Oculus VR headset users will soon have to log in with a Facebook account for "full functionality"

By Heather Wald
published

Support for Oculus accounts is set to end January 1, 2023

(Image credit: Oculus)

Oculus VR headset users will soon be required to log into a Facebook account for "full functionality". 

In a blog post, Oculus announced the "important updates" coming to its VR devices. Set to come into effect this October, anyone who uses a headset for the first time will need to log in using a Facebook account. Existing headsets owners who are set up with an Oculus account will be given the option to log in with Facebook and merge your headset. 

If you decide not to merge your account and use a Facebook log in, you'll still be able to use your headset for two years. Oculus account support is set to end as of January 1, 2023, at which stage you'll need to log in with a Facebook account in order to have "full functionality". 

"After January 1, 2023, we will end support for Oculus accounts. If you choose not to merge your accounts at that time, you can continue using your device, but full functionality will require a Facebook account. 

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We will take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased, though we expect some games and apps may no longer work. This could be because they include features that require a Facebook account or because a developer has chosen to no longer support the app or game you purchased. All future unreleased Oculus devices will require a Facebook account, even if you already have an oculus account." 

Oculus was acquired by Facebook back in 2014, and the update is set to make changes in order to "make it easier to find, connect, and play with friends in VR". With a push towards "social VR", the announcement states that the Facebook account log in will "make it possible to integrate many of the features people know and love on Facebook", with features like chats, parties, events, and being able to tune into live experiences in Oculus venues.  

"[P]eople already have the option to livestream or share their experience on Facebook, and soon you'll be able to use your VR avatar on other Facebook apps and technologies." 

Looking for new virtual worlds to explore? Here's our pick of the best VR games. 

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.