If you’ve ever stared at the wall of your cubicle and wished it was a beautiful mountain landscape or a tranquil beach, you’re not alone. The same can be said if you’ve ever wished for far more monitors at work. If you belong to either of these camps, you’ve likely thought about working in VR. Thus far, the issue has been that most VR solutions only mirror what’s on your screens. SPACE is a change of pace from that crowd. Instead of mirroring your main or sub screens, SPACE provides you with a number of virtual workspaces (up to six in the free beta) that you can use simultaneously, turn to at a glance and move around as you see fit, and all with whatever backdrop you deem appropriate.
In its beta form, SPACE provides up to six browser windows for working, which can be moved around at will. The final version will support just about any PC application and any number of windows, so long as your computer has the RAM for it. If you so please, you can sit on a beach and play Metal Gear Solid 5 until your boss imports the new spreadsheet, then pause your game and, with a quick turn of your head, get to work. Applications will also be able to put 3D objects into your workspace that you can interact with using your hands or a VR controller, as long as you have the right hardware handy. If you need to focus on a single task, you can size up a window into Theater Mode.
For the time being, SPACE is only compatible with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. While smartphone-based VR solutions are unlikely due to power and latency concerns, other PC-based VR systems may be fair game at a later time, though the website has any mention of this possibility. The beta is available now via SPACE’s website, with plans for the final version to drop some time in the fall. A commercial version with more features targeted at the enterprise sector is in development as well, but no date was mentioned for when that may happen. In any case, if you’re interested in trying out the beta and have an Oculus or Vive, head through the source link for the free download.
