Facebook sets up 'social VR' team to explore virtual reality beyond games

Mark Zuckerberg surprises Samsung Mobile World Congress event to reveal that 'people have already watched more than a million hours of video in Gear VR'

Facebook has created a "social VR" team to explore virtual-reality technology's potential beyond games, as it prepares for the consumer launch of its Oculus Rift VR headset.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed the plans in a surprise appearance at Samsung's Mobile World Congress press conference, while talking up the popularity of 360-degree videos on Facebook, and on Samsung's Gear VR headset - which uses technology from Oculus.