What you need to know
- Facebook has announced Horizon Workrooms, a new VR experience for people who really want to work in an office.
- The new app is in beta and available for Oculus Quest 2.
- People can work in a virtual office at a time where working in a real one might not be an option.
Facebook today announced Horizon Workrooms, a new VR experience that allows people to work in a virtual office for improved collaboration. The app is available in beta right now for anyone who has an Oculus Quest 2 headset at hand.
The new app was announced via press release and is designed to give people the option of working from an office without actually setting foot inside one. As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are still working from Home. Facebook thinks Horizon Workrooms is the answer.
Workrooms is our flagship collaboration experience that lets people come together to work in the same virtual room, regardless of physical distance. It works across both virtual reality and the web and is designed to improve your team's ability to collaborate, communicate, and connect remotely, through the power of VR— whether that's getting together to brainstorm or whiteboard an idea, work on a document, hear updates from your team, hang out and socialize, or simply have better conversations that flow more naturally.
While still a beta experience, Horizon Workrooms can be downloaded right now so long as you have an Oculus Quest 2.
Current features include:
- Bring your physical computer, keyboard and desk into VR with you. You can share your screen, send messages, and type naturally.
- Seamlessly write and draw on the shared whiteboard by flipping your controller to use it like a pen.
- With spatial audio, add dimension to every conversation and create the feeling of a shared location.
- Stay synced in and out of VR with chats, calendars and notes that automatically update via web.
- Customize your avatar to be a true expression of your personality.
- Adjust the layout to fit your agenda, from presentations to brainstorms. As participants come and go, your table dynamically scales.
Facebook says it's been using Horizon Workrooms in-house itself, saying that VR will "will fundamentally transform the way we work." You can learn more about the whole thing over on the announcement post.
Still looking to dip your toe in the world of VR? These are the best VR headsets for Macs right now.
