As of this week, the Oculus Facebook account requirement is in effect – all new, first-time sign-ins to Oculus headsets will require a Facebook account.
Previously, owners of the Oculus Rift, Go and Quest headsets could make their own Oculus accounts which were separate from the social networking giant. However, in August of this year, Facebook announced that it would be switching to require Facebook accounts for new VR sign-ins this October. That means that, if you’re picking up the new Oculus Quest 2 at launch tomorrow, you’ll need to sign-in with a Facebook account.
Oculus Facebook Account Requirement Now Rolling Out
Indeed, some Oculus users have already been prompted to merge their existing accounts with a Facebook one this week.
If, however, you already have an Oculus account and want to keep using an older Oculus headset, you’ll be able to do so until January 2023. At that point, Facebook will fully end support for Oculus accounts and users will lose access to some (largely unspecified) features if they don’t choose to merge.
A blog post announcing the news clarifies that using a Facebook account does not mean having to make friends with other VR user’s Facebook accounts to connect online and that you can still maintain an online username and keep your real name hidden, should you so choose.
Facebook also says that users having issues with their account will be able to have their status reviewed when they first log in and use their headset as normal while under review. However, anyone that’s fully lost access to their Facebook account will not be able to access Quest 2 or any Oculus headset with that account.
The move comes as Facebook doubles down on standalone VR. Not only is Quest 2 going on sale this week, but the company is bringing an end to its Oculus Rift line of PC-only headsets. The Oculus Store will continue to sell Rift titles but, notably, Facebook will also sell one of its most anticipated upcoming PC VR titles, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, on SteamVR too.
What do you make of the Oculus Facebook account requirement? Let us know in the comments below!
