The Facebook FB +1.97% experience has come one step closer to resembling virtual reality.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based social network announced on Wednesday that News Feed now supports 360-degree videos on the Web and Android. The feature will roll out on iOS in the coming months, and some publishers and users are now able to upload the new format. Facebook collaborated with Oculus, the virtual reality, or VR, headset maker it purchased for $2 billion last year, to bring the technology to Facebook.
360-degree videos offer a more immersive experience than traditional
videos. The move suggests that Facebook is serious about advancing video
technology among its suite of apps, and echoes comments the social
network’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg made
in July that “immersive 3-D content is the obvious next thing after
video.” The social network hinted earlier that the video format would be
coming to Facebook when it demoed its 360-degree video ”Teleportation” app at this year’s F8 conference. Facebook competitor Google GOOGL +1.88% YouTube has been supporting 360-degree
videos since March, and Google has produced a string of slick animated
and live action shorts in 360 degrees, including one directed by Fast and Furious legend Justin Lin.
On mobile, swiping a 360-degree video on Facebook or moving one’s phone allows the user to view the content from different angles. On the Web, users can explore the scene by dragging the video with their mouse.
“On the phone especially, slowly turning around and tilting your device up and down to watch a scene as it’s playing is a really cool experience that takes you somewhere else,” Facebook’s chief product officer Chris Cox said in a Facebook post. “It’s the kind of thing that you run over to show someone else the moment you first see it.”
On Wednesday’s launch, Facebook featured 360-degree videos from GoPro, NBC’s Saturday Night Live, VICE, Star Wars, Discovery and several others. Recording 360-degree videos requires a special set of cameras. Facebook plans to make it possible for independent video creators to upload the videos down the line.
“It’s an open-ended format, so we’re really excited to see what creators around the world come up with as they get their hands on it,” Cox said in his post.
About 1.5 billion people view Facebook’s New Feed every month. The social network plans start selling the Oculus device to consumers in the first quarter of next year.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based social network announced on Wednesday that News Feed now supports 360-degree videos on the Web and Android. The feature will roll out on iOS in the coming months, and some publishers and users are now able to upload the new format. Facebook collaborated with Oculus, the virtual reality, or VR, headset maker it purchased for $2 billion last year, to bring the technology to Facebook.
360-degree videos offer a more immersive experience than traditional
videos. The move suggests that Facebook is serious about advancing video
technology among its suite of apps, and echoes comments the social
network’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg made
in July that “immersive 3-D content is the obvious next thing after
video.” The social network hinted earlier that the video format would be
coming to Facebook when it demoed its 360-degree video ”Teleportation” app at this year’s F8 conference. Facebook competitor Google GOOGL +1.88% YouTube has been supporting 360-degree
videos since March, and Google has produced a string of slick animated
and live action shorts in 360 degrees, including one directed by Fast and Furious legend Justin Lin.On mobile, swiping a 360-degree video on Facebook or moving one’s phone allows the user to view the content from different angles. On the Web, users can explore the scene by dragging the video with their mouse.
“On the phone especially, slowly turning around and tilting your device up and down to watch a scene as it’s playing is a really cool experience that takes you somewhere else,” Facebook’s chief product officer Chris Cox said in a Facebook post. “It’s the kind of thing that you run over to show someone else the moment you first see it.”
On Wednesday’s launch, Facebook featured 360-degree videos from GoPro, NBC’s Saturday Night Live, VICE, Star Wars, Discovery and several others. Recording 360-degree videos requires a special set of cameras. Facebook plans to make it possible for independent video creators to upload the videos down the line.
“It’s an open-ended format, so we’re really excited to see what creators around the world come up with as they get their hands on it,” Cox said in his post.
About 1.5 billion people view Facebook’s New Feed every month. The social network plans start selling the Oculus device to consumers in the first quarter of next year.
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