At the recent Oculus Connect conference, Mark Zuckerberg teased a new "social reality" experience that uses augmented and virtual reality to bring far-off friends before the eyes.
Inside this AR and VR experience, avatars of one's friends are called on-screen, so that it's possible to play games like chess or cards, engage in a sword fight or watch TV together. Within this experience, users are also able to take calls from Facebook Messenger or take a VR selfie and instantly share it to Facebook.
These avatars will be able to express a variety of emotions through voice analysis or inputting commands into the Oculus controllers. With this, Facebook is pioneering what it calls "virtual reality emoji," which is set to have a large impact on the way emotions are conveyed in virtual reality settings.
Simulated Social Experiences
Facebook is Developing a "Social Reality" Complete with VR Emojis
Trend Themes
1. Social Reality Experience - Facebook's development of a social reality experience using AR and VR opens up opportunities for immersive social interactions and collaboration in virtual environments.
2. Virtual Reality Emoji - Facebook's introduction of virtual reality emoji using voice analysis and Oculus controllers revolutionizes emotion communication in virtual reality settings.
3. Augmented and Virtual Reality Gaming - The integration of AR and VR into gaming experiences, as demonstrated by Facebook's avatar-based games, showcases the potential for interactive and immersive gameplay.
Industry Implications
1. Social Networking - The social networking industry can leverage Facebook's social reality experience to enhance user engagement and create more immersive social interactions.
2. Virtual Reality Technology - The development of virtual reality emoji and immersive social experiences by Facebook presents new opportunities for growth and innovation in the virtual reality technology industry.
3. Gaming and Entertainment - The integration of augmented and virtual reality technologies in gaming, as demonstrated by Facebook's avatar-based games, offers disruptive innovation opportunities for the gaming and entertainment industry.