Facebook acquires Downpour Interactive, the studio behind VR shooter 'Onward'

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Facebook continues to grow its Oculus Studios stable with its latest acquisition. The company has just bought Downpour Interactive, the developer behind the virtual reality shooter Onward. Facebook hasn't revealed the deal's financial terms, but it mentioned that it purchased the entire studio.

According to Downpour and Facebook, they plan to support Onward on all the platforms it is currently available, which includes Steam. Downpour intends to work on new projects, but it won't share any details on what these might be. But its team hopes to "bring those experiences to as many people as possible."

Source: Engadget

Instagram Live goes after Clubhouse with options to mute, turn off video

Instagram

We know Facebook is adamant about taking on audio-only chat app Clubhouse, and it looks like the company found a way through its popular app, Instagram. Instagram Live is getting a new feature that will let users mute their microphones or turn off their video while they're on Live. According to Instagram, these features are meant to give hosts "more flexibility" during their live stream while taking off the pressure of having to look or sound some way while broadcasting live. But as TechCrunch observed, it's just one more way for Facebook to use Clubhouse's playbook for its platform.

Right now, hosts can't turn on or off for their guests or mute them as well. But Instagram said it is working on "offering more of these types of capabilities" to broadcasters. And these features are reportedly coming out soon. Instagram tested these new features during a recent Instagram Live between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram Head Adam Mosseri.

Spotify gets a new mini player in Facebook's mobile apps

Spotify

Now, you no longer have to leave the Facebook app to listen to songs or podcasts recommended on your feed. Spotify is rolling out this feature to its iOS and Android apps in 27 countries, including Canada. The first time you use the player, there will be a prompt asking you to connect the music and social apps. You'll be asked to sign in if you haven't yet.

As you play audio content, the mini player lives on the bottom of the interface just above the navigation icons. You'll see an album or show artwork and title and artist info. Premium subscribers get the full functionality of the player, while free users have access to shuffle mode. There will also be ads playing for free Spotify subscribers, as what happens on the Spotify app. Those without Spotify accounts will get a 30-second preview of the track.

Source: Spotify | Via: Engadget

Facebook's Fidji Simo expounds on the company's upcoming audio offerings at Collision Conference 2021

Photo by Joshua Hoehne/Unsplash

As you might have heard, Facebook is working on several audio-only products rolling out in the future. So, it makes sense that Fidji Simo, the head of the Facebook app, will talk about these offerings at this year's Collision Conference. 

According to Simo, Facebook's goal with its new products and its approach with developing products is that they "aim to understand what people are trying to do and make it easy for them."

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