Facebook Debuts Emoji on VR with 360 Reactions

Oculus, which is owned by Facebook, announced yesterday the launch of 360 video reactions on Gear VR’s video app.

Users of Samsung’s Gear VR have been able to login to their Facebook accounts on the VR headsets since March, but now they will be able to ‘Like’ and select one of Facebook’s five emoji reactions to videos on their newsfeeds as well. The Gear VR video app is configured such that others’ reactions will float by on the screen as well, adapting some aspects of the traditional Facebook newsfeed to virtual reality.

One of the major draws of this upgrade is that it allows viewers to share and convey reactions to videos with each other in an environment where they are unable to type, making VR a little more of a social and community-oriented experience. Oculus also announced its plans to rollout the reactions feature for its 360-degree photos in upcoming weeks.

The launch of 360 video reactions is yet another indication that Facebook is making good on its commitment to integrate Oculus into the Facebook ecosystem by bringing some of its iconic features to virtual reality.

That being said, we are far from being able to recreate a social networking experience on VR that is as comprehensive and interconnected as our traditional Facebook pages are. What we can anticipate in the near term is that Facebook will utilize its VR subsidiary to further develop social gaming, paving the way for the next-gen Farmville.