Starting in October
The day many virtual reality enthusiasts feared is nearly upon us. Sooner or later, every Oculus headset is going to require a linked Facebook account in order for it to function.
Anyone who already has an Oculus account will be able to use that through the end of 2022. Facebook won’t require that you merge your Oculus account with a Facebook account until Jul 26, 2025. At that point, Oculus says that your device won’t be fully functional without merging, although it wasn’t clarified as to how shortchanged those accounts will be. It’s likely that some social features won’t be available, but it could extend to use of the Oculus storefront and possible incompatibility with purchases that have already been made.
However, that timeline is sped up for upcoming headsets. Oculus says “All future unreleased Oculus devices will require a Facebook account, even if you already have an Oculus account.” There’s a heavily-rumored updated version of the Oculus Quest that’s expected to be announced this fall. (Oculus Connect always takes place in late September or early October, but there’s no date yet for this digital-only event.) The new Quest will likely be the first headset that absolutely requires you to have a Facebook account connected to it.
Facebook doesn’t even try hiding the fact that it’s using this merging as a way of harvesting data. In the FAQ section of the announcement post, it’s stated that “We will use information related to your use of Oculus and Facebook for purposes such as showing you personalized content, including ads, across Facebook products. Thiscould include recommendations for Oculus Events you might like, ads about Facebook apps and technologies, or ads from developers for their VR apps.” You virtual reality headset will need to be connected to a social media account so that you can be more effectively marketed to.
A Single Way to Log Into Oculus and Unlock Social Features[Oculus]
