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Tag: horizon

  • Coronavirus: Social Games Replacing Hanging Out

    Coronavirus: Social Games Replacing Hanging Out

    As the coronavirus forces people to forgo hanging out in person, social gaming is gaining in popularity.

    According to report by NPR, social games are becoming the new way people hang out, providing interaction without the risk of infection. One such example is Discord, a communication platform popular with gamers that has seen a 200% increase in signups in the last week.

    Even games that are normally played in person are seeing growth, as families stay home. Jackbox Games CEO Mike Bilder told NPR that their traffic last weekend was “comparable to Thanksgiving weekend, which is a very busy time of year for us. Across the board we’ve just seen a lot of additional activity over a typical weekend.” The company has also released a guide to help people adapt and play their games remotely.

    Similarly, Facebook recently announced a closed beta of its Horizon virtual reality environment, an environment designed to allow users to visit, interact, cooperate on tasks, compete with each other and more. As the pandemic continues to progress, it’s a safe bet social games and virtual reality will only continue growing in popularity.

  • Facebook Horizon Enters Closed Beta Testing

    Facebook Horizon Enters Closed Beta Testing

    Facebook is accepting applications for a closed beta test of its Horizon virtual reality (VR) environment.

    Horizon is the company’s attempt to merge social media with VR. Horizon offers “an ever-expanding VR world where you can explore, play, and create in extraordinary ways.” The environment is designed to grow with the creations and contributions of its inhabitants.

    In addition to contributing to the environment’s growth, the social aspect comes into play in the form of competition, as well as teamwork. Participants can engage in 1v1 contests, or work together to accomplish goals.

    It’s obvious that Facebook is trying to establish a positive culture right off the bat, and avoid the toxic culture that has plagued many social media platforms. The company defines a Horizon citizen as someone who “is friendly, inclusive, and curious. They are open to new adventures and take advantage of the limitless possibilities of this world. There are many ways to play and create here – and Horizon citizens are enthusiastic of the countless kinds of fun to explore.” Horizon will also offer “Locals,” community guides whose job it is to welcome users and assist them in their endeavors.

    With Horizon scheduled for release on the Oculus Quest and the Rift Platform in 2020, Facebook is accepting applications for closed beta and encourages users to sign up.

  • App Looks to Kill Oft-Maligned Vertical Video Syndrome

    If your friends are always yelling at you for your vertically-oriented videos, a new app is offering a solution.

    The app is called Horizon, and it’s a video-shooting tool that promises one important thing – your videos will record in landscape mode no matter how you hold your phone.

    “Horizon lets you record horizontal videos no matter how you hold your device. Hold it upright, sideways or even keep rotating it while capturing, the video will always stay horizontal! You can add filters, shoot with the back or front camera and share your creations!” says its creators.

    With Horizon, you can cure yourself of vertical video syndrome.

    Of course, one may argue that this app will do little to rid the world of VVS, considering the videomaker would have to record their video inside the app in order to reap its benefits. To truly rid the world of VVS, Apple (and other companies) would have to build this sort of technology into their OS by default.

    I’m assuming you heard that, Apple.

    But some people simply record video at awkward angles and others just like the feel of holding their phones upright when shooting. For these mobile filmmakers, Horizon can provide proper landscape mode stabilization – and that’s a nice little tool.

    The app is available on iTunes for $0.99, if you’re interested.

    h/t Engadget
    Image via Horizon