Facebook May Rebrand Oculus Rift, Import Interface - Update

[Matt Dellar]

It makes no logical sense that Facebook would willfully destroy what everyone was anticipating in the Rift, but I can't help but be afraid. Very afraid. If this locks down the Rift in any way, shape, or form to the Facebook ecosystem, that's a horrible thing and that alone I think justifies my fear. It could happen, but I don't honestly think the Oculus VR team will let it happen.

I mean, Palmer alone is so passionate about bringing the best VR experience to as many people as possible that I just can't see him going for a deal that will wipe out a large chunk of its appeal. I suspect things will work out all right in the end.

But I'm still very afraid.

 

[Single Shot]

So... does anyone know what happened to the VR headset Valve was developing?

 

[Sol_HSA]

I'm starting to wonder if this is an extremely elaborate april fool's..

 

[Creedsareevil]

If i were in the occulus team, i'd cash in my share of the FB loot and then abandon ship right over to sony. Sony, now, sony is not known for its pro consumer practises or general frriendlieness, but its at least a company that has contend providers, experienced hardware manufacturers and an established audience.


I would not be surpsised if both both MS and sony would make efforts to block content from reachign the rift, certainly they would try to keep their ip's away. EA, activision and ubisoft likewise have no real gain in having a new kid on the block with a successful facebook...

 

[Vault101]

After reading most of the last thread, and getting insights on both sides of this acquisition, I'm surprised how many people flat out dislike Facebook.
I wonder why that is it be honest.
As for Rift, I don't mind the branding, it is Facebook's product after all . I'll just have to wait and see what Facebook does with the tech before I decide it is worth my money or not. I'm very happy I wasn't a backer.

people tend to devote a lot of energy into things they don't particularly like or intend to use

[i/]however[/i]

I don't know much about facebook's business practices and what it does with peoples info but I've heard its not exactly all that [i/]good[/i] that is in of itself worthy of criticism, that and I just can;t see anything particularly good coming out of this acquisition, given social medias annoying habit of getting in the way of games

Facebook for what it is is more or less fine, its good for keeping in touch with people even if in a passive way

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

I'm still confused as to why Facebook would buy the Rift in the first place. Google, maybe, they're always doing stuff like that. But Facebook I always saw as solely a social media thing, and the Oculus Rift seems a lot more like a niche gaming device/simulator.
Then again, the PS4 controller has a 'share' button, so maybe social media means more than I thought it did.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I used to just dislike Facebook, keep away from it, but I still understood why people might like it.

This...just pisses me off.

I hate how social media has to invade goddamn everything.

I hate how one of the few things that would allow for true immersion and escapism will now crowbar in social media features that no one asked for.

Honestly, fuck this.

*goes back to hermit cave*

 

[BrotherRool]

This timing is way too tight and too much exactly what everyone on the internet was yelling about. I will believe it when we can put a name to the source.

I could imagine a logo...maybe but if you go look at Instagram and WhatsApp right now you can hardly argue that Facebook smeared it's branding everywhere. I don't believe the interface will be a Facebook interface. It's hard to understand what that even means.

I'm still confused as to why Facebook would buy the Rift in the first place. Google, maybe, they're always doing stuff like that. But Facebook I always saw as solely a social media thing, and the Oculus Rift seems a lot more like a niche gaming device/simulator.
Then again, the PS4 controller has a 'share' button, so maybe social media means more than I thought it did.

Facebook currently own their section of the world, but they very nearly lost it with the mobile revolution. I think they believe that VR could ultimately once again change the way we interact with each other, instead of Skyping, how much better would it be if it looked like the person was actually in the room with you? If it's a rainy day you could call up some friends and ask if they want to VR around the moon for a bit.

There's already signs that this could be incredible. According to arstechnica one of the games allows you to turn around and 'see' the person playing with you and that was a lot of fun.

So Facebook want to get in on that technology before it even exists. This is their chance to get in on the new paradigm just after they finished with the old one. The mistake everyone is making is thinking that Facebook want to take VR and make it like Facebook. It's not that, they think VR is the new think that will make Facebook irrelevant and they want to be part of that too. And worst comes to worst? It will probably be a successful games platform that makes most of their money back

 

[AstaresPanda]

I was really interested in this, but now.....wow. Facebook is very annoying and dont have alot of trust with the users who are not totaly braindead and need to be logged into that shit every second they can. I dont know why they gotta get their dick all over this for. It bugs the fuck outta me that everysmart phone comes with facebook pre fuckin loaded.
Feel so sorry for the poeple who helped for the kick starter would really feel bitter apart basicly helpin out facebook.

 

[RJ 17]

Next thing we'll read about is a mandatory Facebook account to use that thing...

Annnnnnd that's what I'm mostly concerned about. I have no Facebook account and have absolutely no desire to set one up. I was looking forward to this, and I don't know if I'd really care if it had a Facebook logo or interface, but I've got a very strong feeling that it is indeed going to require a Facebook account just to use it. As such (and if that's true) I guess I'll be sitting out for the VR craze the same way I've sat out for the social media craze.

I'm now hoping this thing flops like the Virtual Boy.

 

[CriticalMiss]

So... does anyone know what happened to the VR headset Valve was developing?

As far as I remember the people in Valve who were developing it left to work on it seperately, so they don't have their own project in the works any more. Although someone told me there was some kind of VR demo at the Steam Dev Days thing but I don't know if that was a Valve project or something from someone else.

 

[cerebus23]

Facebook can shove it i have never signed up for fb i will never sign up for fb and if they make this part of rift well bye rift.

was a great tool for games and technology not setting up my fucking relationship status and giving all my information to advertisers and the government.

no piss the fuck off facebook. i dont need your spyware on my pc i dont need your spyware in my gdamn face and on my head sending all my stuff to everyone.

really? how anyone would think this is a good thing. social networking should stay a metric lightyear away from anything that is tech or that is for gaming bring on sony or valve or microsoft hahahahahha ms spying on us all we know they work hand and hand with the nsa and the fed.

 

[Gizen]

It makes no logical sense that Facebook would willfully destroy what everyone was anticipating in the Rift, but I can't help but be afraid.

On the contrary, the sheer level of 'give no fucks' with which facebook already goes about everything they do makes it very logical that they would destroy what everyone was anticipating. Because they simply don't give a shit what you actually want, so long as they can monetize you in some way, and if not you, then someone else who already uses facebook but that they can get to use it even more is just as good.

Honestly, just knowing facebook now owns Oculus is enough on its own to kill all interest I ever had in the product. I'd never risk using it, not knowing what information about me it's gonna be sending back to facebook without me knowing that they'll then turn around and sell to advertisers or god knows who... That's enough by itself to ruin the product. But really, bringing the 'Facebook interface' to it? Even before Facebook's horrendous privacy policies came to light, I already hated it based entirely on how godawful their website's UI is. That shitty interface shouldn't be getting ported ANYWHERE, it needs to be burned to the ground.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

And what about VALVE ?
Valve invested money on Oculus,and gave them their knowledge and technology.
A part of Oculus was owned by Valve.
Does that mean that Valve became partners of Facebook,or did Valve sold its share ?

Since Oculus became a Facebook subsidiary,I hope Valve will move on to build its own VR goggles,that will have nothing to do with either Facebook,or Twitter,or any other business.

 

[Silverbane7]

have to say that while i personaly had no real interest in buying the device (i am extremly motionsick. simply watching someone whip their character around in WoW makes me feel sick lol)
i can understand the desire for it. i wanted very hard, to try the old VR setups back in the 80's but was too poor, and lived too far up north, to be able to get to any of them.

and yes, i expect that, should this NOT be the worst april fools since the spagetti trees on the BBC ( lol ), and should facebook take the device and use it for more social media drek, a lot of people i know will be avoiding it like a dose of the clap.
becasue who wants to a) be logged into facebook all day to be able to play your game...
b) be constantly poked by adverts inside your game...
c) every time something new happens, the game gets interupted by a face full of pop-ups (no doubt also un closeable, only accept to get rid of)... oh look, you were headshotted by 'KillahFaceApp' game over restart your level..or would you like to purchase some FacePoints to allow you to continue? that will be $9.99 per 3 lives please....

while i can see the interest facebook would have with this (assuming it actualy takes off for non-gamers...you know, the 'be someplace else while sat onyour arse at home' thing that non gamers would likely see it for) i can also see it being totaly abused...
*points at the .hack games and anime/manga* yeah....well i wouldnt mind so much, if it was Altimit and not microshaft that rules the pc world lol...

 

[JarinArenos]

Why do I refuse to use Facebook? Because the mere fact that I was listed as a family relation to a relative on Facebook was used as ammunition against him in a scam, by someone pretending to be me.

F- that S-.