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Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

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Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#71

Post by stan_rogers »

rch wrote: post #38

I don't use Facebook and I don't play games, but I'm curious to see if the acquisition will have a positive effect on pure VR; meaning the kind of VR Jaron Lanier talks about. It seems like FB could actually bridge between VR, AR, and everyone else more easily than most. I can imagine attending the next presidential inauguration (virtually) because of this deal, and that wouldn't have been the case with Valve, for ex…

I'm pretty much of the same mind here. A huge part of the backlash (and a large number of the comments here) seems to revolve around gaming (hardcore or otherwise). Valve, for instance, would have been okay, but EA, Sony and even Microsoft have been mentioned as better/more suitable. And I firmly believe that, while I get the appeal of gaming VR, it rather misses the larger picture. I no more want to see this sort of tech tied to gaming, even philosophically, than I want to see it become a dongle for Autodesk software (which, by the way, would be a much more meaningful application than gaming). I want holonovels and walkthroughs and avatar space for those whose meatspace experience isn't great. Many of the dreams we dreamed when ubiquitous computing meant that you got a punchcard with your bill and a handful of people owned something like a TRS-80 or an Apple ][ are on the verge of becoming very real (and not in quite the same way that strong AI has always been "almost here"). FB has an intrinsic interest in the avatar space part of that, but they're also as good a bet as anyone to diversify into the other realms.

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#73

Post by venomsnake »

danabramov wrote: post #63
lawl wrote: post #11

Yeah well, I don't buy this. However, I think Oculus could easily kill any doubts over that aquisition by promising to release an open source driver. Because that would mean that even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttions, there's still the option to build an alternative open source universe using the open source driver. Personally I think that would restore my faith in the Rift.

>even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttons Why do a lot of people keep repeating this? Does Google create self-driving cars to show ads on the windshields? I just don't get it. What on the earth makes you think Facebook bought Oculus to show ads and like buttons inside your games? If, if VR becomes the Next Big Thing, will the like buttons “from the old Facebook“ matter as much, or wil…

Because Zuckeberg is in charge. I just don't think he could thing of anything interesting. FB was just a landgrab. The product has a/ stagnated b/ gone worse depending on why you ask.

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#74

Post by bane »

danabramov wrote: post #63
lawl wrote: post #11

Yeah well, I don't buy this. However, I think Oculus could easily kill any doubts over that aquisition by promising to release an open source driver. Because that would mean that even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttions, there's still the option to build an alternative open source universe using the open source driver. Personally I think that would restore my faith in the Rift.

>even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttons Why do a lot of people keep repeating this? Does Google create self-driving cars to show ads on the windshields? I just don't get it. What on the earth makes you think Facebook bought Oculus to show ads and like buttons inside your games? If, if VR becomes the Next Big Thing, will the like buttons “from the old Facebook“ matter as much, or wil…

> Does Google create self-driving cars to show ads on the windshields?

What do you think people will be doing on the boring non-interactive self-driven commute? The same thing they do on long bus or train rides. Surf the internet. That's always been Google's goal.

The intersection of people with cars and people with internet connected smartphones is huge. Get people's eyes off the road and onto a Google product is the idea.

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#75

Post by wiremine »

jader201 wrote: post #9

> Beyond our core community, we expected it would be positive. > If you actually understand [Facebook’s] vision of letting us be who we’re going to be, just like they wanted to let Instagram be who they are. The reason people don't get this -- or at least, why I don't get it -- and thus responded negatively, is because VR should have nothing to do with Facebook's vision, and Facebook -- or social gaming in general --…

> The reason people don't get this -- or at least, why I don't get it -- and thus responded negatively, is because VR should have nothing to do with Facebook's vision, and Facebook -- or social gaming in general -- should have nothing to do with Oculus' vision.

Honest question: why shouldn't VR be in Facebook's vision?

_Someone_ is going to create a Google Hangouts-style product that incorporates VR. I'm not excited that it is FB, per say, but I can see how a company built on social interactions is going to want a piece of that pie.

I get the frustration about the short-term impact on gaming, but I don't (yet?) understand why this is a bad move for VR in general...

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#76

Post by danabramov »

daenz wrote: post #22

I've been thinking about this Facebook acquisition for a little while, and in my mind, the only play that makes sense for Facebook is to become the login gateway to Oculus games. For many Windows games, there's Windows Live...a social-ish, login service that you literally have to register and sign in with in order to play the game. You cannot opt out. If Facebook became this... "Sign in with Facebook"... for all comm…

This doesn't make sense at all.

Imagine the new generation goes purely VR and doesn't use the “old web” for entertainment. What would be the point of “Login with Facebook“ if those kids don't use the web anyway?

This is a very narrow vision.

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#77

Post by pfraze »

wiremine wrote: post #75
jader201 wrote: post #9

> Beyond our core community, we expected it would be positive. > If you actually understand [Facebook’s] vision of letting us be who we’re going to be, just like they wanted to let Instagram be who they are. The reason people don't get this -- or at least, why I don't get it -- and thus responded negatively, is because VR should have nothing to do with Facebook's vision, and Facebook -- or social gaming in general --…

> The reason people don't get this -- or at least, why I don't get it -- and thus responded negatively, is because VR should have nothing to do with Facebook's vision, and Facebook -- or social gaming in general -- should have nothing to do with Oculus' vision. Honest question: why shouldn't VR be in Facebook's vision? _Someone_ is going to create a Google Hangouts-style product that incorporates VR. I'm not excited…

It's not that VR shouldn't be in Facebook's vision. It's that Facebook's vision shouldn't be a primary player in VR.

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#78

Post by danabramov »

venomsnake wrote: post #73
danabramov wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttons Why do a lot of people keep repeating this? Does Google create self-driving cars to show ads on the windshields? I just don't get it. What on the earth makes you think Facebook bought Oculus to show ads and like buttons inside your games? If, if VR becomes the Next Big Thing, will the like buttons “from the old Facebook“ matter as much, or wil…

Because Zuckeberg is in charge. I just don't think he could thing of anything interesting. FB was just a landgrab. The product has a/ stagnated b/ gone worse depending on why you ask.

Have you seen Paper?

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#79

Post by lawl »

danabramov wrote: post #63
lawl wrote: post #11

Yeah well, I don't buy this. However, I think Oculus could easily kill any doubts over that aquisition by promising to release an open source driver. Because that would mean that even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttions, there's still the option to build an alternative open source universe using the open source driver. Personally I think that would restore my faith in the Rift.

>even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttons Why do a lot of people keep repeating this? Does Google create self-driving cars to show ads on the windshields? I just don't get it. What on the earth makes you think Facebook bought Oculus to show ads and like buttons inside your games? If, if VR becomes the Next Big Thing, will the like buttons “from the old Facebook“ matter as much, or wil…

> What on the earth makes you think Facebook bought Oculus to show ads

Zuckerberg himself [0].

Quote:

> so that this becomes a network where people can be communicating and buying things and virtual goods, and there might be advertising in the world

"might" is good enough for me in that case, because it means it's clearly an option. I'm not really fond of the idea that the Rift is becoming a VR Habbo Hotel.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7471699

Re: Oculus Says They Didn't Expect Such Negative Reactions to Selling to Facebook

#80

Post by pinaceae »

danabramov wrote: post #63
lawl wrote: post #11

Yeah well, I don't buy this. However, I think Oculus could easily kill any doubts over that aquisition by promising to release an open source driver. Because that would mean that even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttions, there's still the option to build an alternative open source universe using the open source driver. Personally I think that would restore my faith in the Rift.

>even if the Rift universe they built is beeing crapped on by like buttons Why do a lot of people keep repeating this? Does Google create self-driving cars to show ads on the windshields? I just don't get it. What on the earth makes you think Facebook bought Oculus to show ads and like buttons inside your games? If, if VR becomes the Next Big Thing, will the like buttons “from the old Facebook“ matter as much, or wil…

oh, you already bought a google car? how is it?

no one has a clue what google will do with that tech, least of all google. but ad financed cars would not exactly hurt their company strategy, which is getting eyeballs on ads. same with glass.

and now we're at oculus.

both facebook and google are ad financed companies. and ads ruin any cool product. they cheapen it, are a nuisance and distraction. ads in games? suck. ads in your feed? suck. ads on the radio? suck.

now imagine ads that follow you around, all day. you get up, read the news, an ad for stresspills appears. you get in the car to commute to work, the same ad is sprinkling you. you want to escape by playing halo on your oculus/glass? there is the stress pill again. at the end of the week you buy the pill cause you're so stressed out by the fucking ad.

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