Facebook are buying Oculus VR for $2bn I'm not sure if this is good or bad. With facebook buying them, more people will become more aware of what VR actually is and what can be done with it. There will also be more funding available for further R&D - hopefully! I'm struggling to think why facebook would be interested in VR.
Yeah just saw this. This is what Zuckerberg had to say.... "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."
Its not bad thing. That's a huge injection of funding for oculus at the very least. It'll also mean there's going to be a lot of tech companies having a meeting tomorrow about VR. At least a few of them are going to decide to increase VR investment because of this. As to the wisdom of facebooks investment decisions...
"At first glance, it might not seem obvious why Oculus is partnering with Facebook..." ...Then fails to explain why it is partnering with Facebook, except to list some shared values management speak bunkum. I assume a dump truck full of money had something to do with it. I think the problem Oculus might have is that what they produce is actually fairly replicable. They just looked liked being the first to make it a mainstream success, and much of that was due to word of mouth and good will towards the company. The same could work against them especially if an alternative comes to the market. Still, I imagine it's difficult to say no to $2 Billion.
Agreed on all counts! If consumer version 1.0 is an open platform then I'm happy. If it shoves Facebook down my retina I will not be happy.
A huge chunk of which is stock, which is not really spendable. The backlash on the net is massive. Notch has very publicly cancelled Minecraft 3D on Twitter. I honestly think this has damaged Oculus' brand and good will, which were key as they haven't got a product yet. Oculus were a private company with a single focus. Now they're owned by a company with zero focus, dropping relevance and a total lack of hardware release knowledge. Hell, Google would have been a better fit as they at least know how to make Nexus devices.
This is indeed bad for the brand and with Notch speaking out publicly it really isn't going to look good at all. I'll try and keep optimistic but when Facebook is involved it's pretty hard.
Just think.....all them adverts beamed directly into your retina.....how exciting! I dumped facebook last year for many reasons. None of them have been altered by spending an obscene amount of money on a tech that won't be ready for another 10 years. Even when it is ready, see my first line for why I won't be interested. I refuse to watch ITV and Sky for the same reason.
every company wants the best talent and to be invested in the future. Facebook fed us bullcrap. I just dont see why they want rift.
*checks date* damn, it's not april fools. Prepare for adverts and poking to be beamed directly into your eyes.
I just hope this does not set an example. All the funding (and risks) of research have been shouldered by the backers in good faith. Now that the product is almost finished Facebook rushes in and buys the company. Regular investors had a say in such matters, but Kickstarter investors... not so much. Just imagine Star Citizen being bought out by EA. However for the product itself: It's really not that bad. Worst case is the development of VR has been set back a year or two. The hardware of the Rift is really easy to replicate, what matters is the software support. There are similar projects out there, what set the Rift apart was the faith in the manufacturer (that and Oculus being the first). If nobody buys the Rift now developers will support another kit from another company such as Valve. Messed up for the backers (see above), but everyone else will just have to wait for a bit longer. There is also the possibility that there will be no Facebook requirement. Hell has frozen over before, it may again...
Not so much. OR gained $75m of venture funding not that long ago, which makes me wonder why they needed the FB money at all. I reckon it came down to pure greed - they were simply offered too much cash to refuse, the vast majority of which goes in to the founders' pockets. EDIT: $100m, not $75m.
Fact of the matter is this: Oculus rift might actually happen now. Everyone was whining about 'we can't buy screens' and stuff because of the mobile market. Then Sony come along and show they might have cracked it in silence. Which would have been a bit of a blow if all they ever did was release more days v kits. Facebook are a company invested in the PC. I think this can only be good news.
Anyone with an opinion or theory on this buyout should read Palmer Luckeys comments on Reddit. - where he addresses a lot of criticism. It'll be for you to decide whether or not you are satisfied with his comments. The two main positive takeaways are: They no longer have to rely on the mobile industries leftovers for screens etc, and can design, build and buy custom hardware just for Oculus Rift The price of the consumer version can be greatly reduced
To me this is great news. Massive amounts of funding, more publicity for the product, which intern will make more people notice it and start developing for it. Which would mean it will be in a lot of games in the future. I am also intrigued in how they will make it work outside gaming. To me the more uses the better, its not going to be cheap and it will be hard for me to justify spending so much on something just for gaming immersion.
I've been sitting on the fence about OR. I want it to succeed or at least push the VR market forward but I'm skeptical if it would work or would just be another 3D-esk technology. My views on the takeover 1. I don't trust facebook. They have no business in VR other than pushing ads. That means they'll keep the project as it is or screw it to fit an agenda born from darkness in chaos itself. It seems I'm not the only one who doesn't trust facebook from the developers reaction. 2. The creators don't care about VR and it was all about the money in the end, making me wonder how viable the product really was. I don't begrudge them doing ultimately the goal of every small business, but I would liked to have believed their heart was in it for more than just the exit strategy and if they would sell it would be to a company like Nintendo, Valve, Sony or MS who are in the game market and would push the device forward in their interests. Parge I don't buy it, a hardware partner was needed to keep costs down but facebook isn't the most attractive sugar daddy in my eyes. I still believe they're at the center of another tech bubble that's about to burst and still reckon that a time will come when no-one thinks they're cool and that fad dies, after that then what? While I can't say I trust a lot of companies, even the ones I mentioned as more suitable buyers, Facebook in my eyes has no business in VR and I don't trust the bling will last forever for them and being sustained. I'll still follow the project just with more distrust than before.
It's about much more than just those 2 billion dollars (though I admit that's a rather big part of the deal), it's also about market presence and and the absolutely huge new potential audience Facebook can provide. If Oculus and Facebook spread the word about the OR, and manage make a it well-known name to all, many more developers will be interested in adapting or creating games for it, which ultimately can only be good for VR gaming on the whole. I think they do care about VR, and always did.
Not sure social media is going anywhere buddy... I think we'll just see more of it as cloud service plug in nonsense. Everyone and their Mum wants to make the next one. Share this, comment on that. It's a ****ing laugh a minute mate; why wouldn't anyone want more? To me, Oculus Rift look like potential vapour-ware until this announcement. All the dog mess of moaning about it being difficult to get screens and such. It was like they didn't want to take a punt on the product. Now, it will happen. And you won't have to thank Sony for rescuing VR - you'll thank Facebook and whomever else has been behind the scenes working on such deals. I agree it could have been someone else. But at least Facebook have no interest in monopolising VR as far as I can see so far. MS, Sony, Nintendo; the companies you should have been worried about.
