Your Facebook news feed just became much more immersive. You’re no longer a passive audience member. Facebook Inc. has upgraded its news feed video playback capabilities to bring 360-degree videos to its massive user base. 360-degree videos allow viewers to be active participants in the video watching experience. Filmed with special cameras that capture a complete 360-degree view, these videos aren’t constrained by a film director’s static view. Instead, they allow a completely dynamic view, controlled by each individual audience member. When viewed on the Facebook website, users can shift their view by clicking and dragging on the video itself. You can see what’s happening to the left, or above you, or spin all the way around to see what’s happening in the rear. The Facebook Android app allows users to watch 360-degree videos as well. Panning around the video is as easy as dragging the video with your finger, or simply tilting and rotating the Android device. The immersive cinematic experience really does draw you into the scene. When you watch a 360-degree video, you’re the director. You could watch the same video over and over, and have a unique experience each time, simply by looking in different directions at different times during playback. Depending on how many of your friends have the costly 360-degree cameras necessary to create these videos, it may be awhile before you see many personal 360-degree videos. In the meantime, Facebook has several exciting 360-degree video publishing partners that will keep you entertained.

What is it like to cruise across the Tatooine desert in a landspeeder? You can visit the Star Wars Facebook page to find out. Star Wars is one of Facebook’s 360-degree video launch partners, and they created a 360-degree video that allows users to scan the entire horizon from the cockpit of a landspeeder. The scene actually takes place in the Jakku desert from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Who knows if there are any hidden Easter eggs that might give clues about the film. That’s one of the fun features of 360-degree videos — there are so many hiding places for bonus content. An explosion might draw your attention to the left, but if you look to the right instead, maybe you’ll see something that most people miss. If you want to try to see everything there is to see, here’s a tip I just discovered. You can pause the video and continue to look around in any direction. There’s a lot to see, and not just from Star Wars. Facebook also recruited Discovery, GoPro, LeBron James & Uninterrupted, NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and VICE as 360-degree video launch partners.

Facebook is playing catch up to YouTube, which introduced 360-degree videos earlier this year. Even though it’s late to the party, Facebook has two major advantages that could help it leapfrog YouTube to become the top provider of 360-degree videos. First, its acquisition of Oculus gives it a hardware and software advantage. Oculus is in the business of 360-degree immersive video for its virtual reality headset. Facebook can capitalize on that, and promote that complementary relationship. The Oculus headset would allow users to pan around 360-degree Facebook videos naturally, by turning their necks and looking around. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oculus could eventually be used as its own Facebook app, allowing users to glance down to scroll down their news feed, and reach forward to touch and activate a 360-degree video. It’s second, and most important advantage, is the Facebook news feed itself, with its auto playing videos. YouTube has a phenomenal selection of 360-degree videos, but unless you’re searching for them, you may not ever come across one. Facebook, on the other hand, provides a constant stream of entertainment via its news feed, and as users discover and share 360-degree videos with their friends, they’ll be impossible to miss. If you haven’t seen one yet, go check it out. For now, 360-degree videos are only viewable on the Facebook website, and on the Facebook Android app. You heard that right. For once, iOS users will have to wait. But not for too long. 360-degree videos will be available on iPhones and iPads in the coming months.

Photo and Moving Picture credit: Winston Edmondson