Starting in October, 2020, every new Oculus Rift purchase will require a Facebook account in order to access its full service capabilities. Even if you already own an Oculus Rift, by January 1st, 2023, all Oculus accounts will be diminished in place of requiring a mandatory Facebook account.
The news was rolled out on August 18th, 2020 via Twitter with resounding disappointment from potential VR enthusiasts.
Today, we’re announcing some important updates to how people log into Oculus devices, while still keeping their VR profile. Starting in October 2020, everyone using an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account. // https://t.co/SMeDOXgehN
— Oculus (@oculus) August 18, 2020
After January 1, 2023, we will end support for Oculus accounts. If you choose not to merge your accounts at that time, you can continue using your device, but full functionality will require a Facebook account.
— Oculus (@oculus) August 18, 2020
Giving people a single way to log into Oculus—using their Facebook account and password— will make it easier to find, connect, and play with friends in VR. Visit https://t.co/SMeDOXgehN to learn more.
— Oculus (@oculus) August 18, 2020
Details on the new transfer were also laid out over on the Oculus blog, where they explained how some games will still work even without a Facebook account come 2023, but other games and apps may no longer work if you don’t have a Facebook account…
“After January 1, 2023, we will end support for Oculus accounts. If you choose not to merge your accounts at that time, you can continue using your device, but full functionality will require a Facebook account. We will take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased, though we expect some games and apps may no longer work. This could be because they include features that require a Facebook account or because a developer has chosen to no longer support the app or game you purchased. All future unreleased Oculus devices will require a Facebook account, even if you already have an Oculus account.”
I’m sure some Oculus fanboys will argue that since some apps and games can still work without a Facebook account that the accounts aren’t mandatory, but obviously if you plan on making use of the full suite of services you will need a Facebook account.
The most common question most people would have is “Why do we need a Facebook account to use an Oculus Rift?” well, they actually answer that question on the blog.
In the blog they explained…
“Oculus is owned by Facebook and is one of Facebook’s apps and technologies. Using a Facebook account provides a single way to log into Oculus devices and makes it easier to find, connect and play with friends in VR. It also enables Facebook-powered social experiences, like live streaming gameplay to your Facebook timeline, making calls with parties, joining events, and exploring new experiences like Facebook Horizon. And as Facebook adds new privacy and safety tools, they can be added in VR too.”
There’s no way that VR survives this.
Right now the Oculus and the Vive are the two mainstream VR headsets on the market, but the Oculus is essentially taking itself out of the equation by forcing people to sign up for Facebook.
This doesn’t bode well for the future of VR given that the market was already stagnating, as reported by UploadVR way back in December of 2019.
At this rate Oculus is going to help kill off VR faster than any high street pricing ever could.
(Thanks for the news tip VRmeme)