Oculus’ Rift Core 2.0 update is now available in beta. The update includes three major parts, which were announced at this fall’s Oculus Connect convention: a revamped interface known as Dash; a customizable space called Home; and a feature called Oculus Desktop, which lets users access their Windows apps and desktop inside VR.
Oculus now lets you access the Windows desktop and build your own space in VR
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Previously, Oculus Home was a fixed virtual environment that was also the interface’s metaphorical home base: you’d visit to launch apps, but couldn’t do much in it. Now, users can add virtual objects to the space, starting with a catalog of a few hundred items. Some of these are available by default, and others are unlocked by earning in-game achievements, logging in each week, or performing other tasks.
Oculus says it will add more options later, including the ability to add your own objects, like sculptures from its Medium art program. For now, people can look around each other’s home spaces, and a future update is supposed to let users hang out in real time.
The new Dash interface, meanwhile, lets people access normal Oculus interface content as well as desktop apps, which appear as flat windows in the world. VR desktop apps existed already, but a simple baked-in option is an interesting addition for Rift users.
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