Meta Horizon Workrooms
By Sayan Chakraborty, Melvin He (Spring 2023)
VR Collaborative Workspace
Description
Getting on the same page starts with getting in the same (virtual) room. Horizon Workrooms is a VR workspace for teams to connect, collaborate and create like never before.
Features include:
Environment
Private Workspaces
Private rooms can be created and other users can be added by invite only using email or workrooms username. This creates a private space for collaboration and sharing information
Environment Manipulation
Can project user screen to a larger central screen for presentation
Multiple people can stand and annotate on the central screen
Can use joysticks as whiteboard markers
Can provide see-through keyboard for actual keyboard to be visible in VR
Movement
Can use hand tracking for accessibility
Can walk around the workspace
Other Features
Can start a meeting by inviting a friend to your virtual workspace
Built in audio chat feature with avatars
Keyboard tracking feature (calibrate virtual keyboard with real life keyboard)
Can join video meetings as your workroom avatar
Has whiteboard for people to annotate
Meetings in Workrooms support up to 50 total participants at once.
Up to 16 of those participants joining from VR.
Bring own desk to virtual workspace and share feature on board.
Pricing
Free in the beta version
Main Website
Compatibility
Oculus Quest 2 with PC, Mac, and Linux Support
May require Meta Quest Remote Desktop Setup
User Support FAQ
Feedback from In-Class Activity
Horizon Workspace In-Class activity can be found here
The class was asked to rate Immersed on a variety of categories using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest/best:
Set-Up Experience: Set-up experience was mixed, with some finding it easy and other very difficult (avg: 3, median: 3)
Controls: Controls were found to be somewhat intuitive, but not extremely so (avg: 3, median: 3)
Overall experience: Reviews of the overall experience were similarly mixed (avg: 2.5, median: 3)
General Feedback:
Controls took time to get used to and were difficult, especially the hand controls
Invitation and sign up with workrooms wasn't intuitive
People appreciated the shared space but wished they could have more screens