Facebook is plugging away on creating their perfect VR app that promises to integrate the social platform into 3D virtual worlds. Last we saw of the prototype in April that introduced a number of features, all of which hinge on Touch, the natural input controller from Oculus.
Update: We’ve got a video of the impressive demo in action
Demoed on stage by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, he and a pair of colleagues went through a number of virtual worlds, some with static 360 images including an undersea environment, the Connect stage itself and even Mars.
Avatars in the updated build are more lifelike, and emote more based on audio (and possibly gestural) cues from the user. Zuckerberg joked to the crowd: “why did you make me look like a young Justin Timberlake?”
Receiving a call, Zuckerberg then showed off the newest function added to the budding social VR app, a live call feature over Facebook messenger that lets you take video calls while inside VR.
Taking a selfie using a VR selfie stick, the group then thumbed through photos, deciding which one to post to Zuckerberg’s Facebook timeline. Showing off the tactility of Touch, which allows for finer hand presence, the three played cards, chess and fought with swords.
There’s no definite release date for the Facebook-enabled social app, but with Oculus turning on social to their platform soon, you can bet it will be sooner rather than later.