Did hell freeze over? Are pigs flying? Meta just announced that users no longer need to have Facebook accounts for the Quest 2, one of today's best VR headsets. We never thought we'd see the day!
In a Meta Quest blog post published today, the social network giant insinuated that this new change is a part of its efforts to dominate the metaverse field. Only time will tell if Meta will take the lead in the metaverse market, but for now, many Quest 2 fans are breathing a sigh of relief that they can now enjoy Meta's VR offerings sans a compulsory Facebook account.
Quest 2 can finally free themselves from the shackles of Facebook
At the Facebook Connect 2021 event, the social network giant shook things up when it announced its plans to rebrand to Meta, which, quite frankly, I'm still struggling to get used to. At the livestream, Meta also said that it would no longer force users to have Facebook accounts for its headset. At the time, however, Meta didn't clarify when (or how) it would implement this change. Now, we have details.
This August, Meta will roll out a new Meta account structure, allowing users to login through a new pathway instead of using their personal Facebook accounts. "When we announced that we would start requiring people to log into Meta Quest using a Facebook account, we received a lot of feedback from the Quest community," Meta said in the blog post. In other words, the pitchforks came out and many were furious. Who wants to be forced to create a social media account to use a VR headset? Yuck!
"We took that feedback into account as we designed a new Meta account structure that gives people flexibility and control," Meta continued. "If you don’t want to use your Facebook and/or Instagram accounts in VR, that’s entirely up to you."
If you don't mind connecting your Meta-branded social media accounts to VR, Meta says you'll still be allowed to do so. Plus, you'll be able to find Quest 2-owning followers and friends to play with.
Meta wanted to make one thing clear: the new accounts rolling out in August are not social profiles. However, let's not forget that Meta, as its name suggests, is prioritizing its metaverse initiatives. As such, alongside Meta accounts, the social network giant is "evolving" users' Oculus profiles to a new Meta Horizon profile.
What, exactly, is a Meta Horizon profile? Well, it is a representation of your VR social presence. With it, you can change how you appear in the metaverse, and other simulated digital platforms, by customizing your avatar, username and other aspects.
To sum it all up, no you no longer need a Facebook account to sign into your VR headset, but you will need a Meta account. I think we can all live with that, no?
