It has begun. As soon as word spread that Facebook has purchased Oculus Rift VR, seemingly out of nowhere, for around two billion in cash and stock- well, you knew the backlash was coming. Facebook's been increasingly criticized for their data mining policies and issues with protecting privacy, and for them to take control of a formerly beloved startup company like Oculus Rift VR was unthinkable. After all, the Rift was for gamers by gamers, a Kickstarter project that was destined to change the world. Are gamers now turning to Sony's upcoming Project Morpheus headset for the PS4 instead?
One only need look at reddit for thousands of people up in arms. Images like the above one are commonplace and the number one topic right now shows you how to cancel your Oculus Rift order, directing you to this page on their official site. Thousands of comments are pouring in, from Kickstarter backers disefanchised with the technology they helped fund to gamers concerned with the direction the company is going.
If you check out Oculus Rift Facebook communities you'll find all sorts of angry comments, like "Good job on the sellout.", "You just betrayed your entire audience", and "RIP." Every post now is just full of irate gamers. It's still amusing to see people complaining about Facebook while utilizing the service, but that's people for you.
Oculus is trending on Twitter right now and people are complaining on there as well.
But is Sony's Project Morpheus the answer? Will hardcore gamers back it in the same way they once did the Oculus Rift? Sony showed off the unit at the recent GDC unveiling but Oculus has had units in developer's hands for quite a while now. If Oculus comes out sometime this year will Sony be able to play catch-up? Convincing gamers that have shelled out $400 for a PS4 to plop down another $300-$400 for a peripheral is going to be hard, as well.
Regardless, this year's E3 will likely see both Sony and Microsoft (yes, they're working on a headset too) revealing their plans for VR. This is really shaping up to be one of the most exciting E3s yet- forget the new consoles, the virtual reality war will be the most thrilling of this generation.
