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from the 0.1053-What's-Apps-worth-of-stock dept.
Several community members have commented on Facebook's purchase of Oculus VR...
Techwolf writes, "There is news spreading all over the net about Facebook buying up Occulus Rift. Some cheer, some are jeering as kickstarters backers felt betrayed along with open source folks."
Ethanol-fueled writes:
Some of you may have already heard of the Oculus Rift, the kickstarted VR headset platform associated with John Carmack. Earlier today, social networking giant Facebook purchased Oculus VR for $2 billion in cash and stock (chump change compared to the $19 billion it paid for WhatsApp) with plans not so much for VR-gaming, but for VR-real-life...
"Facebook sees VR as a way to join a virtual community from the comfort of your own home and feel like you're really there. Whether you're taking a class, seeing a concert, or checking out the sights in an unfamiliar city..."And from this article:
"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." Sounds interesting, but all are not thrilled. Minecraft creator Notch broke off a previous engagement with Oculus after he found out, saying that Facebook "creeped him out."
Perhaps the most surprising bit of news itself buried in those articles is that John Carmack now works for Facebook. Who knew?
Jaruzel writes, "From PR Newswire, 'Mobile is the platform of today, and now we're also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow. Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate,' said Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Is this the end of Oculus? Will the Rift be forever consigned to Farmville style web games? Does this news help or hinder Sony and their Project Morpheus VR headset?"
Shub writes, "The company is expected to continue to develop technology aimed at the games industry, although Facebook plans to bring it to new markets. Irish Time's Link"
Lagg writes, "I'm personally fuming, but could the inevitable backlash lead to better things in the long term? Perhaps encouraging competition in this emerging market?"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 25 2014, @11:35PM
They've gone from genuinely useful work, advancing the state of the art of VR, to another arm of a datamining company. Even if the basic research & development continues and the product works well, it will be tainted by association; buying a headset (or a headset by a company that licenses their technology) will mean sending hard money to facebook. Not a pleasant idea.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by G-forze on Wednesday March 26 2014, @03:08AM
This seems to be the reaction of every nerd that hears the news, including me. Everyone's little hero, Oculus, bought by the common enemy of all that is open, right and good about the internet. I mean, just take a look at the comments [arstechnica.com] in the Ars Technica article. Nothing but crushed dreams as far as the eye can see.
I have a really hard time imagining what Facebook can bring to the table here, that would be good for anyone but Facebook themselves. The only thing I can see is an infusion of capital to speed up R&D, but honestly, Oculus did not seem to have any problem raising capital on their own either. With the general interest in VR awakened by Oculus, all sorts of applications would still have been in the making. If anything, this announcement will cause many developers to lose interest. It apparently already happened with Notch and Minecraft [notch.net].
Just think about it... John Carmack works for Facebook now.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Drake_Edgewater on Wednesday March 26 2014, @07:32AM
Please mod parent (+5, Depressing) while I cry in the floor a little.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday March 26 2014, @11:16AM
Just think about it... John Carmack works for Facebook now.
I wonder if he approved of his company being acquired by FB.
(Score: 1) by rochrist on Wednesday March 26 2014, @03:39PM
Like our Metaverse on Facebook!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by mvar on Wednesday March 26 2014, @12:46PM
This. Very sad news. will definitely not give any money to FB. OTOH this is great news for the occulus rift competitors