- Oculus-owned Facebook said it will soon require users to sign in with a Facebook account before they can use the company’s VR devices.
- As of October, users will not be able to use an Oculus headset for the first time unless they log in via Facebook.
- Existing users with Oculus accounts will have the option to merge with their Facebook profiles or use their Oculus account until early 2023, at which point support will end.
- The move comes as lawmakers continue to investigate Facebook over anti-trust concerns and over the question of whether the social media giant has benefited from monopolistic business practices.
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Oculus is rolling out changes that will soon require users to sign in with a Facebook account before they can use the company’s VR devices.
In a corporate blog post published on Tuesday, Oculus announced a series of updates on how people are able to advance the company’s devices:
- As of October, Oculus first-time users will not be able to use the company’s devices unless they log in with a Facebook account
- Existing users with Oculus accounts will have the option to merge with their Facebook accounts
- If existing users with Oculus accounts do not want to merge with a Facebook account, they have two years to use it.
Beginning in 2023, the company will “end support for Oculus accounts.” Users could still use their Oculus devices, but with reduced functionality since “some games and apps may no longer work.” The company says it is working out the updates to make it easier for people to connect and play with friends in VR.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request from Business Insider for comment.
Facebook bought Oculus for $ 2 billion in 2014. As The Verge notes, the social media giant has taken steps to merge its myriad platforms, and its updates requiring Oculus users to log in via Facebook is one of the latest examples of that.
The move also comes as Facebook remains embroiled in a congressional anti-trust probe that investigates the company and other tech giants over anti-competitive business practices. Apple, Google, and Amazon are also involved in the probe, but Facebook is specifically in the spotlight for its acquisitions of the benevolent competitors, such as WhatsApp and Instagram.
