As adoption of virtual reality (VR) grows, we are seeing more content developed exclusively for VR platforms. Facebook is, of course, keen to join in on this, and is getting ahead of the curve by producing a weekly talkshow produced entirely in VR.
Produced in conjunction with Slate, ‘Conundrums’ will feature actors and other celebrities join Slate’s Culture Editor as VR avatars while being questioned on a series of often quite odd questions. The first episode of the show had actress Carrie Preston, best known for her appearance in True Blood and The Good Wife.
Conundrums is the first professionally produced Facebook Live show, and makes use of the Facebook Spaces social VR app, which allows the audience to add their own comments in real-time.
Slate Editor in Chief Julia Turner spoke to Variety about the new show, saying: “We‘ve been looking at VR as a medium for journalism for the past several years,” she said. “However, most VR journalism is focused on empathy-inducing documentaries, something that didn’t quite gel with Slate’s opinion-focused brand.”
David Stern, Slate Director of Product added: “What you get in VR is in many ways very similar to what you get in podcasts,” he said, “It creates a kind of intimacy that feels very different from a video call,” she said. “It feels like you are in a new space together.”
Facebook Spaces introduced the option to stream live from the app on 12th July, making it possible for users to livestream their virtual world using a kind of virtual camera that they can position as they choose. Facebook Spaces is an attempt at making VR into a more social experience, though the app is still in Beta, Facebook are keen to promote it as part of its overall VR strategy.
VRFocus will bring you further information on Facebook Spaces as it becomes available.