The big questions about Facebook’s new VR ads

Advertising is meeting a whole new dimension.

Facebook is trialling ads in its Oculus virtual reality headsets, after years of speculation it would do so.

The tech giant will now start appearing ads inside the Resolution Games title Blaston as well as two other unnamed apps.

This is despite the founder of the platform saying it would never do so.

Facebook will later expand the system based on user feedback, saying it aims to create a “self-sustaining platform” for VR development.

It said it would listen to feedback before launching virtual reality ads more widely and will continue testing new ad formats “that are unique to VR”.

Oculus says “We’re exploring new ways for developers to generate revenue – this is a key part of ensuring we’re creating a self-sustaining platform”

Currently, Facebook’s collected data either never leave your headset or is completely segmented from its advertising system, and it says it has “no plans” to do things like target ads based on movement data.

But as Facebook moves deeper into virtual and augmented reality, using its hardware’s special features for advertising will become an increasingly attractive prospect.