Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2 Billion

[RaychelSnr]

Just minutes ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the news that Facebook has bought Oculus VR, the maker of the upcoming Oculus Rift Virtual Reality gaming platform:

"I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology.

mmersive 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."

It's possible Facebook could explore sports specific experiences such as getting a virtual seat at a basketball game. The reported price of the deal is $2 billion.

What would you like to see out of the Oculus platform?

[ajaxab]

Nice! Now Zuckerberg is not only going to know what people are posting about in their day to day lives, but he's going to know about what we see with our Oculus goggles. Oculus is fine with my games, but if they force a mandatory sign-up to provide information to Facebook just to use the technology, I'm no longer interested.

[RUFFNREADY]

It was only time, until Facebook bought into the gaming industry! $2B later!
cheers

[burjeffton]

"The cancer is spreading, Doctor. WE CANNOT STOP IT!"

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2 Billion

Shocking news to me. But I'm already so sold on Oculus it'll take a whole lot to convince me not to buy one.

[jaateloauto]

Awful news. Facebook has so far been a disaster area in anything gaming related.

[DiscountCleric]

I'd never considered "getting a virtual seat at a basketball game" as a potential use for the thing, but now that I think about it, it's a huge potential profit model. If that comes to fruition, every sports team would essentially have unlimited front-row seats. Imagine, you can now sell season tickets even to fans outside your market! A Clippers fan in Texas can pay for 41 games where they just pop on the helmet. You could even record the Oculus feed and DVR the live experience!

My mind's blown.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2 Billion

The potential for VR is limitless. Far more than just games.

I am curious to see what Sony does in response. Microsoft is rumored to be working on their VR tech as well. Holodecks will probably be the norm in a decade. Exciting times.

[SVCbearcat10]

I'm not sold on VR. It's been tried for so many years and so many times. Facebook is going to turn into the next Google. Buy anything they find cool or interesting.

[analogdan]

It's a shame, because I was so interested in it. Was.

[bfindeisen]

Nice! Now Zuckerberg is not only going to know what people are posting about in their day to day lives, but he's going to know about what we see with our Oculus goggles. Oculus is fine with my games, but if they force a mandatory sign-up to provide information to Facebook just to use the technology, I'm no longer interested.

This is good news for anyone interested in the Rift. The now have endless resources to develop and build out the product.

[Brian_OS]

I own the Dev kit and it is very promising tech. I just hope they keep John Carmack on so they can keep it moving forward.

[ggsimmonds]

I want my holodec! Maybe this will get us one step closer. Maybe I would be able to set up a VR experience with some of the cuties on my FB friends list. My intentions are honorable I promise

[cepwin]

We'll see....I can imagine not just gaming but as DiscountCleric said having a virtual seat at a ballgame rather than just watching on TV is intriguing...the sports packages taken to the next level! Hopefully facebook's investment will provide resources to continue development or quicken the pace and perhaps add some creative uses for the tech.

[imfromhoiland]

Re: Facebook Buys Oculus VR for $2 Billion

I was able to try out Oculus Rift at PAX East. Let me know if you guys have any questions!