Facebook emojis to react on 360-degree videos on Samsung VR headset

Now you can use Facebook’s emoji reactions while watching 360-degree videos using Samsung’s virtual reality goggles. Facebook-owned Oculus announced the launch of 360-degree video reactions for the Gear VR headset today. You will also be able to see others' reactions float by on the screen.

Oculus originally touted the feature back in March when it first began letting Gear VR users sign into their Facebook accounts on the headset to get a personalized feed of stories. Oculus started supporting 360-degree photos earlier this month.

This is the first big tie-in between Oculus' Gear VR platform and the social network. Facebook bought Oculus in 2014, but it was slow in creating an influence. Last month, the company had announced that a dedicated social VR team was working on finding ways to use virtual reality to connect and share. It also integrated new streaming technology to improve the performance of 360-degree video.

Outside the Facebook integration, the Gear VR had earlier announced additional new social components. Users can create profiles through Oculus' Gear VR app, where they can find friends or leave app reviews. Users can create rooms to watch Twitch or Vimeo streams with friends, and there's a group trivia app, along with a cooperative multiplayer version of the Gear VR's third-person hack-n-slash game Herobound.

The company is still a long way away from providing full access to Facebook on VR, but adding actual social features makes the Facebook 360-degree feed less like just another video channel. Samsung is also pushing the Gear VR hard, and till March 18, the company shipped the headgear-free with all orders of Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.