Facebook Launches Facebook 360 App For VR Content

Facebook has dabbled in virtual reality technology in the past for its users and they’ll soon have an easier way to find VR content. Facebook announced Wednesday the launch of Facebook 360, an app that’ll exclusively highlight VR content from other Facebook pages and users.

The app, which is free and currently available only on Samsung’s Gear VR and the Oculus store, separates content into four main sections. In the Explore tab, you’ll find VR content from media companies and other publishers. The Following tab will showcase videos and other images from your friends and pages you follow. The Saved tab archives VR content you find on other devices and bookmarks it for later viewing, while the Timeline section lets you revisit your own VR uploads.

In its release, Facebook, which owns Oculus, boasts that more than 25 million VR photos and 1 million VR videos have been posted to the social media network so far.

For Facebook — which, via Oculus, has significant investments in higher-end VR tech — the launch of Facebook 360 is aimed to make VR a more significant and seamless part of the Facebook experience. While hardware like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are more technically advanced VR devices, casual-friendly options like the Gear VR have a much lower cost of entry and are a popular way to introduce VR tech to general users. Having a central hub where people can easily check out VR content on Facebook neatly ties into the company’s larger goals for VR.