Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

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Cal
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Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by Cal » Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:35 pm

Facebook just bought Oculus VR for $2bn. <****> https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/101 ... ream_ref=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No doubt it'll end up ruined now. <neg> Yeah access to near infinite resources and no longer having to answer to VCs is probably a good thing, alleviating the need to worry about the short term, and one of the natural end goals for this type of technology is some sort of communication platform in VR. But I highly doubt they'll keep their autonomy for long, and soon enough they'll be feeling the pressure from their owners, especially once it comes to monetising it (FB claim not to be looking to make money on the hardware), since what were once their customers will now be their product... Hopefully Morpheus and other similar projects in development can take the reins and passively benefit from having this kind of money behind VR.
I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we're in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.

This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it's different from anything they've ever experienced in their lives.

Oculus's mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences.

Immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won't be changing and we hope to accelerate. The Rift is highly anticipated by the gaming community, and there's a lot of interest from developers in building for this platform. We're going to focus on helping Oculus build out their product and develop partnerships to support more games. Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook to achieve this.

But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home.

This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.

These are just some of the potential uses. By working with developers and partners across the industry, together we can build many more. One day, we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become a part of daily life for billions of people.

Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together. I can't wait to start working with the whole team at Oculus to bring this future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us.

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Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by PTAO? » Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:37 pm

Yay VR microtransactions <diva>

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Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by ScholarlySloth » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:58 am

God Damnit.
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Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by overseasTOON » Wed Mar 26, 2014 5:01 pm

Tirer le Ryan Oison Uneski wrote:Yay VR microtransactions <diva>
Virtually punch Mark Zuckerberg in the face for £0.10p.

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Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by Mifune » Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:26 pm

This is f***ing terrible news <neg>. A potential VR Minecraft has been already cancelled due to Facebook buying Oculus.

[tweet][/tweet]

It's pretty much just going to be this now <grim>.
SpoilerShow
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Also does anyone know the legalities of this deal seeing as the Oculus Rift was partly funded by a kickstarter?

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Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by PTAO? » Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:27 pm

overseasTOON wrote:
Tirer le Ryan Oison Uneski wrote:Yay VR microtransactions <diva>
Virtually punch Mark Zuckerberg in the face for £0.10p.
<notbad>

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Cal
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Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2bn

Post by Cal » Fri Mar 28, 2014 6:05 pm

So, Facebook backed Oculus aren't f***ing around. They just hired Michael Abrash. http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/introducin ... scientist/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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