Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is confident virtual reality is the nex great computing platform.
In a push to bring virtual reality (VR) to the masses sooner, Zuckerberg announced on Thursday at Oculus's "Connect" conference in San Jose, Calif. that Oculus will commit an additional $250 million to fund a range of new content, such as games and entertainment, betting that "great software experiences" are the next frontier of VR. The funding is an addition to the $250 million Oculus has already pledged to content development, and $10 million of the fund will be allocated specifically for educational virtual reality material.
"More than a million people actively use virtual reality products every month," Zuckerberg said, calling Samsung Gear VR, produced with Oculus, and the Oculus Rift "amazing" experiences. "This is happening, and we have a lot to be excited about."
"The first step is getting the basic hardware out there," Zuckerberg said, about Facebook's investment in the space. "This is happening at a faster rate than any of us had expected. The next phase of virtual reality is building great software."
Zuckerberg also said Facebook is building a "standalone, affordable" VR headset that isn't tethered to a PC like the current Oculus Rift. While Zuckerberg said Facebook's standalone headset isn't a finalized product yet, he showed the audience a demo of a man moving in virtual reality in a cordless experience.
"We’re working on this, and it’s still early," Zuckerberg said of the headset, which is in development. "This is the kind of thing we believe will exist when you combine hardware innovation and next generation software experiences."
Oculus is also working with partners such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices to sell the Oculus Rift with cheaper computers, such as a $499 Cyberpower computer with an AMD graphic chip. And Zuckerberg said Oculus will start shipping its "Touch" hand controllers by the end of this year. (The hand controllers can be pre-ordered beginning on Dec. 10 for $199.) Oculus also unveiled its new earphones, which are priced at $49 and offer users better sound, a new web browser users can navigate in virtual reality called "Carmel" and Oculus avatars, which resemble the user and can mimic movement and facial expressions. Oculus said it plans to launch live streaming tools for virtual reality.
Zuckerberg made a big bet on the emerging space two years ago when Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion dollars, before Oculus had even launched a product. Zuckerberg described virtual reality on Thursday as having the potential to amplify human social experiences.
"The magic of virtual reality software is this feeling of presence, the feeling you’re really there with another person or in another place," Zuckerberg said.
Oculus announced two new social features, "Parties," which lets users start a voice call with up to eight people in virtual reality, and "Rooms," which lets people hang out with avatars of their friends and play games, chat or watch a movie. Zuckerberg did a live demo on stage using Oculus Rift, showing a host of new features, such as the ability to take a call on Facebook Messenger while in virtual reality. He also took a selfie with his wife Priscilla Chan, who called in on Messenger, in a virtual version of his home.
Speaking to a room of hundreds of developers and partners, Zuckerberg said the developer community is critical to the future of virtual reality. Zuckerberg said he is excited about the potential for VR to connect users to the people and things they care about.
"We want software to be built with people at the center," Zuckerberg said of his mission. "Our industry has made more progress in the last couple of years than any of us could have hoped for. I'm so excited for what you're all building."
