Oculus vr sold to Facebook

[Everon]

Oculus vr has been sold to Facebook for around 2 billion dollars. The fallout on the oculusvr site speaks for itself.

Announcement and community responses below: http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/oculus-joins-facebook/

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

Oh dear...

 

[Tom DWC]

Dayum.

 

[Boozad]

That's ended any interest I would have had in it before it even begun.

 

[steaky360]

They might not ruin it? Maybe? If we're 'really' lucky?

EDIT: The oatmeal saw it coming

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running6

 

[Wozza63]

Damn, I was considering a devkit until now. If Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo or even EA had bought it, I'd have much preferred it to this. At least EA is a gaming company. Well RIP Occulus Rift, here's to the next attempt at VR

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

The thing that really gets to me about this sort of thing, is why don't companies like Oculus want to BE Facebook/Google/MS/Apple?

Why do they "sell out" the first chance they get, instead of being their own company and making it big on their own?

FB/MS/Apple/EA etc all did just that. Sure it is more complex than that, and there are acquisitions along the way, but it just seems to be an extension of modern culture (particularly kids...which apparently all these tech starts ups are run by) where it is all about getting as much as possible, as quickly as possible

I am almost 100% sure Oculus could have secured more and more investment from other sources without having to actually sell the business. Yes, the guys that own it are now megarich, good for them, but there is no way in hell the development will now be the same. Here we go Virtual Candy Crush! (It is sad that that statement can even exist!)

DED

 

[nathanjrb]

Here we go Virtual Candy Crush! (It is sad that that statement can even exist!)

DED

Which, coincidentally, has just been valued at $7bn today...

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

That scares me more than it should!

 

[Outerarm]

Hmm... I am still looking forward to the commercial edition of Oculus along with EVE Valkyrie, but I'll wait and see how this pans out. Is it a sell-out or a way to fund the next development phase? Are we looking at a (god forbid) VR Second Life?

I'll carry on watching this with interest...

 

[Bsrz]

The Last thing I want is a virtual Friends list, along side virtual farmville with virtual advertisements.

RIP RIFT.

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

Hmm... I am still looking forward to the commercial edition of Oculus along with EVE Valkyrie, but I'll wait and see how this pans out. Is it a sell-out or a way to fund the next development phase? Are we looking at a (god forbid) VR Second Life?

I'll carry on watching this with interest...

I think the last few years have proved that you don't need to go to FB and the like to get funding (not suggesting Kickstarter here...they are sort of past that), so that when people do, it does just smack of selling out without much consideration of the product's future.

Be funny if, as some people still think, FB etc become irrelevant in even the medium term...maybe they sold out to the wrong people

 

[Everon]

and now the minecraft creator jumps ship due to Facebook buying it: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/03/25/notch-minecraft-on-oculus-canceled-facebook-creeps-me-out

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

I still don't "get" Minecraft, but credit to Notch for sticking to his own morals and beliefs As Wozz said earlier, at least if some evil Megecorp like EA had bought OR, there would be a gaming pedigree there.