Facebook to bring 360-degree photos to the News Feed

Facebook will soon allow users to upload 360-degree photos on smartphones and web. In addition, the company also released it’s Gear VR stats for the first time, claiming that it has one million monthly users. With this update, users will be ale to upload flat panoramas or photos from a proper 360-degree camera. Oculus stated in a blog post, “In June, we’re introducing an updated design for Oculus Home on Gear VR. This new environment will roll out to everyone and make it easier to find your recently downloaded content so you can quickly jump into VR.” A report by TechCrunch explains that Facebook’s “360 Photos” feature will let people upload flat panoramas like those taken on iPhones, Google Photo Spheres or photos from 360 cameras. Facebook will later morph them into 360 Photos for the News Feed where users will be able to hold and drag to around the photos, or move their heads to look around them on the Gear VR as well. The best part would be that users no longer require designated hardware for the 360-degree videos and most smartphones can shoot for VR. [caption id=“attachment_314423” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image: Oculus[/caption] Oculus says that seven of the top ten most used apps are videos and, on any given day, nearly 80 percent of people who use Gear VR watch video content. One will also be able to explore Facebook 360 photos in VR from the Oculus 360 Photos app. In addition, one will also start to see a “What’s New” section and a revamped library in the Oculus mobile app to help users find new games and experiences. The report added, “With more intuitive content navigation, new ways to explore your photo memories, and exciting new content being developed every day, the VR ecosystem has never been more promising! We can’t wait to bring mobile VR to the next million.”