Facebook buys Oculus VR

[Scott Schroeder]

http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/oculus-joins-facebook/

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/technology/facebook-to-buy-oculus-vr-maker-of-virtual-reality-headset.html

 

Thoughts and potential impacts? Most stuff on the web has been roundly negative, especially on the oh-so ironic Facebook comments, and I think the Minecraft guy now dropped his partnership with Oculus.

 

Personally, I think it's great that they now have secured pretty much endless funding without having to rely on Kickstarter. However at the same time, the ole Facebooks is publicly traded so if Oculus doesn't start returning on the investment in a time frame that pleases the board, this could be the beginning of the end for it.

 

I can't say I'm mad at the Oculus guys like half the internet is. If I had created a piece of hardware and someone gave me a dump truck of money for it and they allowed me to remain mostly autonomous within their larger structure, I don't think I could resist it.

[Devin Johnston]

I don't blame them either, it's hard to resist a payday of that magnitude and with the new funding and pressure they will get to produce something hopefully we'll see a product on the market pretty soon. FB is obviously taking a page out of Google's playbook, I just hope they don't turn into the Autodesk of the hardware world.

[John Dollus]

Oculus doesn't create the hardware. They source components and assemble the package so the valuation is ridiculous.

Oh well, candy crush was valued at 7 billion so w/e

[Nic H]

facebook is awful and the social scourge of the 21st century IMO

but hopefully the access to extra cash will democratise and make occulus vr technology available to more people

 

or turn it into a heads up stalking device with advertising

:-|

[notamondayfan]

I think it's amazing that everyone thinks the Oculus Rift is going to enhance the Facebook as we know it. I'm thinking more that Facebook is spreading it's wings, perhaps into gaming, VR, etc, not for viewing the latest necknomination clip!

Edited March 27, 2014 by notamondayfan
spelling

[lucavidotto]

I Agree with Dean and Scott. At this point Facebook must also think about strategies and penetration in new promising markets for investors and for their own future. And for Oculus founders...who is going to say no to this investment?