Facebook has just unveiled a new VR camera that will help users ‘teleport’ into the virtual realm. While it has 360 in the name, The Surround 360 has absolutely nothing to do with Xbox. Will we see Microsoft follow the social network into the future of VR?
FACEBOOK TO TELEPORT INTO VR
Recently, Facebook released their new VR camera, Surround 360 to the world. The bold device features a total of 17 cameras. 14 of those are placed in a circle around the body, with a fish-eye camera on top and two on the bottom. According to Facebook, the camera produces a unique spherical video that ‘teleports’ the users into VR. Does a 360-degree camera seem weird to you? That’s because it is. The whole concept is about as foreign as a teleport machine. We don’t really know how useful, this may be yet. So will we see companies like Microsoft getting in on the action?
MICROSOFT GOES WITH DIFFERENT STROKES
Microsoft is just as excited as Facebook when it comes to VR, however, they are taking a slightly different approach to the technology. Instead of teleport, Microsoft is going the way of holograph. Using their HoloLens display, it will give people in different rooms a sense that they can exist and talk in the same space. Although a device is needed to participate, this system goes beyond real-time interaction between remote users. The 3D feed is created by putting a person in space with a multi-camera array. This then records video of the person from multiple angles. From there, the angles are put together to create a holographic version of a person moving through space.
WHO WILL RULE THE WORLD?
In the competition between Facebook’s Teleport and Microsoft’s HoloLens, who will come out on top. For Facebook, the 360 VR camera is only the beginning. From there, Zuckerberg will move the web far beyond just text, photos, and video. Imagine the world where we can experience whole scenes online. We can teleport to an African Safari or climb Mt. Everest. Facebook clearly has a bright future beyond social media. Will others compete, or join the future?
