Facebook has announced a new name for its AR/VR group as it looks to the next stage for digitally connected platforms and social networks.

As Facebook explains:

“Today we are introducing a new name for Facebook’s AR/VR team, Facebook Reality Labs (FRL), to encompass the expansive work being done at Facebook as we build the next computing platform. to help people feel more present with each other, even when we’re apart.”

Virtual reality and augmented reality tools are quickly becoming a more important part of the Facebook experience, and it looks like they will become even more significant elements in the future.

In fact, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, sales of Facebook’s Oculus VR headset far exceeded expected demand, with Facebook even having trouble keeping up with orders at one stage. Facebook has also seen strong demand for its Portal home video chat device, which isn’t specifically aligned with AR/VR use, but does enable AR functionality through video calls.

And we’re only touching the real early stages of the next platform change. A bigger progression for Facebook will be the development of its own AR glasses, which we haven’t heard much about, but are definitely in serious development.

Facebook points out AR glasses specifically in its ad:

“Together, AR and VR will change the way we work, interact and play, with novel use cases we haven’t even begun to imagine. Many of the technologies needed to deliver on the promise of AR glasses don’t yet exist, and our team is working hard to make them come true, that’s why we’ve decided to expand the FRL brand beyond research to include all the teams that are building, iterating, and shipping today’s hardware and software on the path to the next computing platform.”

Facebook previewed its AR glasses at its F8 Developer Conference in 2018, but offered few details at the time about where they were in development.

Last year, a patent was filed that provided more insight into Facebook’s AR device plans, while earlier this year Facebook also acquired micro LED supplier Plesseywhich is one of the few companies that can provide the key components needed to make functional AR glasses a reality.

All of which suggests that Facebook is making significant strides toward functional AR-enabled glasses, as well as slimmer, more advanced VR glasses and tools to better facilitate connection within these new digital realms.

All of these projects will now come under the Facebook Reality Labs banner, bringing the various elements together in a sequence to better align the overall vision.

In addition to this, Facebook has also announced that it is annual The Facebook Connect (formerly Oculus Connect) conference will take place virtually on September 16 and will be free to all. Here, Facebook will show off its latest advancements, and while it may not provide many details about its AR glasses just yet (because Google and Apple are also developing their own AR devices), it will provide a broader perspective on what Facebook’s new mixed reality Labs is working.

Make no mistake, AR and VR will be the future of digital connection. It can still feel a long way off, a vision from a sci-fi script. But we are approaching the next stage, and Facebook’s merger of its various teams will help it move forward with this change.