You'll Need Facebook To Use Oculus Devices In The Future, And People Aren't Happy

Oculus is owned by social media giant Facebook, and the VR firm has traditionally kept its parent company away from its policy decisions. That's set to change. In a recent tweet, Oculus announced that all users must log in with a Facebook account when they use an Oculus device for the first time--and many people aren't happy with the news.

According to follow-up tweets, existing users will have the option to merge their Oculus account with their Facebook account. If a user chooses not to merge their account, they can continue using their Oculus account until January 1, 2023, when the company will end support for Oculus accounts. Past that date, devices will continue to work, but not at "full functionality"--whatever that means.

The policy change was met with widespread condemnation on social media, with many users saying that they're unwilling to merge their accounts, or that they deleted their Facebook accounts years ago. Oculus claims that the move will make it easier for users to "find, connect, and play with friends in VR." However, that's not enough to offset general displeasure with the use of Facebook, even prompting public responses from some prominent game developers. Among those to speak out is God of War director Cory Barlog, who shared his thoughts in no uncertain terms.

Oculus is currently working on its much-rumored Oculus Quest 2. A mock-up of the still-unconfirmed headset emerged in July, but it's still not clear if it's legit.