SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook says it’s working to make virtual reality more social as the industry gets more crowded.
With a host of leading tech companies now selling VR products, Facebook’s Oculus division is hoping to distinguish its offerings with more interactive and social experiences. At an event Thursday, the company announced a long-awaited shipping date — Dec. 6 — for its Oculus Touch hand controllers, designed to let users make gestures and grasp virtual objects within the simulated worlds projected by Oculus Rift headsets.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company has invested $250 million to back developers building new games and other virtual-reality programs for Oculus, and is vowing to double that amount. He also said the company is working on a prototype for a mobile VR headset that doesn’t have to be linked to a personal computer, which the Oculus Rift requires, while promising a better experience than current headsets powered by smartphones.