Facebook to Invent 360 Degree Smartphone Viewing

Social networking titan Facebook is reportedly working on an app that would allow users to view 360-degree videos on their smartphones. Facebook  is working on a stand-alone app that would support 360-degree—or “spherical”—video, allowing users to change their viewing perspective with the mere tilt of their phones.

The app is still in early development, and would be available for both Apple and Android operating systems if it proves to be a go, sources close to the project said.Typically compiled from multiple cameras, the video format allows users to change their viewing perspective by tilting their phones, the Journal reported. However, it is currently unclear when or if the app will launch.

Facebook chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has repeatedly described virtual reality as the next big “computing platform” after mobile devices, and believes that it will one day become a part of daily life for billions of people. Last year, the company paid $2 billion (£1.2bn) for Oculus VR, the company behind the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

"Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face - just by putting on goggles in your home," said Mr Zuckerberg at the time. "Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones."

Oculus Rift, which started life as a Kickstarter project in 2012, promising to “take 3D gaming to the next level”, is expected to start shipping to consumers in the first quarter of 2016. The consumer model will have a new "industrial design" and feature an "improved tracking system" that supports both seated and standing gaming, according to Oculus VR.

A 360-degree video app would offer a less immersive experience than a headset. However, it would help extend Facebook’s presence in virtual reality beyond Oculus, and introduce the technology to a much larger audience.

The introduction of what appears to be a virtual reality-like experience on the phone—but without the need for a VR headset—would be a natural extension for the company, which as been at the forefront of the technology ever since they acquired Oculus VR last year for $2 billion.

Oculus is set to release its first consumer version of its Oculus Rift headset early next year, with pre-orders launching later this year. It is a technology ripe with potential, with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckeberg declaring that virtual reality would be the next ubiquitous communication platform.