Facebook a definitive agreement with virtual reality company Oculus Rift and will soon buy it for $2 billion. The company is a hardware manufacturer that offers virtual reality technology.
In light of the developments, Mark Zuckerberg published a message on his official page to explain why the deal was made and how he plans to use the complex virtual reality technology in the future to connect the world even more.
The Facebook CEO explained that the social network will need to embrace the most innovative technology as soon as possible in order to grow and thrive, and that he aims to make sure that the current focus on mobile devices continues to be the company's core strategy.
He explains that with the acquisition of Oculus Rift, they will be able to allow users to “enter a completely unique computing environment, which will look like a game, a movie scene or a place that is quite far away. The incredible thing about this technology is that the end user will feel like they are really present in another space with other people.”
The Facebook CEO emphasized that this particular experience will be something different, something that no one has experienced.
Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges that the main reason people currently use Oculus Rift technology is for immersive gaming experiences, but he also foresees a future where the same technology will bring people closer to the virtual space.
Oculus Rift technology can be used to deliver augmented reality experiences, and Facebook will partner with other companies to fully leverage the potential of this technology in the coming years.
The terms of the deal state that the entire Oculus Rift team will continue to work on their device, meaning that the second version of the development kit will be shipped to development soon and that the consumer version should be ready before the end of the year.
At the moment, we don't have a clear release date for the device or any cost.
