The head of Facebook’s efforts in VR and AR wrote that there’s “no looking back” after the pandemic year of 2020 and his team’s “conviction in the work we do has only grown.”
“Quest 2 surpassed the original Quest’s monthly active people in less than 7 weeks, and more people are using it to stay fit, play games with friends, and collaborate for work,” Andrew Bosworth wrote in the blog post dated January 6, 2021. “There has never been a better time to get in the lab and build products that deliver meaningful social presence, and to do so in a responsible, privacy-centric way.”
The post seems to be designed as both a rallying cry to those within Facebook and a reiteration of policies the company opted to pursue in 2020, like the policy which requires a Facebook account representing your real identity be used with all Oculus gear going forward.
“We also implemented some product changes that were key in giving people a better, safer experience in VR — starting with introducing a single way to log into Oculus using your Facebook account, which makes it easier for them to find, connect, and play with friends in VR. This allows us to deliver multiplayer and social experiences and stronger privacy and security measures. In 2021, we’ll offer more options and control over how to show up in VR, including persona and privacy controls.”
In 2021, Bosworth writes that Facebook will “take steps to make immersive experiences more social with Facebook Horizon. And as the office concept evolves, we’re building out our capacity for meaningful social presence in virtual work spaces.”
The post also says Facebook’s first smart glasses from Ray-Ban “will arrive sooner than later” as the company focuses on building out a platform for AR.
You can check out the full post here.
