Tech Byte: Meetings in VR

Many of us have gotten used to virtual meetings this year thanks to the pandemic, but what if you could also meet with your colleagues using virtual reality? This week’s edition of Tech Byte will show us how.

Facebook is making it possible to bring video games to work, and actually be productive- the social media giant is calling its latest project Horizon Workrooms. It’s a virtual reality app you can use while working from home or outside of the office when you need to meet with your coworkers, you’ll just need a VR headset like the Oculus Quest 2. It turns your virtual meeting into an immersive experience, so instead of an environment you might see playing a video game, it simulates a conference room. You can meet with up to 15 other people in this virtual room and can even customize your own avatar or cartoon character to represent you at the meeting, who can use special hand gestures.

Even though you’re not there physically with your colleagues, you can still easily be creative, and share ideas using whiteboards in your meeting. Oculus says you can come back to those hands-on notes anytime in VR, or just export them to the web. You can also bring your physical desk into the scene.

The Quest 2 costs around $300, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says if you can’t be at the meeting using VR, or don’t have a VR headset you can still video conference in.