Facebook buying Oculus Rift?

[Klaa 4,872]

Heard a disturbing rumor about Facebook possibly buying the Oculus Rift company in a bid to enter the mobile computing market.

On one hand, a major company with resources galore backing the possible breakthrough, workable VR headset. On the other hand... its Facebook.

[Nomadikhan 2,196]

Dunno if I could comprehend that... every piece of software would have virutal reality Like Buttons everywhere.. targeted 3D ads... I'm scurred...

[BrQQQ 2,854]

On one hand, a major company with resources galore backing the possible breakthrough, workable VR headset. On the other hand... its Facebook.

That was my thought exactly. It's a big company, they have much more possibilities and money... but the potential to go the dumb direction is also quite high...

[snakegal 177]

oculus farmville

[Hussars 511]

$2bil ($400mil in cash, $1.6b in Facebook shares)

 

Expected to close/resolve around the close of the 2nd quarter (Sep/Oct this year)

[lithi 77]

Yeah it's true, Mark has posted a personal post on the matter. https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101319050523971

[Judicator 539]

New technology being hijacked for a very narrow, uncreative use. If they had done this to the internet facebook wouldn't exist.

 

Creativity and innovation killed.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Judicator

[Object 281]

I say this would be a positive thing, Facebook is not all about like buttons and bla bla bla, look at internet.org as a perfect example.  Facebook has become what Google is, people don't look at Google and think search engine anymore, even I have a tablet with a google OS on it.

[lithi 77]

I say this would be a positive thing, Facebook is not all about like buttons and bla bla bla, look at internet.org as a perfect example.  Facebook has become what Google is, people don't look at Google and think search engine anymore, even I have a tablet with a google OS on it.

 

I'm glad that someone else sees it as a positive thing as well, lol. And in the post that Mark made, he specifically stated that games will come first on what happens with Oculus Rift and the team originally behind it, will continue with it.

[Klaa 4,872]

Im completely torn now... on one hand I been an OR fan even before the dev models were released. However, I'm not a particular fan of Facebook or Zuckerberg... really going to be a quandary if the Rift turns out to be good now.

[Hussars 511]

I'm glad that someone else sees it as a positive thing as well, lol. And in the post that Mark made, he specifically stated that games will come first on what happens with Oculus Rift and the team originally behind it, will continue with it.

I also think it could be a good thing, as long as Mark actually follows through on his "promise".  My fear is that he will wake up one morning and decide that he doesn't like something and overturn the agreement or pressure the team in other ways.

[BrandonSF 250]

"You must be signed in to Facebook".

[Elen 1,013]

    I just hope whatever patents they sew into this thing don't impede the VR revolution. It will be nice seing implementation with real money behind it though.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Elen

[EliasTheCrimson 348]

Good in the sense that the technology is now in the hands of a big corporation that will take steps to turn this into a commercial product as soon as possible. Bad because it's a non-gaming company acquiring a project that was primarily gaming-oriented. It could go either way really.

[FreeTineen 430]

oculus farmville

[Rathgar 959]

As long as indie researchers are allowed to work with it, and theres free software for it, like with Kinect, it would be okay.

[Gaeron 551]

If it remains "just hardware" then I'll be fine and pick one up.

 

If it requires for any reason a "log into facebook" then absolutely no way.

 

Having said that, for face book fans I can imagine it being pretty useful I'd expect them to copy, I  mean innovate, and produce something akin to the Playstation Home concepts.

[Jarosz 189]

reposting from another OR related post:

 

The really "creepy" factor is... Facebook is an analytics firm that collects details on users' social habits on social media and sells that analytical data to advertising firms (its not passive data collection on ad clicks only...)

Now, they will have direct access to your vision. Where your eyes look, how long they look etc. They will be basing advertisements on what you are looking at, as well as trying to steer your eye's towards what they consider "premium" ad space.

 

I ain't buying it until it gets "rooted" and all bloatware from facebook is removable.

[Klaa 4,872]

reposting from another OR related post:

 

The really "creepy" factor is... Facebook is an analytics firm that collects details on users' social habits on social media and sells that analytical data to advertising firms (its not passive data collection on ad clicks only...)

Now, they will have direct access to your vision. Where your eyes look, how long they look etc. They will be basing advertisements on what you are looking at, as well as trying to steer your eye's towards what they consider "premium" ad space.

 

I ain't buying it until it gets "rooted" and all bloatware from facebook is removable.

[Object 281]

reposting from another OR related post:

 

The really "creepy" factor is... Facebook is an analytics firm that collects details on users' social habits on social media and sells that analytical data to advertising firms (its not passive data collection on ad clicks only...)

Now, they will have direct access to your vision. Where your eyes look, how long they look etc. They will be basing advertisements on what you are looking at, as well as trying to steer your eye's towards what they consider "premium" ad space.

 

I ain't buying it until it gets "rooted" and all bloatware from facebook is removable.

This post made me laugh.  I don't think the company or CEO behind Facebook can really be branded as a single thing, the idea behind Facebook and what it was initially has changed so much that it's quite a marvel to see how profitable it's turned into.  If anything I'd consider Mark Zuckerberg a very good entrepreneur.

 

Just like what's his name that used to own Paypal, who would have though he was going to make spaceships and electric cars after he sold paypal?  You don't see e-commerce built into the electric cars gps unit, it really has little to do with his initial success other then the fact that he had a vision and he made it profitable.

 

Google is yet another example I love to talk about, they used to be just a search engine, now they make OS's.

 

Seriously, stop pigeonholing Facebook into what Facebook is known as and just think of it as Mark Zuckerberg making sure the OR makes a lot of money for him, because that's what he's going to do, make a ton of money from an already existing product that has a ton of game support already.

[Klaa 4,872]

Well that's kinda tied into Jarosz's concern.

 

The holy grail of marketing is knowing accurately and in a timely fashion what interests a particular individual or group has, so one can cater to. Its why so much capital is invested in data-mining and vast databases. Why personal privacy has become such a hot topic of late.

 

Being in a position to track eye movement would be a literal goldmine.

[eddy 2]

This post made me laugh.  I don't think the company or CEO behind Facebook can really be branded as a single thing, the idea behind Facebook and what it was initially has changed so much that it's quite a marvel to see how profitable it's turned into.  If anything I'd consider Mark Zuckerberg a very good entrepreneur.

 

Just like what's his name that used to own Paypal, who would have though he was going to make spaceships and electric cars after he sold paypal?  You don't see e-commerce built into the electric cars gps unit, it really has little to do with his initial success other then the fact that he had a vision and he made it profitable.

 

Google is yet another example I love to talk about, they used to be just a search engine, now they make OS's.

 

Seriously, stop pigeonholing Facebook into what Facebook is known as and just think of it as Mark Zuckerberg making sure the OR makes a lot of money for him, because that's what he's going to do, make a ton of money from an already existing product that has a ton of game support already.

Yeah that's what you say until someone with a little bit more knowledge than me replies to this thread with your personal information collected from Facebook.

 

You know just your real name, phone number, address, high school you went to, where you work, establishments you like to regular, what you like to eat, what you like to watch on Tv, what brands of clothes you buy, where you've been and even at what time if you made a post, who your friends are...... and a whole long list of stuff PEOPLE DON'T NEED TO KNOW, particularly BIG BUSINESS.

Edited March 30, 2014 by eddy

[Klaa 4,872]

Left out sexual kinks and fetishes.

[Jarosz 189]

This post made me laugh.  I don't think the company or CEO behind Facebook can really be branded as a single thing, the idea behind Facebook and what it was initially has changed so much that it's quite a marvel to see how profitable it's turned into.  If anything I'd consider Mark Zuckerberg a very good entrepreneur.

 

Just like what's his name that used to own Paypal, who would have though he was going to make spaceships and electric cars after he sold paypal?  You don't see e-commerce built into the electric cars gps unit, it really has little to do with his initial success other then the fact that he had a vision and he made it profitable.

 

Google is yet another example I love to talk about, they used to be just a search engine, now they make OS's.

 

Seriously, stop pigeonholing Facebook into what Facebook is known as and just think of it as Mark Zuckerberg making sure the OR makes a lot of money for him, because that's what he's going to do, make a ton of money from an already existing product that has a ton of game support already.

 

Facebook is headed towards becoming the next Apple iPhone regurgitater, not the next Paypal/Tesla.

 

What is another product that Facebook has produced and not simply purchased?  Where does Facebook's money come from?  Even the maker of Doom, one of the devs of the Oculus Rift has the same cautionary response to the Facebook acquisition... the only difference is, he's a data guy.  As a technocrat he doesn't see the harm in opening up the taboo of privacy and displaying it to the world if it means the pursuit of efficiency is progressed.