Facebook To Get Sprinkled With Sims Magic As It Hires New Head Of VR

Beacon Transcript- Facebook reveals new head for its Social VR department as Rachel Rubin Franklin will sprinkle some Sims magic on the company’s VR dream.

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, recently announced during the Oculus Connect the company’s plans to dabble in virtual reality. The Internet giant seeks to not only make virtual reality (VR) a more socially inclined plain but also to use its advantages in long distance relations. This goes to show that Facebook is planning on using VR in order to facilitate a connection between far-apart family and friends.

Rachel Rubin Franklin can boast with quite a number of previous success and a vast knowledge in the domain as Maxis senior VP and Sims 4 executive producer. Her work experience resume also includes OnLive, the cloud gaming startup and Activision, the game studio.

Facebook’s interest in the virtual reality has increased its attention both in the research and in the technology required. Although the Oculus failed to live up to its expectations due to its motion track issues, a number of other interesting projects are in the making or about to be released.

With the Touch controllers being scheduled for release in early December, and social experiences such as Facebook’s Social VR and Toybox on the way, the company is starting to increase its investments in the VR domain.

Facebook’s new idea of trying to implement VR into social relations and websites may appear very odd when taking into consideration the technology required in order to access VR. As most such systems require not only headphone, so as to block outside sounds, but also a headset, a more isolated experience seems hard to find.

But Facebook declares that a headset will not be required in order to access their Social VR and is trying  to keep the experience environment-inclusive. As their presented demo goes to show, the future VR will be sprinkled with Sims magic as the avatars will be able to interact and play games with other players, they will change their facial expressions thanks to the use of VR gesture features and also answer Messenger calls whilst sporting the headset.

The team, which now includes Franklin, will have its work cut out for it as they will have to create a life-like environment that will allow for natural social features and also replace current alternatives like Messenger.

Franklin and the rest of the team will have to infuse quite a lot of Sims magic into their work in order for it to succeed, but their gathered experience coupled with the Oculus Connect project goes to show that Facebook is really trying to raise VR from its current, restricted level to a more social, large scale use.

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