Oculus VR Devices Require Facebook Accounts Soon

Oculus announced that Facebook accounts will be required for all Oculus devices in the future. There'll be two waves of requirement, starting this year for NEW users – all will need to work with a Facebook account right out the gate, starting in October. The second wave comes in 2023 when all Oculus users accounts will be merged with Facebook.

On October 1, 2020, "everyone using an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account." If you already have an Oculus device and have never opened the box before October 2020, this applies to you. If you've used your Oculus device before and have signed up for an Oculus account with said device, no change will be needed at this time.

If you've used your Oculus device before and have an Oculus account with said device, you'll "have the option to log in with Facebook and merge your Oculus and Facebook accounts." Oculus noted today that if you have an Oculus account and "choose not to merge your accounts, you can continue using your Oculus account for two years."

On the first day of the year, 2023, your Oculus account will no longer be supported by Oculus. If you wish to access your Oculus account, you'll need a Facebook account. Oculus (and Facebook) will require that you merge your Oculus account with a Facebook account to continue functionality of your Oculus account – and all access to software and services therein.

You may choose not to merge your Facebook and Oculus accounts, ever, BUT there'll be consequences. If you do not merge, as of January 1, 2023, your Oculus hardware will no longer have full functionality.

"After January 1, 2023, we will end support for Oculus accounts," wrote an Oculus representative. "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."

Full functionality refers to the use of Oculus/Facebook services and app store access through the future. There will probably (not definitely) be a way to use Oculus products without a Facebook account, using 3rd-party software – but Oculus/Facebook certainly won't be making any major effort to support said software or support for said software.

Again, "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." That's direct from an Oculus representative posting to the official Oculus Twitter account. That switch will occur on January 1, 2023.

UPDATE: Oculus suggests that they will "take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased, though we expect some games and apps may no longer work."

UPDATE 2: Future devices: Oculus notes that "all future unreleased Oculus devices will require a Facebook account, even if you already have an Oculus account." This may indicate that future Oculus devices will have no functionality whatsoever unless the user connects a Facebook account. An Oculus representative also wrote in the announcement FAQ: "Future Oculus devices will require a Facebook account."