Oculus on Joining Facebook, Making Rift Cheaper, and Fan Fears

Acquisition will lead to superior product at lower cost, company says.

Facebook shocked the gaming industry this afternoon when it announced that it will acquire Oculus VR, the Kickstarter-backed firm that propelled virtual reality back into public consciousness with its Rift VR headset. While both Facebook and Oculus have shared promises of a bright future for the Rift, VR, and new immersive experiences, there are many lingering questions about how the two companies will work together, how the product will evolve, and what it means for gamers. We spoke to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, co-founder Palmer Luckey, and VP of product Nate Mitchell to find out.

Facebook to Acquire Oculus VR for $2 Billion

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According to the team, Oculus VR joining Facebook means nothing but good things for gamers. "We're able to go out and get components at a lower cost and being able to make more units and ultimately sell the consumer product at a lower cost," Iribe said. "We're going to leverage what we can from Facebook to scale and deliver a better product at a lower cost."
What's more, the acquisition won't impact Oculus' plans to bring the consumer version of the Rift to market — though it has yet to say when that might be. "The launch date, in terms of timeline, doesn't change," Luckey said. "It's not delayed, it's not particularly accelerated — but it does let us ship a better product at a lower cost in that same timeline." Under Facebook, the firm says it will no longer be limited by the need to make margins on hardware sales and instead focus on building the best experience possible. Oculus will be able to tap into Facebook's talent pool, including product managers, mobile engineers, and more.
"We say 'if only we could do these things, it'd be incredible but it's impossible — we don't have the resources it takes too many people, whatever it is',"Mitchell said. "With Facebook, that impossible roadmap is now really likely."

Facebook Buying Oculus - What Does It Mean for Gaming?

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But despite the various benefits, Oculus understands the community's concerns, and when asked about Notch's decision to cancel a Rift-enabled version of Minecraft, reassures that appearances aren't everything.
"Facebook and Oculus isn't an obvious partnership — when you see WhatsApp or Instagram and Facebook it's obvious, you understand why they're doing it," Luckey said. "Or even Sony buying Gaikai — you understand exactly how they're going to fit together. Facebook and Oculus isn't obvious, so people will assume it means serious changes, but it's just not the case."
"We're not going to let the community down," Mitchell said.