Facebook launches Infinite Office, a virtual reality office

For several years Facebook has been working on Oculus for Business, a suite of virtual reality software for businesses, compatible with Oculus headsets. Facebook presented its most successful version that will be released with the new Oculus Quest 2: Infinite Office headset.

The office is missing during telecommuting days? Are permanent premises becoming too expensive for businesses? Facebook has the solution: an office right at your home. Mark Zuckerberg’s company presented a new virtual reality technology: Infinite Office. With the headset on, the user is transported to a virtual office and can personalize space, in particular by adding (fake) screens.

The most notable advancement of Infinite Office is text input. In previous versions, it was often laborious. That’s why Facebook has partnered with Logitech to design a keyboard with a hard trackpad compatible with the Oculus Quest 2 headset .

Office with Spatial technology is integrated into Infinite Office, which allows users to organize virtual meetings. However, the first versions will focus more on an individual experience than a collective one.

With the Passthrough mode, the immersion is partial and the real environment partially appears. The experience can also take place in total immersion.

The Infinite Office beta will launch this winter and will be available on the Oculus Quest 2. The company has announced new features to come in the coming months.

Technologies facilitating teleworking, a false good idea?

By advocating telework, Infinite Office could have significant consequences on both mental and physical health.

The SARS-CoV-2 crisis was an opportunity for many employees to try their hand at telework . According to a study carried out by Malakoff Humanis , the practice seems to be attractive: 73% of teleworkers say they are satisfied. This enthusiasm is nevertheless partial and only 43% of newcomers to the practice believe that the crisis has positively changed their appreciation of teleworking. While 80% believe that teleworking brings more flexibility and flexibility, only 34% consider that this organization benefits their efficiency. Adverse effects were also felt: 31% felt that teleworking had a negative impact on psychological health and 27% felt that this way of working had negative consequences on their physical health.

The deployment of Infinite Office in companies will therefore have to be carefully considered. At the same time, the development of a virtual social network “Horizon” by Facebook and its Oculus branch raises fears of an increasingly digital world devoid of real human connections