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=== Oculus VR Facebook Account Requirement === | === Oculus VR Facebook Account Requirement === | ||
In 2014, | In 2014, Meta acquired Oculus VR for approximately $2 billion, which was known for developing the Oculus Rift and other Virtual Reality (VR) products. Before the acquisition, users could create and use Oculus accounts to access their VR content. This allowed users more control over their privacy and data, without needing to use Facebook. | ||
In October 2020, | After being purchased by Meta In October 2020, Oculus Quest and Rift S users were required to sign in with a Facebook account in order to continue to use their purchased VR headsets.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/19/21375118/oculus-facebook-account-login-data-privacy-controversy-developers-competition "Facebook is making Oculus’ worst feature unavoidable"] - theverge.com - 20 Aug 2020</ref> This forced integration of Facebook accounts with Oculus devices created several issues for users, particularly those who preferred to keep their VR experience separate from social media. | ||
Because Oculus headsets were now tied to Facebook accounts, users who had their Facebook profiles suspended for any reason found themselves unable to access their purchased content, including games and apps, and unable to use their devices.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/15/21518194/oculus-quest-2-headset-facebook-account-suspension-problems "Facebook is accidentally locking some users out of their new Oculus headsets"] - theverge.com - 16 Oct 2020</ref> | Because Oculus headsets were now tied to Facebook accounts, users who had their Facebook profiles suspended for any reason found themselves unable to access their purchased content, including games and apps, and unable to use their devices.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/15/21518194/oculus-quest-2-headset-facebook-account-suspension-problems "Facebook is accidentally locking some users out of their new Oculus headsets"] - theverge.com - 16 Oct 2020</ref> Meta offered no options for Oculus VR users aside from to go through Facebook's moderation process to attempt to regain access to their accounts. | ||
Additionally, Oculus account holders who did not want to link to Facebook risked losing access to their purchases entirely.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/zr0rl8/facebook_is_purging_oculus_accounts_in_january/ "Facebook is purging Oculus accounts in January and any data you might have on it, including access to the headset"] - reddit.com/r/OculusQuest - 21 Dec 2022</ref> If they did not migrate to a Facebook account, they would no longer be able to use their Oculus headsets or access any content they had purchased from the Oculus Store. | Additionally, Oculus account holders who did not want to link to Facebook risked losing access to their purchases entirely.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/zr0rl8/facebook_is_purging_oculus_accounts_in_january/ "Facebook is purging Oculus accounts in January and any data you might have on it, including access to the headset"] - reddit.com/r/OculusQuest - 21 Dec 2022</ref> If they did not migrate to a Facebook account, they would no longer be able to use their Oculus headsets or access any content they had purchased from the Oculus Store. | ||
In August 2022, following public backlash, | In August 2022, following public backlash, Meta reversed the policy, allowing users to sign in with a new "Meta account" instead of a Facebook account.<ref>[https://www.pcgamer.com/finally-the-quest-2-no-longer-requires-a-facebook-login/ "Finally, the Quest 2 no longer requires a Facebook login"] - pcgamer.com - 24 Aug 2022</ref> This, however, did not stop several original Oculus accounts from being deleted or suspended Facebook users being locked out of their headsets for two years. | ||
=== Echo VR Shutdown and Ready At Dawn === | === Echo VR Shutdown and Ready At Dawn === | ||
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On January 31st, 2023, Ready At Dawn announced that Echo VR would be shut down on August 1st of that year. They claimed in a blog post that the reason was them "consolidating studio support" to work on their next project, as well as confirming that players who had spent money on in-game currency would not be able to receive a refund.<ref>[https://medium.com/@EchoGames/an-update-on-the-future-of-echo-vr-7f074dca1ed1 "An Update on the Future of Echo VR"] - medium.com - 1 Feb 2023</ref> Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, answered questions regarding the shutdown in an Instagram AMA, explaining that it would be "even less cost effective" to open-source or sell the game.<ref>[https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-cto-john-carmack-echo-vr/ "Meta CTO: John Carmack Would Not Have Shut Down Echo VR"] - uploadvr.com - 2 Feb 2023</ref> | On January 31st, 2023, Ready At Dawn announced that Echo VR would be shut down on August 1st of that year. They claimed in a blog post that the reason was them "consolidating studio support" to work on their next project, as well as confirming that players who had spent money on in-game currency would not be able to receive a refund.<ref>[https://medium.com/@EchoGames/an-update-on-the-future-of-echo-vr-7f074dca1ed1 "An Update on the Future of Echo VR"] - medium.com - 1 Feb 2023</ref> Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, answered questions regarding the shutdown in an Instagram AMA, explaining that it would be "even less cost effective" to open-source or sell the game.<ref>[https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-cto-john-carmack-echo-vr/ "Meta CTO: John Carmack Would Not Have Shut Down Echo VR"] - uploadvr.com - 2 Feb 2023</ref> | ||
Fans of Echo VR protested against the game's shutdown, going so far as to fly a banner over Meta's headquarters asking to reverse the decision.<ref>[https://vrscout.com/news/the-vr-esports-community-rallies-to-save-echo-vr/ "The VR Esports Community Rallies To Save Echo VR"] - vrscout.com - 2 Mar 2023</ref> Despite this, the game's servers did shutdown on the given date. Echo VR itself was still able to be downloaded and opened, meaning the contents of the game were still available, but a player would not be able to progress after a pop-up | Fans of Echo VR protested against the game's shutdown, going so far as to fly a banner over Meta's headquarters asking to reverse the decision.<ref>[https://vrscout.com/news/the-vr-esports-community-rallies-to-save-echo-vr/ "The VR Esports Community Rallies To Save Echo VR"] - vrscout.com - 2 Mar 2023</ref> Despite this, the game's servers did shutdown on the given date. Echo VR itself was still able to be downloaded and opened, meaning the contents of the game were still available, but a player would not be able to progress after a shutdown notice pop-up.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/15fisnk/echo_vr_has_shut_down/ "Echo VR Has Shut Down"] - reddit.com/r/OculusQuest - 2 Aug 2023</ref> | ||
Despite Ready At Dawn's claims, there was no other project released following the shutdown. The studio proceeded to suffer major layoffs and, on August of 2024, Meta shut down Ready At Dawn Studios itself, blaming Oculus Studios' budgetary constraints.<ref>[https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/virtual-reality/ready-at-dawn-studios-closing "Exclusive: Meta is closing a beloved first-party Quest studio"] - androidcentral.com - 8 Aug 2024 </ref> | Despite Ready At Dawn's claims, there was no other project released following the shutdown. The studio proceeded to suffer major layoffs and, on August of 2024, Meta shut down Ready At Dawn Studios itself, blaming Oculus Studios' budgetary constraints.<ref>[https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/virtual-reality/ready-at-dawn-studios-closing "Exclusive: Meta is closing a beloved first-party Quest studio"] - androidcentral.com - 8 Aug 2024 </ref> | ||