First there was text. Then, images, video, and 360-videos and videos… Now, Facebook is working on bringing 3D posts to News Feed.
Among the awesome goodies that Oculus announced at its developer conference in San Diego last week, Facebook also showed off 3D posts – a brand new type of post that can be posted, viewed, and interacted with on News Feed. Without VR. Yes, you heard that right. 3D posts – while created by developers for VR – can be posted to News Feed, and users can interact with them right there.
The great news is, that before VR is democratised (will it ever?), Facebook can still show off its VR technology on the platform as it is. Developers can create interactive 3D environments and objects in Oculus Medium or Facebook Spaces, and share them for users to interact with them – with their mobile devices. Facebook said that for now, it is starting with 3D sculptures, but moving onto VR content soon.
A 3D object could be viewed from all angles, or you could interact with a 3D van in a post to open its door, simply by swiping. While 3D posts sound like a lot of work to be honest, they could open up a whole new world to brands to show off products and have their fans interact with them right there on Facebook.
Also, it brings VR content to non-VR audiences before the medium even comes close to being widely affordable or available.
In any case, I think 3D posts are a great idea, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for us. Posts that peole can interact with are definitely a missing part of the Facebook experience, and these 3D posts could provide richer experiences that 360-content simply doesn’t.
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