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Facebook Buys Oculus VR, The Internet Freaks Out

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So, you all heard about Facebook buying Oculus Rift right? I considered doing an article last night, but I decided to let my own and everyone else's hot heads cool down a bit.

You should all know my thoughts on VR by now, I don't like it and it is as simple as that. I don't want to strap some big ugly device to my face and block out anyone else in the room to play a game. I don't know anyone else if my own circle that want to either regardless of what platform they game on, they simply don't want to.

Anyway, Facebook has purchased Oculus VR for 2 BILLION DOLLARS and a wave of developers have already cancelled their Oculus Rift games.

Oculus' own blog comments say it all, their first and top voted comment is:

QuoteDO NOT WANT.


That is the first comment you can see on it.

It has led figures such as Notch to outright cancel Minecraft on the Rift:

We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus. I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out.

— Markus Persson (@notch) March 25, 2014


A funny fact is that John Carmack who previously worked for id Software (Doom, Quake, Rage) moved to Oculus VR, he now works for Facebook because of it.

For the record, I am coding right now, just like I was last week.I expect the FB deal will avoid several embarrassing scaling crisis for VR.

— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) March 26, 2014


Sadly though, this won't mean much as their entire indie "cred" has vanished with the announcement. Facebook is interested in gaining users and monetizing them and nothing more. Selling VR kits to gamers will not be even close to the top of their "things to do with Oculus" list.

Simon Roth, the developer of Maia put it quite well:

Imagine how crap their Kickstarter backers must feel. Gave them all that cash just to line their pockets with a tech bubble style sell out.

Simon Roth (@SimoRoth) March 25, 2014


His comments also align with Notch's blog post where notch stated:

NotchAnd I did not chip in ten grand to seed a first investment round to build value for a Facebook acquisition.


Say goodbye to VR as we knew it, or rather as we didn't know it since the consumer devices weren't even out yet.

Oculus needs to do some major damage control.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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36 comments
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Pankake Mar 26, 2014
Oculus Rift was one of the most awaited things ever for me, I love the idea of seeing my favourite universes and characters face to face, but now I don't know how it's gonna turn out. I hope FB is gonna prove me wrong, but I'm still sceptical.
WorMzy Mar 26, 2014
I don't get the excitement or need for VR in the first place.

Facebook taking over Oculus is no big loss as far as I'm concerned.
scaine Mar 26, 2014
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Quoting: WorMzyI don't get the excitement or need for VR in the first place.

Facebook taking over Oculus is no big loss as far as I'm concerned.

If you ever got a chance to try it, you'd understand. It's fundamentally a new experience. Really, really game-changing. I was same - very sceptical. Then I tried it and if I'd had $300 there and then, I'd have bought one. Simple as that. It's that amazing.

Or rather, it /will be/ that amazing, because there are still a few kinks to iron out.
loggfreak Mar 26, 2014
razer responded to notch 'perhaps we can help out. Will be in touch.'
https://twitter.com/minliangtan/status/448606945272803328
so now there's going to be a VR-headset thats overhyped AND overpriced, were all doomed
Maokei Mar 26, 2014
Guess ill be rooting for valve and their VR kit, as for occulus it looks like they have stabbed the community in the face.
Plop Mar 26, 2014
You may like VR or not, I think it will have a huge impact in the future (not only for gaming). So I was quite optimistic about support for Valves Steam Machines and Linux. Now that everyone is disappointed by this move and withdraw their support it may play into Sonys hands for their PS4 VR device which probably won't be available for Steam Machines.. So I hope that Valve continues to make their own device now
Orkultus Mar 26, 2014
Found something about Zuckerberg. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg
Rose Mar 26, 2014
I would try and order Oculus Rift as soon as it'd come out but not anymore. Facebook is nothing but a greedy corporation. What makes this news even worse is that the founder of Oculus says Facebook are "champions of open hardware and software". There's no recovering from the pile of crap Oculus is in now.
Anonymous Mar 26, 2014
I know why they made this move since most of their team dreams of bringing Snow Crash to life and Facebook has everything they need to make a huge virtual social space like that a reality.

But I don't trust Facebook with my information and certainly wouldn't trust living in a virtual world of their creation. This also burnt any bridges they had with the community that had supported them up until this point.
OZSeaford Mar 26, 2014
How sad!

“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a (facebook)friend.”
― William Blake

“Et tu, Brute?”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Hamlet:
I did love you once.
Ophelia:
Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.
Hamlet:
You should not have believ'd me, for virtue cannot so
inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I lov'd you not.
Ophelia:
I was the more deceiv'd.

One of the products I was waiting for with anticipation, trepidation and awe.

I was imagining that I would one day be able to immerse myself completely in fantastic digital worlds like never before, a sort of oracle on the verge of . But no, I shall be logging into FB to play Farmville 3D.

Pffff

PS - am really sorry for the people who invested in the Occulus kickstarter, just feeding the giant, as if FB needed cash. Interesting to note that as far as I am aware FaceBook did not even kickstart it, so much for their interest in seed companies.

Facebook them!
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