【are you for or against eroticism】

It's been almost two years since the coronavirus pandemic made remote working the norm,are you for or against eroticism yet tech companies are still rolling out overcomplicated collaboration tools nobody asked for in an attempt to capitalise on our Zoom malaise. Today's submission: Oculus Quest 2's Horizon Workrooms, now in free open beta.

Announced by Facebook on Thursday, Horizon Workrooms is a virtual meeting space that will let colleagues gather in VR and work from the same virtual "room." Workrooms include virtual whiteboards which you can export as an image, configurable room layouts, and the ability to use your computer in the virtual room via keyboard tracking and the Oculus Remote Desktop companion app. They literally put work in your work so you can work while you work.

"[Horizon Workrooms] is designed to improve your team’s ability to collaborate, communicate, and connect remotely, through the power of VR — whether that’s getting together to brainstorm or whiteboard an idea, work on a document, hear updates from your team, hang out and socialize, or simply have better conversations that flow more naturally," said Facebook in a press release.

If you decide to use a controller, Workrooms will let you wield it like a pen in its virtual space. However Horizon Workrooms also supports hand tracking, so you don't won't need to worry about a controller slipping from your sweaty palms while your boss chews you out more naturally thanks to glorious VR.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Workrooms is one of our first experiences that was designed from the start to use your hands, and not controllers, as your primary input," said Facebook.

SEE ALSO: The future of remote work is a lot like living in a video game

Of course, the fact that few workplaces are likely to provide all their employees with Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets means the actual audience for Facebook's new work platform is severely limited. Fortunately Facebook has thought of this, also making Horizon Workrooms available via the web so the lowly browser proles can mingle with the shining demigods of VR. One Horizons Workroom space can support up to 50 collaborators at once, including up to 16 privileged few in virtual reality.

Web users appear via video call on a virtual screen, so the interactivity isn't quite the same. However, everyone in a room can access the Workrooms web app regardless of VR status, providing a space to write notes, share links, and chat. It can also be synced with Outlook and Google Calendar.

Use your computer to use your Oculus to use your computer. Credit: Facebook

On the face of it, VR workspaces such as Horizon Workrooms seem like more of a novel distraction than a practical long-term tool. Though to be fair, pretty much everyone could use a distraction right now, and the break in monotony can prompt engagement and creativity. Plus you can customise your own Oculus Avatartoo, so that's fun. Horizon Workrooms' free open beta is available to download now.

Related Video: The future of VR is here with the Oculus Quest 2

Topics Virtual Reality

• Shopping
• Tech
• Entertainment
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Deals
• Life

• Best external hard drive deal:WD 5TB Elements for $114.99
• I Was Dreambox: Wearing a Sandwich Board for Art
• In My Copious Free Time...
• Watch Branden Jacobs
• We'll always, er, sorta, have the Paris Climate Agreement
• This Is the All
• Tracing the Evolution of the Gamine
• Staff Picks: Mantel, Kleeman, Burchfield
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for January 28: Tips to solve Connections #127
• Richard McGuire on “Here,” His Groundbreaking Graphic Novel

• See what California's relentless winds do the state's extreme fires
• People love this 'Great British Bake Off' contestant's unusual baking technique
• Facebook starts rolling out 'Unsend' feature in Messenger
• The definitive gift guide for the tech bro in your life
• Ted Danson learns how to floss dance on the set of 'The Good Place'
• 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' gets the internet mostly right: Review
• Samsung's next flagship might have a new AI chip, 8K video recording
• Critics slam Amazon's HQ2 deal as 'corporate welfare'
• What critics thought of 'Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck
• Here are the roles each of the Final Five would play in 'Hamilton'

• Elon Musk's DOGE.gov website can apparently be edited by anyone
• Remembering the Art of the 1990s
• Introducing Our New Video Series, “My First Time”
• Revisiting “Pickup on South Street”
• Then and Now: Six Generations of $200 Mainstream Radeon GPUs Compared
• When Cheever Thought Updike Was Dead
• When Cheever Thought Updike Was Dead
• Leon Golub’s “Riot” & the Art World’s Political Blindness
• Getting Started with Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts
• Václav Havel: Outtakes from an Interview by Adam Thirlwell

• The Best Sports Video Game of All Time
• Are Machines Changing Translation from an Art to a Science?
• Notes on Becoming Dust
• In Mika Rottenberg’s Video Art, Women at Work
• Best iPad deal: Save $70 on 10th Gen Apple iPad
• Are Machines Changing Translation from an Art to a Science?
• Notes on Becoming Dust
• Where We Live: David Graham’s Photos of American Homes
• Touring Logitech's Audio HQ
• “Holiday in the Protectorate” and the Ethics of Role