The company is rolling out the ability to hang out in Hyperscape rooms with your friends.

Meta's Hyperscape Now Transforms Your Living Room into a Social VR Space

Meta’s impressive, photorealistic digital replicas of real places, created using its "Hyperscape" capture technology, have previously been solitary experiences. This innovative tech utilizes the cameras on a Quest 3 or Quest 3S VR headset to scan a room, generating a highly detailed virtual twin. Until now, exploring a virtual rendition of your home – or perhaps even a celebrity chef’s kitchen like Gordon Ramsay’s – was a solo endeavor. However, starting this week, Meta is introducing the capability to share links that will allow others to join you in Hyperscape rooms, whether they are using a Quest 3 or 3S VR headset or the Meta Horizon mobile app.

According to aMeta blog post, up to eight individuals will initially be able to concurrently occupy a Hyperscape environment, with plans to expand this capacity in the future. Furthermore, Meta is enhancing Hyperscape worlds by"moving rendering on-device"and incorporatingaudio, promising a more immersive and responsive experience.

Gradual Rollout and Preparation

It's important to note that users may experience a waiting period before gaining access to this new social feature. Meta's blog post advises readers to"please sit tight"if they don't see the feature immediately.Meta spokesperson Rachel Holmconfirmed that the rollout will occur"gradually to all users over the next few months."Additionally, Holm clarified that once the feature becomes available to you, you will need to rescan any existing space to enable it to be shareable with friends.

Meta's Vision for a Connected Metaverse

This new functionality is a key component of Meta’s expansive vision for the metaverse, which aims to blend immersive gaming with realistic digital versions of real-world spaces. As Meta describes,"As the metaverse continues to take shape, we think a vibrant mix of experiences is key. Some days you might want to immerse yourself in an otherworldly adventure, which is where our vast library of VR apps and worlds comes into play. And other days, you might want to visit a digital replica of a physical space you might not have the opportunity to see otherwise. Or you might want to spend quality time with friends someplace a little closer to home. That’s what Hyperscape makes possible. By bringing you together in realistic digital replicas of physical spaces with the people who matter most, Hyperscape can make your experiences in the metaverse more meaningful and fun. In the future, we’re excited to see what creators build by mixing styles and approaches."

Having previously experienced rooms scanned with the Hyperscape Capture app earlier this year, the visual fidelity was remarkably impressive. To get a sense of what these spaces look like, you cancheck out this YouTube video; the level of detail showcased is highly similar to what was observed in personal demonstrations.