality, so users can eventually experience someone’s vacation as though they’re right there with them.
Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox revealed on stage Tuesday at the Code/Media conference the company’s vision for how it plans to embrace virtual reality.
Cox said Facebook is already developing virtual reality apps to enhance sharing, providing a fuller picture of what the social network is doing.
Facebook, which acquired virtual-reality technology company Oculus VR for $2 billion in 2014, said users and celebrities will be able to create their own VR content, and send it to others.
“You’ll do it. Beyonce will do it,” he said.
Cox discussed how film demos created for VR headsets will enable wearers to see and experience a whole new world, such as the inside of a Blue Angel fighter jet or a yurt in Mongolia. For example, in the yurt, users can look around to see the landscape and people nearby, including one woman making food by a fire. Facebook plans to build on this concept to make sharing even more personal among friends.
Although Cox provided scant information about when to expect Facebook virtual reality apps (and how they’ll work), he said they won’t debut for a while. “We’re probably a long way from everyone having these headsets,” he said.