Home Gaming Oculus backers are not happy with Facebook acquisition

Oculus backers are not happy with Facebook acquisition

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FBrift

The big news this week in gaming is, of course, the fact that Virtual Reality peddler Rift VR has been acquired by social media platform Facebook. Some of the device’s original kickstarter backers are not happy – with some demanding a refund on their kickstarter pledges, and other still slice of that $2 billion acquisition price.

"I just wanted to express my deep disgust with the sale of Oculus to Facebook," commented one disgruntled backer.

"There were so many great companies that could have acquired this product, why Facebook? I guess when someone is throwing an unimaginably large sum of money at you its hard to say no. I get the feeling that Oculus just committed suicide. I really believed in Oculus and wanted to support them in every way I could. As a developer I was gitty (sic) with excitement, now I am kinda sad," they added.

Some have made it clear they won’t be supporting Oculus in any future endeavours.

"I’m honestly glad this happened before I bought a Crystal Cove dev kit. I was seriously considering the new model. Definitely not now."

May feel they’ve somehow been slighted, like they’ve been betrayed.

"You selling out to Facebook is a disgrace. It damages not only your reputation, but the whole of crowdfunding. I cannot put into words how betrayed I feel by this."

"I’m glad I backed this so you could sellout to facebook. Nicely done!" said another.

I…I don’t get it. I’m not the biggest Facebook fan, but I don’t really understand why these kickstarter backers are so angry. They bought in to an idea, and thanks to their support that idea is coming to fruition. and now, with a $2 billion injection, it’ll be blossoming sooner. It’s a sentiment echoed by Facebook itself.

In its official statement, vilified Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg affirmed that nothing would be changing

"Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook.Oculus already has big plans here that won’t be changing and we hope to accelerate."

Interestingly, the one thing the acquisition isn’t accelerating is Facebook’s own growth, with stock falling 7% since Tuesday’s announcement.

Last Updated: March 27, 2014

146 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief of Auraxis

    March 27, 2014 at 08:32

    • oVg deprived

      March 27, 2014 at 09:00

      bwahahaha

      Reply

    • geelslang

      March 27, 2014 at 11:18

      That about sums it up.

      Reply

  2. Admiral Chief of Auraxis

    March 27, 2014 at 08:33

    Because vleisboek is silly, that’s why

    Reply

  3. Admiral Chief of Auraxis

    March 27, 2014 at 08:38

  4. Umar hearts Grandia

    March 27, 2014 at 08:39

    I mean…these BACKERS are not INVESTORS are they, like you said they backed an idea. Do these people not understand Kickstarter? They don’t OWE you anything per se…This doesn’t change the fact that OR is still amazing piece of tech and they actually produced something great with the backer’s money.

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      March 27, 2014 at 08:42

      I think it’s like people starting a car company who are busy making the next super car, that would revolutionise the world and they just got a good prototype and things looking good and then BMW comes along and buys it. You are gonna be worried they change your product into something completely different and ends up being nothing more than a gimmick.

      (I know it’s a bad example, but the point remains)

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief of Auraxis

        March 27, 2014 at 08:43

        No, its a good example

        Reply

      • Umar hearts Grandia

        March 27, 2014 at 08:45

        Only here it’s not anyone else’s product besides the OR guys. Also, I know FB is not the best company to be bought out by in terms of gaming (Farmville etc) But at least the OR guys has some major money pumping into them now, things could really kick off and they’ll still be able to realize the vision that people are hoping for

        Reply

        • TiMsTeR1033

          March 27, 2014 at 08:49

          Money doesnt always make things better man. I would rather have a small dedicated company make a decent product and takes awhile to get off the ground than give it to some big powerful corporation and ruin it. You seen then movie Jobs? That explains my point perfectly.

          Reply

          • Rince

            March 27, 2014 at 08:59

            Erm, in this case it does boet. It costs a lot of money to develop tech, which is why so many people go under. I know of so many gamer devs who have to stop their games because? Money.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:17

            Yes I know Tech costs alot of money to develop but anyone but Facebook could of bought into it. They say that nothing will be changed… for how long man, for how long.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:17

            *have

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:19

            Too early John… toooooo early.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:20

            Sorry Tim.
            Go get more coffee.

          • Rince

            March 27, 2014 at 09:22

            *Slippery slope if you want to start this 🙂

          • Kromas

            March 27, 2014 at 09:19

            True gamers will most likely root their devices if the Facebook gets out of line. 🙂

      • Rince

        March 27, 2014 at 08:57

        But they have actually said they are changing nothing…

        Reply

        • geelslang

          March 27, 2014 at 10:01

          And you trust Zuckerburg?

          Reply

          • Rince

            March 27, 2014 at 10:07

            No more than any other publisher 🙂

          • HvR

            March 27, 2014 at 10:42

            It doesn’t make business sense to change, first adopter market for VR is going to be gamers.

    • Rince

      March 27, 2014 at 08:57

      Agreed. They are owed nothing. They are not pledged investors, just people willing to contribute to an idea. Like us contributing to Gavin’s new island, I mean, court case…

      Reply

      • Umar hearts Grandia

        March 27, 2014 at 09:00

        Lol Maybe Mxit will help Gav 😉

        Reply

        • Rince

          March 27, 2014 at 09:00

          HAHAHA! More chacne Gav will help Mxit.. teheh

          Reply

  5. Alien Emperor Trevor

    March 27, 2014 at 08:44

    Bah – you backed a product, not a company. If you got your product you got what you paid for & that’s it. You have no say in how they conduct their business operations because you’re not an investor. If you didn’t realise that before backing a Kickstarter project then you’re woefully ignorant, because it’s explained very clearly. So go cry a river down in Entitlement Valley.

    This nonsense pops up in Star Citizen every so often too when some nitwit gets his panties in a twist about something, “I’m an investor! Blah blah blah.” No, you’re not.

    Also, just because a small company starts with a idea, doesn’t mean they have to stay small to fit your idealised vision of the world & that they’ve somehow personally betrayed you by being bought out.

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      March 27, 2014 at 08:47

      Some People put alot into the Oculus and for them they see their dreams shattered. If you put alot of money into something you had extremely high hopes for, you would also feel betrayed if some other company just took over.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        March 27, 2014 at 08:48

        Reality check FTW!

        Reply

    • Rince

      March 27, 2014 at 08:59

      Agreed. *Door 1 open. It may be one of those days man… 0-O

      Reply

    • Mighty Meh

      March 27, 2014 at 10:28

      True but how would you feel if Chris Roberts just decided tomorrow to sell Star Citizen to EA.

      I think people pledge on kickstarter because they want to see the growth of a grassroots organization. That way the company is less likely to forget where they came from and become like the large corporations of today.

      I am happy for Oculus really I am, so long as it doesn’t affect the product. My only concern is that this may become the trend. Start a kickstarter campaign then at the first chance sell it to another larger company and laugh all the way to the bank.

      Reply

      • HvR

        March 27, 2014 at 10:38

        “Start a kickstarter campaign then at the first chance sell it to another larger company and laugh all the way to the bank.”

        Yes that is/was the plan for the Rift and any hardware project on Kikcstarter, get enough money for phase 1. Few hundred thousand to million only gets you to hardware prototype phase. After that you need to bought out (have a buy in) either by a big company or big VC to take it to final development and production phase.

        You are talking of tens of to hundreds of millions of dollars.

        The only other way is to have hundreds of millions of dollars of orders before reaching final production.

        Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        March 27, 2014 at 10:41

        Well I’d be pissed for sure, but more because I despise EA. That aside, as long as I get the game I pledged for I’d be happy.

        I agree 100% with your point about starting a trend though.

        Reply

        • HvR

          March 27, 2014 at 10:48

          Well comparing apples (hardware) and oranges (software).

          You can actually produce a game for amounts they received via Kickstarter, but Roberts is going to need a publisher and it can be EA. But since his target market is PC I would think it would probably be Valve/Steam.

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            March 27, 2014 at 10:51

            I stand under correction but I think they’re handling their own distribution without publisher involvement. They also haven’t confirmed releasing the game on Steam either, not that I’d mind if they did.

          • HvR

            March 27, 2014 at 10:58

            See now that they created their own publishing company and since they are up $40mil in donations it is probably viable for digital only distribution.

            We’ve seen digital only is viable on PC especially since a large part of the game is multiplayer based.

            If Roberts can do it on his own he will, because having someone buy you out means you take the cash/stock now and give up the much larger future profits.

  6. Hillbilly Gamer

    March 27, 2014 at 08:44

    Like or comment being teabag :X

    Reply

  7. UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

    March 27, 2014 at 08:45

    The only thing I expect from the Kickstarter is that they give me the package I chose.

    Was it nice of them? No… Can they do it? Yes… Would I do it? FUCK YES! 20billion Rand!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  8. Gavin Mannion

    March 27, 2014 at 08:47

    It blows my mind that people feel that Oculus Rift owe them something, they didn’t invest in OR they simply backed an idea. Over entitled douchebags…. it does show though that we need a kickstarter where people actually buy investment into an idea instead of simply buying a possible product

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      March 27, 2014 at 08:52

      Yes they may have taken it a tad too far, but as I said in other comments, they feel as if their dreams are shattered. Nothing wrong with venting your frustration sometimes and in a way they do have a reason to feel that way as without those “investors” there wouldn’t be an Oculus around to begin with.

      Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      March 27, 2014 at 09:05

      The funniest is how some people start throwing their toys out the cot when they back a DRM-free game, and it’s available DRM-free, but the devs release it on Steam too. I can almost see the spittle running down their monitors & flooding their keyboards.

      Reply

    • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

      March 27, 2014 at 09:11

      I understand why people feel like this though. I’m not saying it’s right but there is a misconception on what backing is.

      To them they feel that they have backed a product and putting in their own cash and now that FB has bought it for so much it feels like they should never have had to spend the cash because they now have enough money as it is.

      They don’t understand that if they didn’t back though that the Oculus wouldn’t have reached this point and they probably fear that they won’t be getting anything back for their backing now.

      FB hasn’t been clear on whether backers would get any of the things they would have gotten from the original backing (If there was any? I never checked?)

      Either way, still a bit douche that they are complaining when the Oculus VR is now a sure thing that cannot fail to happen because there is a far larger support structure now.

      As long as FB don’t integrate ads and crap in to the general use of it that is.

      Reply

      • Gavin Mannion

        March 27, 2014 at 09:14

        Well as far as I know the original backers already have their stuff?

        Reply

        • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

          March 27, 2014 at 09:15

          Oh… well then what exactly is the problem? Then they are just being whiny.

          If they got their stuff then they can’t complain. They can’t get their original stuff for the backing AND expect their money back. That’s just… well silly really

          Reply

    • geelslang

      March 27, 2014 at 10:12

      They are not being ‘Over entitled douchebags’ I understand why some feel betrayed, they bought into an idea, VR for playing games on a pc. Now its a facebook product. The thing they backed changed.

      Reply

  9. Kensei Seraph

    March 27, 2014 at 08:48

    Here’s one of the reasons why people are so against this:
    http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/aG9bxqw_460sa.gif

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief of Auraxis

      March 27, 2014 at 08:54

      Haha, scary stuff dude!

      Reply

  10. Rince

    March 27, 2014 at 08:56

    Agreed. I don’t get why they are all raging either. This sort of thing happens all the time and in some cases is necessary to progress.

    Reply

  11. oVg deprived

    March 27, 2014 at 08:56

    One has to admit that Oculus has been trying its hardest to get this thing off of the ground from every single intrapreneurial angle.

    Investors know that it is a big risk. GOOD FOR FACEBOOK.

    The same goes with Bayonetta 2. You cant blame Nintendo for making it an exclusive. You can only thank them for the sequel because SEGA sure as shit did not care.

    Reply

    • Umar hearts Grandia

      March 27, 2014 at 08:58

      Exactly this….I’m really glad you brought up Bayonetta, as it’s exactly that. And I’m glad someone took to the risk to invest in OR

      Reply

  12. Brenz

    March 27, 2014 at 08:59

    Not sure why theres such a big fuss really, slight over reaction going on here. Facebook isnt a demon spawn company, they havent done anything to harm me.
    Also, backing on Kickstarter doesnt make you a shareholder, you dont own part of the idea, you are not owed anything.
    People seeing big $$$ all want a cut now, bloody leeches.

    Reply

    • Johan du Preez

      March 27, 2014 at 09:07

      While I agree with most of your post I do believe however facebook is the devil spawn because they sell everyone’s personal information to make money.

      Having nothing to hide is not reason enough to give up your privacy to governments and corporations.

      Reply

      • Brenz

        March 27, 2014 at 09:12

        Im pretty sure that most accounts we sign up to online, be it facebook, email, disqus etc, all sell information to a certain degree.
        Its not right, but its so common Im not going to get worked up about it.

        Reply

        • Kromas

          March 27, 2014 at 09:14

          Go read Facebooks terms. They own your photos/videos etc as their intellectual property. Other than that its all good.

          Reply

          • Brenz

            March 27, 2014 at 09:29

            They can take my photos, i dont care.
            If I wanted to keep something private and for myself I wont post it online for the world to take as they please.
            I just dont get as bothered as others do about things like this, I got more important things to worry about.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:31

            *goes to remove underpants modelling photographs*

          • Brenz

            March 27, 2014 at 09:33

            You better, you know they will end up on one of “those” sites…

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:34

            As long as the photoshopping makes me look good it’s okay. But knowing the internet, that’s highly unlikely.

          • Brenz

            March 27, 2014 at 09:35

            yeah knowing the internet you will end up on a wrecking ball.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:40

            *vomits a bit*
            Why’d you have to make me think of Miley Cyrus now?
            WHY?!?!

          • Brenz

            March 27, 2014 at 09:40

            hmmm, just picture that tongue…

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:44

            URghh

          • Kromas

            March 27, 2014 at 09:31

            I don’t care as well but we are talking about morality and Facebook and doing that is pretty much top of the list in terms of Corporate “Evil”. Except maybe “Buy this product or we kill a puppy.” 😛

          • Brenz

            March 27, 2014 at 09:37

            Yes I agree that morally its wrong, I dont agree with the practice, I just dont let it bother me.
            But I think there are much worse corporate evils out there, although killing a puppy would be where I draw the line, dont be messing with puppies. so cute….so cute….

  13. InsanityFlea

    March 27, 2014 at 09:00

    VR has been around since the 90’s. Nothing have ever come of it. Now even more so.

    Anyone here remember this?

    Reply

  14. Johan du Preez

    March 27, 2014 at 09:01

    Cant wait to play farmville and candy crush on the occulus.

    Reply

  15. Admiral Chief of Auraxis

    March 27, 2014 at 09:03

    So Gav, if I should make you an offer for Lazygamer, what would you settle for?

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      March 27, 2014 at 09:08

      I won’t say no to $2 billion… Hell I’d even take R2 billion

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief of Auraxis

        March 27, 2014 at 09:09

        I’ll give you some snarky comments and regular commenting and trolling on your site

        Good deal?

        Reply

        • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

          March 27, 2014 at 09:14

          And a weekly pack of chillies

          Reply

  16. Umar hearts Grandia

    March 27, 2014 at 09:07

    Ochu-lus Rift…..Huh huh!! Get it…..Final Fantasy geeks will get it 🙁

    http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080321180355/finalfantasy/images/7/70/Ochu.jpg

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      March 27, 2014 at 09:08

      Is it intentional that “Final Fantasy geeks will get it” & directly below that is a link with “nocookie”?

      Reply

      • Umar hearts Grandia

        March 27, 2014 at 09:09

        Final Fantasy fans always has a cookie in their mouths…….0_0

        Reply

        • Rince

          March 27, 2014 at 09:23

          Steps away…

          Reply

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:24

            There aint no running from that man

          • Umar hearts Grandia

            March 27, 2014 at 09:24

            Y…You…want a cookie too?

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:25

            I prefer cake.

          • Umar hearts Grandia

            March 27, 2014 at 09:25

            With icing?

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:26

            Vanilla Icing….

          • Umar hearts Grandia

            March 27, 2014 at 09:33

            With nuts sprinkled on top

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:27

            of course with icing, what kinda cake has no icing, would be trying to be a cake but instead leaves my mouth dry and needing coffee or milk to wash it all down.

          • Umar hearts Grandia

            March 27, 2014 at 09:32

            lotsa milk you say….

  17. Mike Doutchevitch

    March 27, 2014 at 09:08

    I think this will put strain on the whole kickstarter concept as a whole. I would feel pretty stupid if I gave you a bunch of money to get your idea off the ground and you in turn sell that idea that I funded
    for billions. In this type of scenario the backers should at least get their money back. No one will notice that tiny fraction of a percent.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      March 27, 2014 at 09:09

      I think you are missing the point of what Kickstarter has always offered.. it’s not asking for investors but rather for pre-orders

      Reply

      • Mike Doutchevitch

        March 27, 2014 at 10:10

        I do understand that, and with cheaper things like games I think it works well. However in this case the amounts given by each individual are rather large. I read that some of these people put in amounts in the thosands of dollars, hense why they are upset. All I was saying is that people will think twice before giving money(and I mean the larger amounts) to someone to help them turn their idea into reality, and then see this idea sold for billions in a few short years. If it was treated as a pre-order, than they could have waited a few years and then pre-ordered once there is an actual product.

        Reply

        • HvR

          March 27, 2014 at 10:27

          It was donations, if anybody donated more than the required amount for the dev kit and expected something more, then they are a dumbass.

          The deal was very clear, here is our idea if you decide to give x dollars we promise to give you a dev kit of the first prototype when (and if) they become available. If you wanted to actually own part of the company and project you should have contacted Rift VR directly and negotiated a buy in.

          The reality is that this is hardware and not software, for even the remote possibility for this to become a product to be sold at a reasonable price and to reach mass production they either need to be bought out by another company (like FB in this case) or a VC needs to invest hundreds of millions of dollars. Few hundred thousand dollars will not even pay for the factory floor space needed.

          Reply

  18. Jedi JJ

    March 27, 2014 at 09:16

    It’s not ALL bad. If they’re operating under the same people then Facebook will have the ability to fund this thing in ways that many other companies can’t.

    Reply

  19. Kromas

    March 27, 2014 at 09:17

    Instagram and WhatsApp are still autonomous to a large degree and from that I can extrapolate that the rift should be Facebook free for a while. My initial outrage has subsided and I feel confident that it can still work out.

    Reply

    • Jedi JJ

      March 27, 2014 at 09:18

      Whatapp is still going?
      Heh

      Reply

      • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

        March 27, 2014 at 09:19

        And what do you use? Seriously?

        Reply

        • Jedi JJ

          March 27, 2014 at 09:20

          LINE

          Reply

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:21

            What is line?

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:22

            The line he crosses when he puts on his eyeliner.

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:22

            BOOM!!!!!

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:23

            Don’t be silly. If you cross the lines you end up looking like The Crow.
            Damn amateurs.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:24

            I said this to get back at correcting me. I am cranky and have a running nose.

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:24

            You better catch it before it runs out the door then….

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:25

            I know.
            Had to defend myself though.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:26

            Did a good job! I’m proud of you JJ.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:27

            You say that as if your rank is higher than mine. 😉

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:28

            Oh but it is, you just don’t know it yet.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            March 27, 2014 at 10:44

            You should use no-run noseliner, like JJ does with his eyes.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:23

            It’s cool. That’s what. It’s Japanese. Like Whatsapp with more functionality.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:23

            you speak Japanese?

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:23

            AKA not as lightweight and drains more battery?

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:24

            No. Not that.
            But I understand how people can find things that are better to be so intimidating and then wanting to insult it. It’s human nature. 😉

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:25

            Is that what you say to yourself when she laughs?

            *Ouch. I feel bad. That may have crossed… The LINE

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:26

            Haha. Well done. No offense taken. Bitch.

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:28

            ho

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:28

            Was it @LlewellynCrossley:disqus that always said bitch at the end of a comeback? or was that someone else.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:30

            Oh. I don’t know. I’ve only done it a few times.
            Bitch.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:31

            Your dogs a bitch! yeah you take that homie!

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:32

            Wow. You remembered it’s a female. So you do listen?
            Hehe.
            I’ve had my second coffee now.
            Life is starting to make sense again.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:34

            So your dingo, still doing well?

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 09:35

            Very much so. 🙂
            She’s my only daughter, you see.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            March 27, 2014 at 09:40

            Glad to hear. She was a cute looking Dingo.

          • VampyreSquirrel

            March 27, 2014 at 10:57

            Life makes sense? No amount of coffee does that for me.

          • Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

            March 27, 2014 at 09:31

            not me nope

        • Kromas

          March 27, 2014 at 09:20

          He uses SMS. The latest and greatest. MMS to follow soon 😛

          Reply

    • Willem Swanepoel

      March 27, 2014 at 11:19

      fcuk me … I had to google extrapolate … learned a new word!! 🙂

      Reply

  20. Purple_Dragon

    March 27, 2014 at 09:26

    I think they have a right to be aggrieved. Someone is profiting of something that was started by kick starter people. It’s legal sure but moral in my opinion but that is the problem, you don’t buy shares.

    Reply

  21. Gustav Willem Diedericks

    March 27, 2014 at 09:28

    I think it’s a case of “he who has the gold makes the rules”. I think Oculus should have involved their Kickstarter investors from the beginning regarding the merger. It would have just been in good faith. I’ve worked with investors before and they have every right to ask questions and be involved in all the processes. Just because it’s Kickstarter doesn’t make it any different.

    Reply

    • Rince

      March 27, 2014 at 09:29

      But they are not investors. There is no legal obligation to them in any way mean or form. Like, if this was a game, and the game sold well, would they get a % of the sales? Nope.

      Reply

      • Gustav Willem Diedericks

        March 27, 2014 at 09:32

        True, but they still put up money for the development of the technology. This kind of makes them investors, even if they have no real contract with Oculus or reap returns on the product. Just because there’s no contract doesn’t mean they don’t have some vested interest.

        Reply

  22. JustAnotherGamer

    March 27, 2014 at 09:31

    It’s not an issue. if you backed something in kickstarter you can’t expect to get shares and those that gave money got rewards. they got teir dev kits. so why are they bitching now? typical whining gamerbabies.

    Reply

  23. A 2 Cthulhu?

    March 27, 2014 at 09:40

    Wow, John Carmack: going from Id Software, to Rift VR, to being owned by Mark Zuckerberg. Tough life.

    Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      March 27, 2014 at 09:41

      It’s called Shit happens.

      Reply

    • Kromas

      March 27, 2014 at 09:41

      Going from Doom 2 to pretty much everything that came after … tough life.

      Reply

      • HvR

        March 27, 2014 at 10:16

        Well I think Quake 3 Arena was the peak, but still just like Moly haven’t seen anything relevant coming from them for the last 15 years.

        Couldn’t never really understand the obsession with Carmack, Moly or Cliffy B. Like Pamela Anderson they peaked in the 90’s, anything they were involved int after that was just mediocre and covered in stretch marks.

        Reply

  24. BacchusZA

    March 27, 2014 at 09:44

    .Facebook is evidently the new Microsoft, the company it’s cool and hip to hate for no damn reason at all, other than “everyone else hates them, and they say that every damn thing they do is bad, and that every last thing they touch instantly becomes shit because they touched it, so I’m going to hate them too”.

    I’m not immune. The first reaction I had to the news was “Awwwww, shit! This sucks!”

    But then I had a think about why I felt that way, and couldn’t come up with a single reason. Not one.

    Instead I came up with 2 billion reasons why it’s a good thing, or certainly not a bad thing at all. Palmer Levy now has all the money he could ever need to finish development on the Rift, to set up a production line, and to get a good quality finished product in our hands in the not too distant future. It was going to happen anyway, now it’ll just happen quicker, & perhaps be a better product for the extra development funding.

    Why does that equate to betrayal and shattered dreams, comments I’ve seen thrown around? What makes Oculus being bought by FB such a bad thing? Why does it matter?

    And I’m not being facaetious here, I’d genuinely like to know what makes this such a disaster, so please feel free to educate me.

    Just don’t tell me it’s a “betrayal” or that the OR is “ruined” now. Tell me the **why**

    Reply

    • Rince

      March 27, 2014 at 09:49

      Stop making sense! My BRAIN!

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        March 27, 2014 at 10:07

        Sense hurts your brain? That makes… sense.

        Reply

    • ToshZA

      March 27, 2014 at 09:59

      Someone with a brain! You have my approval – what little that means anyway. 😛

      Reply

    • HvR

      March 27, 2014 at 10:06

      There was good reason to hate MS, although a lot of people didn’t really understand it.

      The Facebook hate stems from them being underhanded collecting personal data claiming ownership of personal photos and images. Something they tried to go back on but never really recovered their good public image.

      But I’m with you, Facebook backing the Rift is a good thing. It isn’t as if Facebook is going to stop or object to any game developer from incorporating it into game design they wish that development goes into other avenues as well.

      Reply

    • Double-O-Six and a half

      March 27, 2014 at 10:24

      I don’t particularly think of it as a betrayal and quite frankly I’m not really that concerned about OR to be be honest. However I am concerned at Facebook’s acquisition drive of late, with them acquiring Whatsapp and now a foray into mainstream gaming away from the Zynga disaster.
      I am VERY unhappy that Facebook has acquired Whatsapp. As a privacy advocate and information security geek this couldn’t be worse. Facebook doesn’t exactly have a track record that resonates with people who want to control their OWN persona and information on the net, in fact quite the opposite is true. I am not against sharing your information on-line as Facebook is wont to do, but I am against not being in control of your own information.

      Facebook has been underhanded, sneaky, arrogant and in some cases downright rude when it comes to trampling on the rights of individuals to determine what about them becomes public and that is why in principle I would be against anything to do with them intruding on my life. I CHOOSE not to have a face book account, but now with their acquisition drive it is becoming harder and harder to choose not be involved with them and despite assurances that they won’t change anything on either whatsapp or OR, don’t be deluded – their business is about knowing all about your business and that won’t change, all these acquisitions do is give them more of your personal information…

      Reply

  25. Admiral Chief of Auraxis

    March 27, 2014 at 09:56

    • ToshZA

      March 27, 2014 at 10:00

      That’s Zynga, not Facebook. Smart ass.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief of Auraxis

        March 27, 2014 at 10:04

        Still funny coz of the vr

        Reply

        • ToshZA

          March 27, 2014 at 10:33

          Eh, not really. :/

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief of Auraxis

            March 27, 2014 at 10:34

            What got your panties in a knot today?

          • ToshZA

            March 27, 2014 at 10:35

            Nothing, just isn’t funny. 😛 It does happen, you know? 😀

          • Willem Swanepoel

            March 27, 2014 at 11:17

            vol stront vandag.

            That is funny 😉

          • ToshZA

            March 27, 2014 at 11:36

            haha, alright then. You guys enjoy your laughs 😛

            I’ll remain here (sort of, business meeting in 30 minutes. yay.) and be vol kak. 😀

  26. A 2 Cthulhu?

    March 27, 2014 at 10:16

    • ToshZA

      March 27, 2014 at 10:32

      Immediately? O_o

      Reply

  27. Admiral Chief of Auraxis

    March 27, 2014 at 10:43

  28. Tauriq Moosa

    March 27, 2014 at 11:38

    I’d like to know what the haters/naysayers/etc. know that I don’t about Facebook’s evil ways; and that’s from someone who dislikes Facebook itself and doesn’t have a profile there. As far as I know, leveraging financial concerns is a boon to any company – obviously Facebook will get something out of this (they wouldn’t have done this otherwisew) by just leaving Oculus folk alone.

    Otherwise, as usual, it’s a day ending in y and furious gamers are furious about something.

    Reply

  29. CypherGate

    March 27, 2014 at 12:22

    They jumping onto the Virtual Reality bandwagon so that when facebook bombs they will be riding another gravy train. I dont want to defeat some difficult enemy and out of the blue a like icon pops up cause someone on facebook watched live streaming of me playing a game, but then again… seems ok

    Reply

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