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[flyinpiranha]

So Palmer Luckey is already being contradicted by his new boss.

Where's he contradicting? You don't think there was going to be social applications or a FaceRift already in the works? Somebody already was making something like that as a small developer and how do you think they were going to make money?

I don't see how they can close the market on the device from developers. It's a display, this isn't a PS4 or XB1, "it" doesn't play the games. You still need a PC, you still need to buy a game, this is just how it is displayed.

1 in a million: INCREASED SPECS FOR DK2!

/not happening

 

[Thaumaturgic Tomato]

I'd take financial security for my family as well, of course, but the following is still funny. Just days ago this article below.

Apparently there IS a number after all, heh

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-02-28-vr-palmer-luckeys-quest-to-change-the-world

"As long as Oculus remains in the spotlight and continues to impress, rumors will be running rampant. Some people think Microsoft, Google, Apple or any number of tech or gaming firms will purchase Oculus. And you can bet some have already tried. For now, Luckey insists that he's staying independent.

"We want to do things our way. There are certainly people who are interested... but we have a vision for our consumer product and we know that we're going to be able to pull it off. We don't want to be assimilated into someone who's going to have us working on their own product or their own vision of VR - we want to be able to deliver our own vision of what VR is," he said.

So even if a company like Amazon made a huge offer, it wouldn't matter? "Nobody can say it doesn't matter - everyone has a number," Luckey admitted. "But I don't think there's a reasonable number that would make me say, 'You know I was going to change the world with VR and try to change humanity forever but here's a number. It really is about making sure that we get to deliver our vision of consumer virtual reality.""

I'm sure Facebook paid $2,000,000,000 to not input "their own vision."

My initial reaction is sad in regards to the gaming industry with the news. The Rift's image is not longer that of a a gaming project. It is Facebook literally on your face. AAA gaming is gonna be pushed away from the Rift. Facebook will be the GFWL of VR. I just wanted a 3D view of incredible worlds. Facebook is going to force the real world into it with social network, ad, "meta" crap. Facebook doesn't care about evolving gaming tech.

Oculus should stop saying they're independent. They're Facebook now.

I was so excited about Rift as a monitor. Yes, a gaming monitor. An incredible gaming monitor. I hope my fears of Facebook inhibiting gaming growth on the device are laid to rest in time.

 

[Sentenza]

Ads can exist within the realm of virtual markets that are independent of the hardware itself.

Where's he contradicting?

Did you even read the whole thing?
He was just reassuring people on Reddit that "this deal will allow them to invest a lot more on top-tier hardware" and then Mark comes and he says to the investors "We don't know fuck about the hardware nor we care about it, but I can see big chances to put some social stuff and ads on this thing".

 

[Nzyme32]

Palmer: This deal specifically lets us greatly lower the price of the Rift.

 

[krypt0nian]

It's cute that he thinks he has a say in any of this now.

 

[RCSI]

So Palmer Luckey is already being contradicted by his new boss.

Listening to the investor call, he appears to be talking about the long term platform (i.e. 5-10 year thing). In other words, Facebook, more specifically Mark, wants this to become a good platform and if any facebook integration will occur with VR, it will not affect the CV1 or even CV2. Even Palmer Luckey's answer about their milestones is shaped on what their goals are as a company, not Facebooks.

 

[Gaogaogao]

if fb wanted to 'invest' then they wouldnt have bought Oculus wholesale

 

[Don Lapre]

I can predict how the boycotts are going to go

 

[Wasdie]

Did you even read the whole thing?
He was just reassuring people on Reddit that "this deal will allow them to invest a lot more on top-tier hardware" and then Mark comes and he says to the investors "We don't know fuck about the hardware nor we care about it, but I can see big chances to put some social stuff and ads on this thing".

Facebook isn't the one dealing with the hardware directly. They have no interest in that. They are having Oculus deal with the hardware.

Pretty clear they are just trying to ensure the success of VR so they can capitalize off of it heavily in the future.

Why the fuck would the run a product into the ground before it's even launched? How is that a smart use of their investment.

 

[Beant]

His answers are surreal. He could be fired from the operation tomorrow and have no say about anything if zuckerberg went bipolar, right?

How can he guarantee this shit? Its my understand that Facebook has the final say on everything no matter what.

Am I wrong here?

 

[KePoW]

Quite frankly, why does he have to answer to any random person? People are either too whiny or just jealous.

Lots of people sell their companies in all fields of business. What's the big fucking deal. Forum gamers are major complainers

 

[wwm0nkey]

Palmer: This deal specifically lets us greatly lower the price of the Rift.

Good news there

 

[Afrodium]

My response was trying to illustrate how comparing Facebook as a gaming platform to something like a High-end PC or console is silly.

I think they bought it for non-gaming related ventures which makes loads of sense for them. But this kid is trying to bullshit his way out of being viewed as the sell-out he is. If he wants to sell it out its his choice, but its really a 180 for any dev that is working on it. There is no way someone who was developing a high fidelity core experience for the OR isn't feeling quite a bit on anxiety right now.

There is far more money in using the VR for gimmicky shit than there is in making AAA games. Think virtual tourism "connecting with people and places w/o actually going there".

That "gimmicky shit" is going to appeal to a lot more people than a niche gaming peripheral that is best experienced with a $1000 gaming rig. Do you know what it means when more people own a product? It means that there's going to be a LOT more developer support. I can't see developers running from a product that now has a huge company financing it and pushing it as the next big thing.

Yeah, Facebook's money is going to go towards things like virtual tourism, education, and live sports events, but the tech needed for that to happen is the same for this stuff as it is for gaming. Low FPS and latency is going to make a user feel sick whether they're playing BF4 or taking a virtual tour of Italy. The Oculus Rift is a peripheral, and as long as it exists there will be game developers making games for it. Why does it matter that other people will be using it for different reasons?

 

[flyinpiranha]

Did you even read the whole thing?
He was just reassuring people on Reddit that "this deal will allow them to invest a lot more on top-tier hardware" and then Mark comes and he says to the investors "We don't know fuck about the hardware nor we care about it, but I can see big chances to put some social stuff and ads on this thing".

Yeah, I did, did you read my reply? PS4 and XB1 have the same shit. Every platform has this, but the OR isn't a 'platform'. It's a display. The machine you need to run it isn't made by them, the games you buy aren't made by them. Even the fucking controller is up in the air and you can use different ones.

My take is that there WILL BE ADS but on the software you CHOOSE to install or use. Maybe they will have a storefront, just like my Android, my iPhone, my PS4, and I'll see ads. But I don't think this is going to have a popup about KONY 2012 while I'm playing Arsetto Corsa.

 

[BeerSnob]

I can predict how the boycotts are going to go

A better analogy would be the Ouya.

 

[civilstrife]

The fact that his comments are downvoted to the point of invisibility on the Oculus subreddit is fucking shameful.

 

[KePoW]

I can predict how the boycotts are going to go

LOL, this still cracks me up every time!

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Is he in a position to be making statements/promises like this yet? Or at all?

 

[Zebra]

It's cute that he thinks he has a say in any of this now.

Why can't he? We don't even know the specifics of the deal. Can he not have reserved some personal power in the details of the buy-out? It's not like Facebook came knocking on their door and said "We're buying you out and you have no say in the matter."

But admittedly I have no experience with this sort of stuff, so I don't know. Is the above scenario not a possibility?

 

[ronito]

Palmer: This deal specifically lets us greatly lower the price of the Rift.

Of course. When you have Facebook's clout it will be lower. And also, if you're using it as a way to generate ad revenue it'll be lower there too.

 

[Gaogaogao]

The fact that his comments are downvoted to the point of invisibility on the Oculus subreddit is fucking shameful.

so is selling out to facebook of all companies

 

[Dryk]

He says they will largely operate independently. Is it not possible for the details of an acquisition agreement to include some degree of autonomy? It's not like Palmer wouldn't have had his own say in the acquisition.

Over time exposure to the corporate culture of the parent company and the cross-pollination of management brings the same results. Anyone who's patient enough will give an acquisition the autonomy they want because in the long term it doesn't matter.

 

[blizzardjesus]

So basically.

 

[Spinluck]

for 2 billion i'd easily sell out then go achieve my dream.

although, if the oculus was his dream, then he sold it.

if getting rich as fuck off of it was what he wanted, WELL HE GOT IT!!

 

[TouchMyBox]

So Palmer Luckey is already being contradicted by his new boss.

I think Luckey is referring to advertising on a hardware level, whereas Zuckerburg is talking about advertising at a service level. It's all well and fine if Facebook launches their VR gaming portal and serves ADs in those games and micro transactions so long as the SDK is kept open so that other services such as steam can leverage the hardware. The only problem with this scenario is that the people most interested in VR can't wait to ignore facebook's VR offerings entirely, and if a VR service is Facebook's monetization plan for Oculus, then that gives them a lot of incentive to lock things down.

 

[flyinpiranha]

The fact that his comments are downvoted to the point of invisibility on the Oculus subreddit is fucking shameful.

I understand the original sentiment. It's Facebook, this is like MS buying Rare and look where that went. But FB isn't a bad product. YOU put up what you want to share, YOU friend the people you want to friend. I find it hilarious when people bitch about FB, it's like walking into a pizza place and complaining about pizza.

I'm just way more optimistic because I don't see this as a PS4 or XB1 where they dictate the market, I see it as an Android phone, or a TV, or a BR player, or a receiver, or any other device I use to get the media I CHOOSE onto it. Even if everything is completely terrible and you need to thumbprint your FB profile and give a urine sample ... there WILL be others making these devices, and there will always be developers for VR material making stuff for those devices.

But I don't think FB is going to do that to the system. It's NOT a platform, it's a visual display. I still need my PC and it still needs games. Closing that off will shut off a lot of potential market. At the very least it will hinder the launch and acceptance because the people with the machines to use it are going to be watching very carefully.

 

[Fugu]

Carmack is just about the only man in the industry for whom that I have any respect. It is basically for that reason alone that I am reserving judgement.

 

[Wasdie]

I understand the original sentiment. It's Facebook, this is like MS buying Rare and look where that went. But FB isn't a bad product. YOU put up what you want to share, YOU friend the people you want to friend. I find it hilarious when people bitch about FB, it's like walking into a pizza place and complaining about pizza.

I'm just way more optimistic because I don't see this as a PS4 or XB1 where they dictate the market, I see it as an Android phone, or a TV, or a BR player, or a receiver, or any other device I use to get the media I CHOOSE onto it. Even if everything is completely terrible and you need to thumbprint your FB profile and give a urine sample ... there WILL be others making these devices, and there will always be developers for VR material making stuff for those devices.

But I don't think FB is going to do that to the system. It's NOT a platform, it's a visual display. I still need my PC and it still needs games. Closing that off will shut off a lot of potential market. At the very least it will hinder the launch and acceptance because the people with the machines to use it are going to be watching very carefully.

The hate that this whole thing is getting shows that people believe Facebook is a company run by incompetent morons who can't see the obvious.

 

[Nzyme32]

Some good Q & A over here as well - too much for the OP http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/25/5...-says-facebook-deal-will-make-virtual-reality

 

[Spinluck]

Carmack is just about the only man in the industry for whom that I have any respect. It is basically for that reason alone that I am reserving judgement.

he's a smart man

we should probably listen when he speaks.

 

[Vilam]

LOL. That's a "you can keep your health care" comment if I ever saw one.

Usually people make shitty analogies. This one is fantastic.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

I don't think everybody can be naive enough to believe FB is not gonna try to use oculus to the typical marketing monetization, which obviously will involve the usual stuff seen on FB.

This is how they make money. As they said, they don't make money on hardware....

 

[ramuh]

It's cute that he thinks he has a say in any of this now.

This. At most he might have a spot on the FB board or something (don't know details yet). He probably has a title of director. He is a FB employee now, maybe in creative charge.

It's 400 million in Cash (probably split up among initial investors) and 1.6 billion in FB stock. It's totally a FB product now. That stock probably has a vesting period where the shares can't be sold for X amount of time.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Yeah, I did, did you read my reply? PS4 and XB1 have the same shit. Every platform has this, but the OR isn't a 'platform'. It's a display. The machine you need to run it isn't made by them, the games you buy aren't made by them. Even the fucking controller is up in the air and you can use different ones.

My take is that there WILL BE ADS but on the software you CHOOSE to install or use. Maybe they will have a storefront, just like my Android, my iPhone, my PS4, and I'll see ads. But I don't think this is going to have a popup about KONY 2012 while I'm playing Arsetto Corsa.

It seems to me that Facebook wants OR to be a platform, and that's why they acquired it.

 

[flyinpiranha]

The hate that this whole thing is getting shows that people believe Facebook is a company run by incompetent morons who can't see the obvious.

This also just made millions of people go "what the hell is Oculus Rift?"

It seems to me that Facebook wants OR to be a platform, and that's why they acquired it.

It's a possibility. But I think they're looking at it as more of a cellphone or tablet and going to make an app for it while being able to have a stake in what IS going to become the way people view tons of media. Having finances and control to take this to the 'soccer mom' level is huge. Will they bite? Who knows, who knew that this silly gaming peripheral people were worried about even selling enough units at launch was worth 2b?

And even if they make it a 'platform', there will be others. This is a hardware acquisition, not an entire VR acquisition.

 

[GrayFoxPL]

Imagine all the whores and cocaine you can buy for 2 billion. His grand grand children will be fucked up on this still.

Beautiful!

 

[Gaogaogao]

he's a smart man

we should probably listen when he speaks.

regarding company politics, hes usually silent. either he leaves or he suffers until he can't take it.

this is all that matters.

but at what cost?

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

This deal specifically lets us greatly lower the price of the Rift

this is all that matters.

 

[Sentenza]

this is all that matters.

I also expect it to be mostly bullshit and saying to people what they want to hear, but I'm sure there will be someone blaming me for being a naysayer and a Negative Nancy.

 

[arts&crafts]

Don't you know, people only deal in absolutes here. You'll need to watch three 90 second ads before you're allowed to even put the Rift on your head.

So its like youtube now!

 

[FLEABttn]

Most of what he is saying is shitty pr speak, or just wrong. You can't claim independence or that you'll "never do [insert behavior here]" when you're no longer in a position to dictate that.

If Facebook wants to lock down Oculus with their own app store, they can and they will.

I get that, but the reaction seems overly bitter and negative. I don't even have a Facebook account and the Facebook as a company hate seems over stated.

 

[flyinpiranha]

I also expect it to be mostly bullshit and saying to people what they want to hear, but I'm sure there will be someone blaming me for being a naysayer and a Negative Nancy.

No, I respect your opinion and deep down I know it's a possibility. I'm just glass half full instead of half empty. I can't know the financial situation OR was in or the distribution channel they might have had or any other 'behind the scenes' goings on. I always hoped it would be 'huge' but with this acquisition, it makes it very likely. And from that comes competition and moving forward with general acceptance.

Like I said, this made millions and millions of people say "what the fuck is Oculus Rift?"

 

[WordsintheWater]

I can't really get mad at the guy, I can safely say almost everyone here would take 2 billion dollars in a heart beat.

 

[Doc Holliday]

No Baghdad dude gifs yet?

 

[Ponn]

this is all that matters.

And when peope realize how exactly this deal makes it able to be cheaper we will have another thread.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

This. At most he might have a spot on the FB board or something (don't know details yet). He probably has a title of director. He is a FB employee now, maybe in creative charge.

It's 400 million in Cash (probably split up among initial investors) and 1.6 billion in FB stock. It's totally a FB product now. That stock probably has a vesting period where the shares can't be sold for X amount of time.

 

[btrboyev]

As for exactly how Facebook will monetize Oculus, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on the call to investors, "We're clearly not a hardware company. We're not going to try to make a profit off of the hardware long-term...but if we can make this a network where people are communicating, and buying virtual goods, and there might be ads down the line...that’s where the business could come from

This exactly why it's a bad thing. Nobody wants virtual goods or ads. We want a genuine gaming experience. We want to feel like we did back in the days before monetary gains were all the rage.

Companies need money, yes but instead of making quality games, they rely on half finished products, DLC, etc. as part of the core experience. That's not what gamers want. It's killing this industry and it's sad.

 

[ChosenPredator]

He shouldn't make those promises, I am pretty sure facebook gonna let'em roll with it for a few years but then after that who knows, I guess we shall see by who ends up leaving first that is usually always the first sign.

 

[Gaogaogao]

I get that, but the reaction seems overly bitter and negative. I don't even have a Facebook account and the Facebook as a company hate seems over stated.

we already know its bad, lying makes it worse. you can tell people your intentions, but make it clear you have no control anymore.

 

[UrbanRats]

All this comes off as overly optimistic and almost naive, to a degree, but again: Time will tell.

I'm not confident that they'll remain as open and as friendly as they are now, indefinitely, to be honest, but by then, hopefully we'll have a healthy palette of competitors in the VR game to choose from!