https://youtu.be/Is8eXZco46Q
September 25, 2019 – Facebook Horizon, a new social VR world coming to Oculus Quest and the Rift Platform in 2020, has been announced today at OC6. “Horizon is the first step into an ever-expanding world of connection and exploration where anything becomes possible”, according to Oculus.
VR is already a great place for users to socialize, play games, and watch movies. It’s also a great way to learn new skills and explore. Oculus has stated that human curiosity and connection are at the heart of Horizon, as they are central to each of these experiences. Starting with a busy town square where people will meet and mingle, the Horizon experience then expands to an interconnected world where people can explore new places, play games, build communities, and even create their own new experiences.
Before stepping into Horizon for the first time, users can design their own avatars from an array of style and body options to express individuality. From there, Oculus’ vision for Horizon will see magic-like portals—called telepods—transport people from public spaces to new worlds for exploration. At first, users will be able to hop into games and experiences built by Facebook, like Wing Strikers, a multiplayer aerial experience.
However, as the Horizon world grows, users will be able to jump into various other Horizon worlds, built using the World Builder, a collection of creator tools. Everyone will have the power to build new worlds and activities, all from scratch and with no previous coding experience needed, according to the company. Whether people choose to build, play, or simply hang out, Oculus anticipates that Horizon will provide a welcoming environment through new safety tools and human guides—Horizon Locals—to answer questions and provide assistance, if needed.
As a result of Oculus focusing its efforts on launching Facebook Horizon in 2020, the company has announced that it will be closing down Facebook Spaces and Oculus Rooms on October 25.
The Horizon beta will open early next year. Users can sign up here to be notified when the beta opens in 2020.
Video credit: Oculus/YouTube
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.