Facebook today released the beta version of Horizon Workrooms through Oculus . The VR app is for companies that work in the home office and still want to encourage interactive contact among colleagues. Important the features are hand gestures, fully customizable avatars and mixed reality.
Facebook publishes Horizon Workrooms
Facebook’s goal is to Horizon Work Rooms, employees in the home office better with each other to connect and work interactive make. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than normal have been working from home and Facebook has taken advantage of this. Horizon Workrooms is Facebook answer to “feeling’s isolated” into the home office.
All functions and the full experience are available in Horizon Workrooms with the Oculus Quest 2 VR glasses. However, it is not absolutely necessary to have VR glasses: Employees can switch on via video with their smartphone or laptop .
What immediately catches the eye: Oculus focuses on many small details in the conference room . The clouds move past the windows and smoke rises from the chimneys in the distance. In addition, each employee creates their own avatar with individual clothing and accessories.
The conference room has different modes, for example the presentation mode. In addition, the table is automatically reduced or enlarged depending on the number of participants.
Another function is hand tracking. It transfers real hand gestures into the virtual world. We communicate a lot with our hands in everyday life: thumbs up, pointing at an object, etc.
In offline conference rooms are whiteboards an integral part of the routine. They are mainly used to brainstorm. Thanks of the virtual whiteboard , employee’s can share their thoughts into Horizon workrooms.
You either get up and write directly on the virtual whiteboard or you write comfortably on your desk and the note automatically appears on the virtual whiteboard.
Price and availability
The beta version is available starting today . It is not yet know when the fully version will be released. The Oculus offers Horizon Workrooms free .Of cost
Oculus and Facebook received a lot of criticism because an Oculus account requires a Facebook account . Horizon Workrooms is independent and you need a Workrooms account.