The Oculus Venues social app for live events has been around for a couple of years, starting out on Oculus Go and Gear VR. Last month the app got a makeover and a rebrand to Venues, bringing it more in line with Facebook Horizon‘s aesthetic and only made available in limited beta form. With the onset of Facebook Connect next week that beta access has now been expanded so users can watch the event.
Venues is being geared up to be even more social whilst differentiating itself from Facebook Horizon by maintaining all its live event features, so you’ll still be able to watch concerts, comedy gigs, sports events and more. A new lobby has been introduced for all your social needs, send your friends an invite to meet you there or in a show then express yourself with emojis, confetti rain, fist bumps and high fives, as well as taking photos and selfies.
Facebook Connect will be streamed through Venues next Wednesday, 16th September, where you’ll be able to watch the keynote, John Carmack’s “Carmack Unscripted” annual talk and Jaden Smith performing an exclusive concert. The annual event will have its own lobby and those that do view the show in Venues will get a custom Facebook Connect T-shirt for their avatar.
It’s set to be a big event for 2020 even though everything is entirely online. There have been lots of rumours (and pictures) about a new headset and of course, let us not forget the furore around the new login system doing away with Oculus accounts which is sure to get a mention.
The Venues beta updates have now added features like a personal Safe Zone, accessed via a wrist menu, where you can mute, block, or report those around you. Doing so: “a trained safety specialist, who will not appear as an avatar, may remotely observe and record the situation to ensure your safety,” Facebook explains.
And just like Facebook Horizon, Venues will see the introduction of easy report submissions, where: “your Oculus headset will capture the last few minutes of your experience in Venues on a rolling basis,” as evidence of the incident. As further updates are rolled out for Venues, VRFocus will let you know.
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