It’s been a long time coming but everyone could see the writing on the wall.
Facebook will soon require mandatory Facebook accounts for all Oculus headset owners – that is, if they want to continue using the device.
The news was posted both in a press release and on Oculus’ Twitter, sparking outrage at the move.
After this October, every new Oculus buyer will have to also have a Facebook account in order to login to services.
However, those who don’t have this social media account but already opened an Oculus account (existing Oculus device owners) will have a grace period in which those accounts will still be separate.
Their Oculus headsets will work but “full functionality will require a Facebook account,” as the company put it.
Facebook will end Oculus accounts on January 1, 2023 – their content will be merged but the company “expect[s] some games and apps may no longer work”.
This announcement is not surprising since last year Facebook debuted Facebook login for Oculus.
Of course, there is also data harvesting in order to serve Oculus owners targeted ads, since now they won’t be able to keep their VR hobby separate from their main social media accounts.
“When you log in with a Facebook account, you can still create or maintain a unique VR profile.
And if you don’t want your Oculus friends to find you by your Facebook name, they won’t—just make it visible to ‘Only Me’ in your Oculus settings.
You can also choose what information about your VR activity you post to your Facebook profile or timeline, either by giving permission to post or by updating your settings.
And we plan to introduce the ability for multiple users to log into the same device using their own Facebook account, so people can easily share their headset with friends or family while keeping their information separate.”
At least the company paid a bit of lip service to privacy!
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