Facebook: the "hero" Oculus needs, not the one it deserves

Now that some of the dust has cleared with this one, I thought I'd briefly make my case on why Facebook buying Oculus Rift isn't that bad.

Brief preface: I HAVE actually donned the Rift to play some student-made games at my college. I see potential, but not the next step in digital entertainment. I probably WILL get one myself, but only because the thought of a space-sim with one of those things really calibrates my flight stick. But I just don't see it working with "normal" games that much, not in a way that will reach the normal consumer. And without THEM it will just fade away in a few years.

BUT, if any company has the ability to make it get popular and stay popular, it's Facebook. My general point is that, with an owner like Facebook, Oculus has the most potential to succeed and (proportionally) the least potential to be abused.

The potential for abuse has been well-covered. I find it extremely unlikely that Facebook would do something like force in-game advertising in order for a dev to be able to use Oculus. Assuming they behave like any other hardware owner, they'll license the dev kit out to whoever wants it, not just the "casuals destroying the industry." (so, no, we won't be restricted to "facebook games," which facebook doesn't actually make) At the absolute most, I think the Oculus may require a separate piece of software that might require a facebook account.

And, like some other advocates, I don't trust any of the major game companies farther than I can throw them with this technology. The Oculus, and VR in general, would NEVER take off to the degree that it needs to under a company like Microsoft or Sony. Facebook is not only rather neutral in the current state of core gaming, (I reiterate: they don't make the crappy games on their website, they just give them a place to gather) it's a platform where the Oculus can truly reach a mainstream audience.

If you really think VR is the future, it can't afford to JUST be a gaming device. It needs to go mainstream the way the Wii did, and then stay there. And it probably would have gone the way of motion control if it were made independently or even under just a game company. Just look at what Microsoft did to Kinect. Nobody takes motion control seriously and nobody cares about it. Now it's just dead weight driving up the price of their console. What do we have to show for it? Dance Central?

One last thing: can we NOT get mad at the people who sold it? I know that Mark Zuckerberg is supposed to be Satan, but it was TWO BILLION dollars. If you're offered enough money to never work a day in your life and then still be able to afford a condo in heaven, can you REALLY say you wouldn't have done the same thing?

In conclusion, unless you wanted VR to go the way of motion control, it NEEDS a company like Facebook. You don't have to be happy about it, but you should realize it probably wouldn't have worked any other way. On the flip side, if I'm right and it DOES end up being a passing fad or it flops, that's two billion dollars Zuckerberg just flushed down the drain. That should at least put a smile on your face.

Thanks for reading! I'm gonna go "calibrate my flight stick" if you know what I mean...

... seriously, it's had this issue with z-axis being way too sensitive to CCW turns and I think I need a new one.