Facebook Accounts Will Be Required to Login to Oculus VR Devices

The “From Facebook” part of virtual reality unit Oculus From Facebook will soon be emphasized a bit more when it come to logging into its VR devices. Starting in October, people using Oculus devices for the first time must login with a Facebook account. Existing users can choose to login with Facebook and merge their Oculus and Facebook accounts, or continue using their Oculus accounts until Jan. 1, 2023, at which point support for Oculus accounts will cease. Oculus said in a blog post that people can continue using their devices after Jan. 1, 2023, but they will not be able to take advantage of their full functionality without a Facebook account. The VR unit explained, “We will take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased, although we expect some games and applications may no longer work. 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. All future unreleased Oculus devices will require a Facebook account, even if you already have an Oculus account.” Oculus said giving people a single way to login will make it easier for them to find, connect and play with friends in VR and allow it to introduce more Facebook-powered multiplayer and social experiences, such as social VR world Facebook Horizon, where people can explore, play and create worlds. The VR unit pointed out that the majority of its users already login to Oculus with Facebook accounts in order to use features including chats, parties and events and to tune into live experience in Oculus Venues. Oculus users will soon be able to use their VR avatars on other Facebook apps and technologies. People who login via Facebook accounts can still create and maintain unique VR profiles and make their Facebook names available to “Only Me” via settings, as well as choose which information about their VR activity is posted to their profiles or Timelines. The ability for multiple users to login to the same device using their own Facebook accounts is also in the pipeline so that headsets can be shared with friends and family. Oculus wrote, “Using a VR profile that is backed by a Facebook account and authentic identity helps us protect our community and makes it possible to offer additional integrity tools. For example, instead of having a separate Oculus code of conduct, we will adopt Facebook’s community standards, as well as a new additional VR-focused policy. This will allow us to continue to take the unique considerations of VR into account while offering a more consistent way to report bad behavior, hold people accountable and help create a more welcoming environment across our platforms. And as Facebook adds new privacy and safety tools, Oculus can adopt and benefit from them, too.”