Remember when MySpace was a thing? Then Facebook came along and suddenly outpaced and outperformed its social media forerunner. Well, hold your Zoom call, because Meta (formerly Facebook) is at it again. The social technology company launched a beta version of Horizon Workrooms, a virtual reality collaboration platform for Oculus that enables people to come together as avatars in a mixed-reality environment.
With a VR headset, you can see your personalized avatar sit at a virtual representation of your desk, computer, and keyboard and meet with colleagues. In the product's announcement, Meta states that its employees piloted the program and that the experience is second only to meeting in person.
Promoting more natural flowing conversations among virtually collaborating colleagues is one of the many benefits Meta touts about Workrooms. Spatial audio, which simulates how you'd hear people based on their location in the room, along with hand tracking functionality and meeting room options, boost the realism quotient of the experience.
Users without VR headsets can join Workroom meetings via video. All participants will see each other in the virtual room as if they were there in person. Horizon Workrooms is free to download.
