Oculus Quest 2 Facebook Account Requirement Has A Terrible Consequence

It was inevitable that Facebook would eventually leave a more tangible mark on its Oculus VR business but it still ruffled some feathers when it was revealed that to even use an Oculus headset, one would need to have a Facebook account. Facebook probably presumed everyone these days has one and that Oculus users, both present and future, also do. That's apparently not the case and now Oculus Quest 2 buyers are left with a temporary paperweight while waiting for their new Facebook accounts to be unblocked after being banned for practically no real reason at all.

Not too long ago, Oculus, even after Facebook's acquisition, used its own account management system. To perhaps unify its growing empire (not to mention reap the benefits of having just one account across all its properties), Facebook decided this year, moving forward, Oculus accounts will be no more and you'll need a Facebook account to even use an Oculus headset, including the new Oculus Quest 2.

Not all new Quest 2 owners have one, however, but they found out, to their complete bewilderment, that their shiny new Facebook accounts were being flagged. Android Central theorizes that Facebook's automated system considered these suspicious because they didn't have a Facebook account before owning an Oculus Quest 2, as if it was suspicious not to have a Facebook account these days.

Even worse, however, are those who are suddenly unable to use their VR gear because their Facebook accounts have been banned or flagged for something unrelated to Oculus. This might include unknowingly interacting with a scammer or being reported by someone, warranted or not.

Facebook is directing affected users to its human customer support staff who are working to quickly resolve these issues. These incidents, however, do show one perhaps unforeseen consequence of requiring a Facebook account for even using Oculus hardware. Your VR gear is practically tied to your Facebook's fate, and given how Facebook runs its social media empire, it might not be that difficult to get an account incorrectly flagged or banned, leaving an innocent Oculus user locked out.