Popular VR platform Oculus has announced that the company's VR headsets will soon require users to log in with a Facebook account, much to the dismay of Oculus users worldwide. In a blog post on the matter, the Facebook-owned company said that the change will go into effect starting October 2020 and new users will need a Facebook account to use their VR devices while existing users will have to merge their existing Oculus account with their Facebook account.

For the time being, the company is giving existing Oculus users a chance to keep their Facebook and Oculus accounts separate. However, it plans to end support for Oculus accounts by January 1, 2023, after which all Oculus VR headsets will require a Facebook account. The company also announced that all new VR devices launched in the future will require a Facebook account by default.

Oculus claims that the Facebook account integration has been put in place to provide tighter integration with the social media platform and make it easier for users to find, connect, and play with friends in VR. The integration will also unlock a host of social VR features like VR chat, user/developer created events, livestreaming, VR groups, and VR parties. It will also allow the company to unlock more social VR experiences like Facebook Horizon, which will allow users to explore, play, and create worlds in VR.

While the Facebook account integration does unlock new possibilities for the VR platform, several Oculus users have voiced their concerns regarding intrusive data collection, targeted advertising, and data privacy. To address these concerns, the company has revealed that users will have the option to keep their VR activities separate from their Facebook activities. The company has also revealed that it will only utilize users' data to provide an improved experience across Facebook products, promote safety and integrity on all services, and display personalized content, including ads, across Facebook products. Check out the full FAQ regarding the recent changes in the source page linked below.

Source: Oculus blog