Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg thinks a billion people will use VR

Can virtual reality take off? Mark Zuckerbergboss FacebookOculus buyers seem to believe this ironically. The creator of the world’s largest social network set an ambitious goal at its annual developer conference, Oculus Connect – but didn’t set a date for achieving it. He seems convinced that he can convince a billion people to use a virtual reality headset. A billion… is that half of Facebook’s user base?

Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg believes a billion people will embrace VR

However, virtual reality still suffers from several disadvantages. First, there is the technology itself, which may annoy a certain number of people in use. But it’s also the price – and it’s not just the helmet itself that already represents an investment. The rear machine also needs to be very powerful, which increases the technological cost of entry. Facebook seems to have thought of this and is introducing a new fully autonomous headset called the Oculus Go, which retails for $199.

Facebook relies on apps for this, not just games. “Most people will never be able to go to space, but they can in VR,” explains Hugo Barra, head of the Oculus division. He also mentioned doctors using VR to prepare for their surgeries as a possible application. And it welcomes over 100 million downloads. But frankly, these announcements resonate strangely, especially after the extremely awkward demonstration of virtual reality two days ago.

Mark Zuckerberg had to demonstrate the ease of use of Facebook Spaces and had a good idea for a trip to Puerto Rico, the island devastated by Hurricane Maria. A bit of the same opinion as “Puerto Rico is very difficult to access right now but you can get there in VR”. We even see in the video that Mark Zuckerberg’s avatar grabs a 360° report and immerses himself in it. Of course, the video generated strong reactions – especially when we can see the smiling avatars of the hosts amid the rubble…

But undoubtedly the most interesting reaction is Internet users wondering if information will actually be consumed in this way in the future. And do you think VR can really convince a billion people in the medium term?