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Facebook has acquired Oculus VR for 2 Billion US Dollars

Dion Blaster said:
Of course they could end up integrating it heavily with their website which would be horrible, but it is much more likely that they are just diversifying their business, just like their purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram.
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Why is that much more likely? Instagram is a social media content sharing platform. Facebook doesn't even have to make any changes to it. Allow users to link Instagram and Facebook accounts - boom, instant benefit.

Oculus in its current form is not worth $2 billion to Facebook. A retail version of Oculus in its current form isn't either.
 
Jprobespierre said:
Unlike Sony, the only way Facebook can generate revenue is selling the data it collects and restricting content then selling bypasses to those restrictions. Facebook's standard operating procedure is monetization of every smelly orifice possible because it needs to justify growth.

Nothing Facebook as ever done in the past suggests that the Facebook OR will be as open as Sony's Morpheus. I'd rather have it be exclusive to a game console, then be exclusive to Facebook.

All Facebook did was kill the business model of Kickstarter. The days of giving someone more the $20 without any equity in return is over.

20% of their pre-series B venture funding is crowd sourced. They raised an addition $75 million during series B, which surely helped then sell off to Facebook.

In terms of real world numbers, That $2.4 million in crowd sourced investment is now worth $53 million. 99% of the people who donated money did not intend for them to sellout to a immoral cesspool like Facebook.

But that's cool, keep believing that Facebook will be good for OR. Odds are it will just be marketed to baby boomers who want to wallow in their own world while wondering if their "shitty" children will ever call them. Perhaps if they quit being passive aggressive fucks and pick up the phone once in a while...
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totally honest question. which of these 4 would you prefer? occulus rift making movey via:

- ad revenue
- data collection
- licencing fees levied on developers
- higher msrp on the device

or some combination of those things?

personally, id take number 4, but there's very few super big players (billion dollar +) that operate on that alone. in fact, i can't thank of any.
 
Seanspeed said:
Huh? I was talking about people being worried because they don't know what this means for Oculus.

Anyways, if you're excited about VR but hate Facebook so much that you'd refuse to buy a Rift because of it, then fair enough. My take would be that its not worth limiting your enjoyment of a revolutionary new entertainment medium because of a petty grievance with a social networking site, but hey, that's just me. You are free to do as you please.


Its the same exact rumor floating around we've heard already(and had two threads about).
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And their pebble-splashing of a stand will go unnoticed and 6 months later they'll cave and buy two. One for playing and one to keep CIB.
 
Mindwipe said:
The Verge reports that Facebook will be rebranding the entire interface and device before launch.

That's a much bigger task that adding a security gate to the motion API that requires a dev certificate attached to a developer account. Which then requires a developer licence where you're obliged to stay within the Facebook Platform Guidelines.

Which, just in case we forget, say that Facebook can pull anything for any reason and pictures of breastfeeding are worthy of censorship.
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But when, in a timeframe, does this horrible stuff start happening? How long is it not open? While still connecting to the PC?

And what interface? I start my game or app, and then put on the headset. It's a ways off before there's any need for it to be the other way around.

EDIT: Wasn't Oculus also planning on rebranding the device (certainly design-wise it was)? I'm still not sure what interface facebook is redesigning though...Is there already an interface in place? Any video of it??
 
man, 5,000 posts about the oculus FB merger, yet the actual oculus thread has probably half or less than that. everyone got an opinion, but i wonder how many own or have even tried the rift. craziest thread i've ever seen.....

even if oculus doesn't deliver the quintessential VR experience, be excited that this merger will bring VR into the consumer subconscious. the mainstream will eventually want VR hardware like any other flashy tech piece, and by that time more players will have entered the VR hardware market. developers should be going nuts knowing they pretty much have a new huge market to make and sell games to. no more fear of VR not catching on.
 
Angry Fork said:
Hope there's a mass exodus of Oculus devs to Valve or Sony teams.



Thousand dollar suit wearers who don't know shit about or care about gaming and want to do nothing more than sell ads/your personal info bought something that was supposed to be a revolution in gaming. They will crush all potential or divert it to something else entirely if gaming doesn't net enough money.

I want you people who say mainstreaming something is a good thing to explain to me how. It has never been the case in the history of any great idea/tech. Check all music/bands who sign to labels that fuck up their original sound, movie franchises that get new screenwriters/actors and are exploited, TV shows that are stretched into as many episodes as possible for ads, gaming franchises that have taken on qualities of other games we're bored with instead of being it's own thing, the # of developers/studios shut down or turned to shit soon after huge companies take over. Every cool new thing for enthusiasts ends up being diluted by these people. Don't even have to get into the NSA bullshit.

Valve feels like the only place left with a direct line to gamers, who know exactly what we're like and what we want and have no problem enacting that vision. I like Sony but their device will likely not be as friendly to PC or open for everyone who wants to tinker with it.

This is so dumb and sad.
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Great post.
 
amdnv said:
If the hardware is not continually supported, with drivers, support and hardware upgrades, games will not (continue to) be developed.

It's possible that the product launches with specifications similar to what Oculus VR intended. But even if that's the case, I expect Facebook to eventually drop this specific product because it wants to steer the technology in another direction.
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One of the things that Oculus have been praised for, and what they have spent a long time working on are their development tools. I see no benefit for Facebook dropping support for the product to "steer the technology" in another direction. They don't need to steer the technology in any direction, they just need to provide the tools and the development community will do the rest. The whole potential of VR is that it can go in virtually any direction.

They'll also need to provide a storefront for VR-based apps, and this in my mind will be where they monetize and turn Oculus into a service. But I don't think that in any way detracts from its use as a gaming peripheral.
 
Sethista said:
Guys, guys... holy shit guys...


Facebook May Rebrand and Redesign Oculus Rift
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/26/facebook-may-rebrand-and-redesign-oculus-rift

196w0q319cfm6gif.gif
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WH0nKh2.jpg


If that happens I wonder if he will keep his word.
 
FiggyCal said:
The New York Times also reported it.

FYI The New York Times is about as legit as you can get.
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"According to a person involved in the deal who was not allowed to speak publicly because he was not authorized by either company, Facebook eventually plans to redesign the Oculus hardware and rebrand it with a Facebook interface and logo."

There is no facts here, only hearsay from someone who "MIGHT" be part of the deal. This is confirmation of nothing, and shitty reporting.
 
KHarvey16 said:
What a bunch of nonsense.
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Facebook themselves have admitted that organic exposure is dying and they are now herding entities into buying exposure for their posts.

Essentially since they went public and had to justify their price to their shareholders they have had to cultivate new ways of generating revenue, one of those ways is to allow entities to purchase exposure for their posts. Facebook has coded their algorithms for wall posts so that those who pay get prime exposure. Those that don't, get buried and have trouble reaching their audience even if they are friends.

Facebook is in the business of making money, by any means necessary while alienating as few people as possible at every turn. This purchase alienates those who wanted the OR for gaming, not for the old people who yearn to go back to the olden days, their childhood.

I can see it now... "60's Ville", where the drinking fountains are segregated and your wife is submissive.
 
Jprobespierre said:
Unlike Sony, the only way Facebook can generate revenue is selling the data it collects and restricting content then selling bypasses to those restrictions. Facebook's standard operating procedure is monetization of every smelly orifice possible because it needs to justify growth.

Nothing Facebook as ever done in the past suggests that the Facebook OR will be as open as Sony's Morpheus. I'd rather have it be exclusive to a game console, then be exclusive to Facebook.

All Facebook did was kill the business model of Kickstarter. The days of giving someone more the $20 without any equity in return is over.

20% of their pre-series B venture funding is crowd sourced. They raised an addition $75 million during series B, which surely helped then sell off to Facebook.

In terms of real world numbers, That $2.4 million in crowd sourced investment is now worth $53 million. 99% of the people who donated money did not intend for them to sellout to a immoral cesspool like Facebook.

But that's cool, keep believing that Facebook will be good for OR. Odds are it will just be marketed to baby boomers who want to wallow in their own world while wondering if their "shitty" children will ever call them. Perhaps if they quit being passive aggressive fucks and pick up the phone once in a while...
Click to expand...

Facebook does not sell your data. They sell targeted advertising.

OR will not be exclusive to Facebook's ecosystem.

Oculus is still a Kickstarter success. Backers got dev kits, consumers will get a great product.
 
NathanMcMahon said:
Agreed. I think the most ironic thing would be the fuck-turd rabid gaming community eats its own and is the eventual downfall of the whole hobby. They'll probably blame Microsoft or whatever other bogeyman exists at the time.
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Except that a notable portion of the "fuck-turd gaming community" has already observed the quality of gaming as experiencing a decline for years now for a number of reasons. Portions of this industry are already in freefall if not at the very bottom, regardless of any healthy signs the industry as a whole is giving off including the good ps4/xbone sales.
 
Oculus Rift is an awesome name for a game device, not so apropiate for a what facebook want to do with it besides gaming.

I think they will stay with the same name for the gaming VR and pick other names depending on the applications.
 
Sub_Level said:
Except that a notable portion of the "fuck-turd gaming community" has already observed the quality of gaming as experiencing a decline for years now for a number of reasons. Portions of this industry are already in freefall if not at the very bottom, regardless of any healthy signs the industry as a whole is giving off including the good ps4/xbone sales.
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Yeah, I don't base the success of the gaming industry on "nuanced" feelings from rabid die-hards. Quality is subjectively measured and the mewling of a vocal minority don't really mean shit. Of course that's opinion but I'm sure I'll hear someone tell me I'm wrong.
 
Chili said:
They don't need to steer the technology in any direction, they just need to provide the tools and the development community will do the rest.
The whole potential of VR is that it can go in virtually any direction.
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Yes, but when a big player enters the arena with $2 billion, it won't let others decide on the direction. Which is exactly why I hate this acquisition.
 
amdnv said:
Yes, but when a big player enters the arena with $2 billion, it won't let others decide on the direction. Which is exactly why I hate this acquisition.
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You are making stuff up and yelling at clouds. There is literally ZERO information that even remotely leans toward the stuff you've been saying in this thread. You're just being hyperbolic.
 
Auto-Reply said:
He can't and will be asked to leave the company if he doesn't follow suit, not saying this will happen though!
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the only thing palmer saying here as a fact is that you wont have to log into a FB account to use the rift. are you guys attributing the user comments and questions to palmer too? he's responding to questions and comments. he not saying he's done. responding to someone else saying that. not sure what's big here.
 
Jprobespierre said:
Facebook themselves have admitted that organic exposure is dying and they are now herding entities into buying exposure for their posts.

Essentially since they went public and had to justify their price to their shareholders they have had to cultivate new ways of generating revenue, one of those ways is to allow entities to purchase exposure for their posts. Facebook has coded their algorithms for wall posts so that those who pay get prime exposure. Those that don't, get buried and have trouble reaching their audience even if they are friends.

Facebook is in the business of making money, by any means necessary while alienating as few people as possible at every turn. This purchase alienates those who wanted the OR for gaming, not for the old people who yearn to go back to the olden days, their childhood.

I can see it now... "60's Ville", where the drinking fountains are segregated and your wife is submissive.
Click to expand...

Did you mean to address what I said? I'm having trouble figuring it out. You claim that selling data and selling the ability to get around content restrictions are the ONLY way for Facebook to make money from this. Obviously that ignores all the other ways they could make money using the Rift, so I told you it was nonsense. I'm not sure why you responded with whatever that post was.
 
FiggyCal said:
Surprised no one has mentioned how entitled gamers are either. That usually happens around the same time.
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i will, because tbh, this whole fiasco is the perfect example of the entitled gamer syndrome. especially the people saying 'fuck you traitor' directly to the guy on reddit.
 
Wow. This is HUGE news that came out of nowhere. My initial reaction was certainly disappointment like most of you. I'm really not a fan of Facebook. But I'm trying to be optimistic now; maybe Facebook's resources really will enable the Rift to be more affordable and feature-rich. At the very least, I don't see many negative consequences (such as excessive Facebook branding or integration) until at least a couple of years after the Rift launches.
 
This thread turned into people complaining about people complaining... If you disagree, post all your optimistic opinions, why tell them their complaints are nonsense..
 
raebodep said:
WH0nKh2.jpg


If that happens I wonder if he will keep his word.
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Now that is a solid statement. To bad the ship of short-term redemption has already sailed, the hate will remain for at least a month.

Well, all publicity is good publicity I guess.

E: Wait, the 'I'm Done' is part of the question. Eh, still a solid answer, but not the one that is necessary to calm people down.
 
amdnv said:
If the hardware is not continually supported, with drivers, support and hardware upgrades, games will not (continue to) be developed.

It's possible that the product launches with specifications similar to what Oculus VR intended. But even if that's the case, I expect Facebook to eventually drop this specific product because it wants to steer the technology in another direction.
Click to expand...

That's nonsense. But even if it's not, I don't need nor care what company name is on the VR devices I buy for my games. Whether that name is Oculus, Facebook, Sony, Nvidia, ASUS, or whoever, it doesn't matter.

Facebook/Oculus NEED PC gamers with high end PCs to make VR a viable medium, before they can do the other things they want to do. They need gaming to take off FIRST.

Once it has, if they leave the PC gaming market, another company can fill the gap they leave in the market.

Once the bugs are worked out, the Rift won't need continual support from Oculus/Facebook to get continual support from developers any more than your monitor or Xbox 360 controller need continual support from their manufacturers. The DK2 already works. Once the SDK and drivers are where they need to be for that hardware software support will continue no matter which direction Facebook steer Oculus in.

Short term (the next two or three years) we are only looking at upside. Long term, over the next decade we may be looking at Oculus slowly changing into something we don't want them to be, but by then it won't matter at all, because VR gaming will be an established market, no matter what other VR markets emerge.

Sony have already shown that another company can come in to the space. If you really thought it was only ever going to be Sony and Oculus, you are really underestimating the size that this market is going to grow into. PC gaming will always be a part of it, even if Oculus turn their back on it.
 
harrytang said:
the only thing palmer saying here as a fact is that you wont have to log into a FB account to use the rift. are you guys attributing the user comments and questions to palmer too? he's responding to questions and comments. he not saying he's done. responding to someone else saying that. not sure what's big here.
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I don't know what will happen and i'm actually not that concerned anymore. I try to see all that in a positive way. But as far as i can tell he is now an employee of Facebook and doesn't have the last word if things go south.

ed. yeah you were right with your assumption about how i've read that. That said, the situation itself is as it is.
 
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