The social media giant Facebook announced in a blog post that is planning to buy Oculus VR for $2 billion. The deal will include $400 million in cash and 23.1 million shares of Facebook stock. Oculus VR is the company that made Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, revealed his reasons for the deal, saying that Oculus’s technology, and specifically their attempts at immersive gaming, is something he hopes Facebook can help accelerate and expand upon by helping Oculus build their product and develop partnerships to support games.
Zuckerberg has called Oculus’s technology “a new communication platform.” It is evident that he has plans for the technology far beyond immersive gaming, posing potential scenarios like enjoying a sports event, sitting in a classroom of students and teachers from all over the work, or consulting face-to-face with a doctor by putting on goggles, similar to Oculus Rift, without ever leaving your home.
Although the acquisition seems to have come out of the blue, Oculus has been consistently moving towards becoming a consumer product and this is the key factor that has interested Facebook. The Oculus team recently wrote in a blog post of their own that Facebook understands the potential of Oculus and virtual reality’s potential to transform the way individuals learn, share, play, and communicate.
Zuckerberg has big plans and high hopes for the technology in the future, saying that virtual reality will allow individuals to feel “truly present” with people in their lives who may be far away. The Facebook CEO hopes to find a way to expand from sharing single moments online with friends, a platform and purpose Facebook has championed for years, to sharing “entire experiences and adventures.” Zuckerberg says “the future is coming sooner than anyone thinks,” and, if Facebook has its way, the future will hold a brand new, virtual reality communication platform.
For more information about Facebook buying Oculus VR please visit http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/25/5547456/facebook-buying-oculus-for-2-billion.