Facebook’s Messenger platform used to be pretty much about just sending messages. However it has evolved over time where users can send and receive money from friends, make phone calls, and also make video calls. In fact Facebook has recently pushed out an update that will beef up its video chats.
This will come in the form of the use of augmented reality (AR) games where users can play games with each other using just their faces. One of those games is Asteroids Attack where players will need to steer a spaceship around obstacles using nothing but their nose, and the other is Don’t Smile which is essentially a hi-tech version of the good old fashioned staring contest. There are expected to be more games included in the future.
Granted these aren’t necessarily games aimed at hardcore gamers, but they are a good way of showing off what AR technology can do. This is also not the first time Facebook has dabbled in the tech as last year they started to allow developers to create AR experiences in the in-app camera.
Earlier this year it was also discovered that AR-based ads in the News Feed were being tested, so if anything the roll out of AR onto Messenger hardly comes as a surprise.
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