Oculus is taking the social lives of Samsung Gear VR users up a notch, rolling out new features and games that let them spend time together in the virtual reality space.
Users can now create profiles on the platform plus the ability to search for friends either by real name or username on Oculus.
Considering that Facebook acquired Oculus back in 2014, it was only a matter of time before the companies added in a social touch to virtual reality.
"Virtual reality will continue to drive deeper social connections, and we can't wait to bring it to more people around the world!" Oculus says.
What's coming? Well, first off, there are the Oculus-developed Social Trivia and the Herobound: Gladiators by Escalation Studios in line. Next, there are the improvements across Oculus Social and Oculus Video.
Social Trivia
As the name suggests, Social Trivia is a game that tests the players' wits. It can accommodate up to five players at a time, where they'll be placed in a room facing one another, with noodle-scratching questions popping up above the center of the table.
It's available under Concepts at the Oculus Store.
Herobound: Gladiators
Virtual reality gamers are set off on a quest and slay both goblins and demons in arenas. It supports up to five players too, and they can use the integrated voice chat to communicate in real-time and win countless battles. However, Herobound: Gladiators requires a gamepad to be playable.
Oculus Social
Everyone can now create rooms in Oculus Social, where they can watch Twitch or Vimeo streams together with their friends in virtual reality.
Oculus Video
Oculus has added in a Facebook Videos tab on the Oculus Video menu to get more 360-degree content. Users will also be able to link their Facebook accounts to the app to personalize their selections, which are based on the pages and people they follow on the social media platform.
It doesn't end there, though, as a new feature will let them Like and Share Facebook 360 videos in virtual reality in the coming weeks.
Oculus Reviews
Getting a better idea of apps and games on the Oculus Store wasn't exactly the easiest thing to figure out because it only relied on star ratings. That's no longer an issue at all, as users can leave written reviews now, giving everyone a good look at what an app or game has to offer before downloading it.
Developer Tools
On the developer side of things, Oculus is going to launch some new tools this March. According to the company, they can "make it even easier to create more incredible social VR games and apps" for developers.
This appears to be a well-timed release for social games, as Samsung offered the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge with a free Gear VR to boot. That means a lot of people will likely be in virtual reality.
To boil things down, Oculus makes a compelling case to get people to jump into the bandwagon, as things are shaping up for virtual reality enthusiasts who want an even more immersive experience with friends. On top of that, the Samsung deal just makes it a lot easier for people to join in.
