Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook stated, while speaking at F8 that the company is trying to seize on the technology, i.e. Augmented Reality, a mix of the real and digital worlds well known from the hit smartphone game Pokemon Go.
At the company’s annual conference for software developers, Zuckerberg said Facebook was an obvious hub for businesses to reach people and experiment with augmented reality, although he did not suggest the company was planning to make similar games itself.
The game, Pokemon Go, jointly developed by Nintendo Co and Niantic Inc, has generated masses of followers around the world as players use their phones to capture animated characters that appear in real locations.
As per Zuckerberg, a recent push by Facebook to add camera features to its suite of smartphone apps will help the company popularize similar features.
A company, that gave a platform for college students to see pictures of each other, Facebook’s move toward augmented reality represents another step in its long evolution. It also raises the stakes for its competition with rival Snap Inc.
Zuckerberg stated that people could use the technology to leave a virtual note for a friend at a bar, or to find virtual street art on a wall that in real life is blank.He explained, people would use augmented reality on eyewear, although he did not give any details about possible Facebook hardware.
It was in 2014 that Facebook acquired its Oculus virtual reality goggles unit for $2 billion, although that division is a long way from making a mass-market product or contributing significantly to the company’s earnings.
While addressing during the conference, Zuckerberg disclosed shortcomings on another major project, Facebook’s push into video. He stated that the service needed to do more to prevent the spread of violent videos.
