If you’re an Oculus owner who’s trying to avoid its parent company, we’ve got bad news for you. Facebook has decided that anyone who uses an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account. Obviously, that’s bad news for VR fans who don’t want any part in the world’s most popular social platform, which has been criticized for numerous privacy violations.
Oculus users who already have Oculus accounts can continue using them until January 1, 2023, but if they don’t merge their accounts with Facebook, their devices will lack full functionality. “We will take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased, though we expect some games and apps may no longer work,” the company elaborated. “This could be because they include features that require a Facebook account or because a developer has chosen to no longer support the app or game you purchased.”
Here are all of the changes that are coming to Oculus:
Starting in October 2020:
- Everyone using an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account.
- If you are an existing user and already have an Oculus account, you will have the option to log in with Facebook and merge your Oculus and Facebook accounts.
- If you are an existing user and choose not to merge your accounts, you can continue using your Oculus account for two years.
Starting In January 2023:
- We will end support for Oculus accounts.
- If you choose not to merge your accounts at that time, you can continue using your device, but full functionality will require a Facebook account.
- We will take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased, though some games and apps may no longer work. This could be because they require a Facebook account or because a developer has chosen to no longer support the app or game you purchased.
Facebook claims that it is doing this because it enables “Facebook-powered social experiences, like live streaming gameplay to your Facebook timeline, making calls with parties, joining events, and exploring new experiences like Facebook Horizon.” It will also supposedly make it easier for Facebook to implement new privacy and safety tools.