When Facebook bought out Oculus VR last month, many techies and gamers were understandably upset. It wasn't just the case of another corporation buying out a small company, Oculus VR was regarded by many as an important step in the direction of the whole next generation of consumer technology. The seven-years-ago equivalent would be like hearing that Apple had sold the iPhone to Google, but more than that, Oculus Rift had actually been crowdfunded, being one of the most significant and successful projects in the history of Kickstarter. Understandably, those that had funded the Rift felt betrayal not only as consumers, but on a personal level.
The Oculus guys made a cool two billion off the deal. You could give more than half of that to the IRS and still have more than enough money left over for the core Rift team to live very well for the rest of their lives, so it's hard to fault them as individuals for taking the money. The deal also allows the Oculus team to keep working on the OR projects that they had been developing, with financing from Facebook, who claim that they will continue to put VR gaming at the forefront. So while Facebook's ownership of Oculus Rift may trouble some, we may want to wait and see whether or not the OR mission statement actually changes.
Before we worry that this is the end of the dream, let's look at some of the basic facts of consumer-grade VR right now:
"The tech world is largely about ideas that are too big to copyright," said Jason Hope, entrepreneur (http://sens.org/outreach/outreach-blog/release-internet-entrepreneur-jason-hope-pledges-half-million-dollars-sens) "and whether or not Facebook's Oculus Rift remains true to the original vision sold to its Kickstarter funders, it's not the end of the new era of VR."
The Oculus Rift has already birthed some fascinating projects, and it's doubtful that Facebook wants to change the open source nature of the project, as, love them or hate them, Facebook are pioneers of the user-generated era of web content.
The disappointment that many feel over Facebook's buyout of Oculus may have more to do with philosophical concerns than practical ones. The professional ethics of crowdfunding your project on Kickstarter before selling out to a major corporation for two billion dollars are up for debate, certainly, but it's hardly a nail in the coffin of the virtual reality dream. Even if Facebook decides to fill your eyeballs with advertising as soon as you strap the OR on, the Rift is far from the only option for virtual reality as we move into the next era of consumer tech.
The Oculus guys made a cool two billion off the deal. You could give more than half of that to the IRS and still have more than enough money left over for the core Rift team to live very well for the rest of their lives, so it's hard to fault them as individuals for taking the money. The deal also allows the Oculus team to keep working on the OR projects that they had been developing, with financing from Facebook, who claim that they will continue to put VR gaming at the forefront. So while Facebook's ownership of Oculus Rift may trouble some, we may want to wait and see whether or not the OR mission statement actually changes.Before we worry that this is the end of the dream, let's look at some of the basic facts of consumer-grade VR right now:
- No Set Price Range
- Nobody Owns a Copyright on VR
- VR is Too Big to Ignore
"The tech world is largely about ideas that are too big to copyright," said Jason Hope, entrepreneur (http://sens.org/outreach/outreach-blog/release-internet-entrepreneur-jason-hope-pledges-half-million-dollars-sens) "and whether or not Facebook's Oculus Rift remains true to the original vision sold to its Kickstarter funders, it's not the end of the new era of VR."
The Oculus Rift has already birthed some fascinating projects, and it's doubtful that Facebook wants to change the open source nature of the project, as, love them or hate them, Facebook are pioneers of the user-generated era of web content.
The disappointment that many feel over Facebook's buyout of Oculus may have more to do with philosophical concerns than practical ones. The professional ethics of crowdfunding your project on Kickstarter before selling out to a major corporation for two billion dollars are up for debate, certainly, but it's hardly a nail in the coffin of the virtual reality dream. Even if Facebook decides to fill your eyeballs with advertising as soon as you strap the OR on, the Rift is far from the only option for virtual reality as we move into the next era of consumer tech.
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