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Facebook Hardware

Oculus Quest Becomes a Paperweight When Facebook Goes Down (vrfocus.com) 79

Posted by BeauHD from the dependent-on-the-mothership dept.
When Facebook went down yesterday for nearly six hours, so did Oculus' services. Since Facebook owns VR headset maker Oculus, and controversially requires Oculus Quest users to log in with a Facebook account, many Quest owners reported not being able to load their Oculus libraries. "[A]nd those who just took a Quest 2 out of the box have reported that they're unable to complete the initial setup," adds PCGamer. As VRFocus points out, "the issue has raised another important question relating to Oculus' services being so closely linked with a Facebook account, your Oculus Quest/Quest 2 is essentially bricked until services resume." From the report: This vividly highlights the problem with having to connect to Facebook's services to gain access to apps -- the WiFi connection was fine. Even all the ones downloaded and taking up actual storage space didn't show up. It's why some VR fans began boycotting the company when it made all mandatory that all Oculus Quest 2's had to be affiliated with a Facebook account. If you want to unlink your Facebook account from Oculus Quest and don't want to pay extra for that ability, you're in luck thanks to a sideloadable tool called "Oculess." From an UploadVR article published earlier today: You still need a Facebook account to set up the device in the first place and you need to give Facebook a phone number or card details to sideload, but after that you could use Oculess to forgo Facebook entirely -- just remember to never factory reset. The catch is you'll lose access to Oculus Store apps because the entitlement check used upon launching them will no longer function. System apps like Oculus TV and Browser will also no longer launch, and casting won't work. You can still sideload hundreds of apps from SideQuest though, and if you want to keep browsing the web in VR you can sideload Firefox Reality. You can still use Oculus Link to play PC VR content, but only if you stay signed into Facebook on the Oculus PC app. Virtual Desktop won't work because it's a store app, but you can sideload free alternatives such as ALVR.

To use Oculess, just download it from GitHub and sideload it using SideQuest or Oculus Developer Hub, then launch it from inside VR. If your Quest isn't already in developer mode or you don't know how to sideload you can follow our guide here.
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Oculus Quest Becomes a Paperweight When Facebook Goes Down More

Oculus Quest Becomes a Paperweight When Facebook Goes Down

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  • Paperweight (Score:5, Insightful)

    by skogs ( 628589 ) on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @08:02PM (#61865159) Journal

    Oculus becomes a paperweight when facebook goes down BUT:
    All the people STOP being paperweights when they look up from their screen and start finding things to do.

  • Why? (Score:5)

    by sgage ( 109086 ) on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @08:12PM (#61865183)

    Why do people put up with this crap? All of these predatory shits are enabled by people wanting the shiny. You don't need it.

    • Why do people put up with this crap? All of these predatory shits are enabled by people wanting the shiny. You don't need it.

      Why?...the same reason we wait for reservations at good restaurants or overpay for nice alcohol or pay several hundred dollars to hear a famous band play in a packed stadium. The consumer thinks the inconvenience is worth the product. Blizzard is draconian about being online, but they make good games, so if you want to play Diablo 3, a connection is mandatory, even when playing offline. It sucks, but their customers don't mind enough for it to seemingly hurt their bottom line.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by sjames ( 1099 )

      Way back in the old days, some people would catch a raccoon by driving nails diagonally into a hole in a log and putting something shiny at the bottom. The raccoon could easily get away by letting go, but that didn't happen. The modern consumer is no smarter.

      • I seem to remember in "Where the Red Fern Grows", it was a tack or roofing nail tied to a string. They grab the tack, but can't pull it away.

  • Highlights the problem with mandating a connection (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Somervillain ( 4719341 ) on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @08:18PM (#61865195)
    It's shitty and unreasonable and bad engineering to require a connection home for each launch, particularly for a an expensive device. You need an offline strategy. It's reasonable to require connecting once a day or some compromise like that. I remember when Blizzard had an outage and I couldn't play Diablo 3 or other times my wifi just flaked out for awhile (I do have comcast, connections are anything but reliable). When comcast has one of their routine outages, the first thing I want to do is just relax and play a video game.

    I am sympathetic to DRM (they do need to make money and pay their staff) and various reasons they need to connect every once in awhile, but stop treating us like maximum security prisoners....what, if we don't log in once, we're all going to pirate your software? There has to be reasonable compromise, particularly for deep-pocketed developers like Facebook or Blizzard.

    As much as I wish it were the case, it's not reasonable to assume the customers is ALWAYS online with a reasonable internet connection nor that your service is up 24/7.

    • As much as I wish it were the case, it's not reasonable to assume the customers is ALWAYS online with a reasonable internet connection nor that your service is up 24/7.

      Ah, but in Utopian fiction the metaverse doesn't go down, and if it does it's always hackers responsible.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Khyber ( 864651 )

      It's a violation of the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act anti-tying provisions as best as I can tell.

      • The Facebook account requirement is the ONLY reason I still have a Facebook account. The Quest is, by far, the best thing Facebook has. The moment the law catches up and disallows that tie-in (which, I agree, seems like an illegal arrangement) is the moment my Facebook account goes bye-bye.

      • It doesn't because that law only applies to warranties.

        prohibits tying arrangements that condition coverage under a written warranty on the consumer's use of an article or service identified by brand, trade, or corporate name unless that article or service is provided without charge to the consumer.

        This is about use of the product itself, not whether the warranty is valid.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I am sympathetic to DRM (they do need to make money and pay their staff)

      If a trillion dollar company like facebook refuses to pay their staff so their devs can earn money, trust me, there is absolutely nothing our honesty/dishonesty can do about that fact.
      Us paying for their software is not going to put food on their table.

    • It doesn't require the connection. The Facebook outage didn't break everybody's headset but it did affect some people. I don't think we know why it affected some people and not everybody but the fact that Oculus has locked out their entire customer base for twice you'd think they'd be a little more careful about how they engineer these systems.

      I forget the specifics of the first time it happened but the second was an expired security certificate [fastcompany.com] that forced everybody to manually download a patch before they

  • VR is cool in concept.

    But one of the reasons I've never bought one of these headsets is because they're essentially bricks when the network goes down. Because I can't just "use it for VR" - I have to have a FB account as well.

    The fact that I can't enjoy something without being reminded that my privacy is being invaded just ruins the whole experience. Yes, VR is cool. In theory.

    • VR != Oculus
      There are other similar products and other options.

    • Yes, VR is cool. In theory.

      Cool in practice too.
      You'll spend more money, but get yourself one that doesn't suck and require a connection to fucking facebook.
      I have not regretted my Index purchase for even a second. That's one of the few pieces of computer hardware I have ever purchased that I can say that about.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by flink ( 18449 )

        I tried out several headsets as my former employer did VR development. My eyes couldn't take the strain of trying to focus on something that appeared 100 feet away, but was in reality on a screen that was physically 4 inches away. It lead to massive headaches after just a few minutes.

        • I tried out several headsets as my former employer did VR development. My eyes couldn't take the strain of trying to focus on something that appeared 100 feet away, but was in reality on a screen that was physically 4 inches away. It lead to massive headaches after just a few minutes.

          My entire family does just fine.
          All I can say is, you acclimate to it.
          The first time I used it was awesome, but painful. Headaches, nausea, everything.
          Eventually, you learn to stop forcing your eyes to do stupid shit (which is what you are doing)
          There's no strain to focus whatsoever- your eyes don't need to. And if you quit telling them to do stupid shit, they'll stop trying.

          Let go.

        • Facebook Reality Labs has shown off several varifocal prototype headsets [youtu.be] and a multifocal displays proof of concept [youtu.be]. While Valve hasn't publicly demoed anything we know they are also working on solving the fixed focus problem as well and have recently been granted a few patents regarding their designs.

          Rumors are the Oculus next headset (Quest Pro likely to be announce at Facebook Connect on Oct 28th) won't use varifocus lens or mullitifocal screens but hopefully we see the tech used in a product soon.

    • There were articles posted on Slashdot relating to your exact problem.
      With or without an account, Facebook stores a lot on information about you.
      Some might be from combing Facebook references from people on Facebook that know you in real life.
      Some might be from websites (Facebook partners) that you visit.

      There might be other sources too - Facebook might serve ads to your profile even if you don't have an actual user account.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Phact ( 4649149 )

        ...and nothing stops them from purchasing location data from the telecoms, or any other data to marry up with what they already have on you.

  • , your Oculus Quest/Quest 2 is essentially bricked until services resume." From the report:

    I agree with his point, but bricks don't turn off and on. If it's bricked, you can't fix it.

    • Re:Bricked (Score:4, Insightful)

      by aerogems ( 339274 ) on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @11:10PM (#61865545)

      , your Oculus Quest/Quest 2 is essentially bricked until services resume." From the report:

      I agree with his point, but bricks don't turn off and on. If it's bricked, you can't fix it.

      Maybe that's why they used the word "essentially" which means, "like, but not exactly" or "very similar" or "having qualities of".

      I get what you were trying to say, but you've got to admit you walked right into that one when you complained about word use. Someone was going to bust your balls for it sooner or later.

    • Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, the definition has changed.

      "Bricking" can be used to mean "temporary bricking", or "doesn't fucking work for some period of time"
      It sucks, but it is what it is. You can fight it, but you'll lose and just come off as a cantankerous old shit. Languages change, and we have to change with them.

      • Apparently, the author even uses bricking to mean some of the functions don't work, but the device is able to do some things. The outage would have no effect on games that are already installed, as long as it isn't an online only game.

        I used mine last night while the kids were at a Scouts meeting, and mostly it worked just fine, with no internet at all. Saying Facebook being down bricks the device just seems to be exaggerating for clicks to me.

      • The definition has not changed, but the quality of authors has changed.

        • The definition has not changed, but the quality of authors has changed.

          Yes, it has.
          That's how language works. Quit being a shit about it.

          • That's how language works. Quit being a shit about it.

            Oh, insults. So sophisticated.
            If you weren't so dumb, you would realize that I am the one who defines language. Diaf.

            • Oh, insults. So sophisticated.

              Really? You wasted the time to critique the particular words I used? If anything else could scream out "I'm desperately wrong!" better, I don't know what it is.

              If you weren't so dumb, you would realize that I am the one who defines language. Diaf.

              Fascinating. You define something that is evolutionary and based on the usage of over a billion people? Truly, Thou Art God.

              You're one man, and you seem to have difficulty with the concept that the formal definition of the words of a language evolve with use, they are not static.
              At some point in the near future, Oxford Dictionary will have a:
              bric

              • If people who use a language are free to use it as they wish, I am also free to show that their usage doesn't match the metaphor.

                Deal with it, dumb one.

                Or should I say, "Deal with it, Damn One." It matches your user name better. These mysteries of life.

                • If people who use a language are free to use it as they wish, I am also free to show that their usage doesn't match the metaphor.

                  You are, indeed. Of course, there's nothing weird about that. The language is full of definitions that don't translate to good metaphors.
                  But when you make claims like:

                  The definition has not changed, but the quality of authors has changed.

                  You're attempting to deny the reality of the situation.
                  The definition has, in fact, changed, because definitions are fluid with usage.

                  Deal with it, dumb one.

                  So clever, says the shit-for-brains trying to deny the shifts of time, and thinks his precious language is a static gift handed down to him by the fucking gods.

                  I called you a shit. Now, I understand in your

                  • You're attempting to deny the reality of the situation.

                    The reality of the situation is that they used a metaphor poorly. That's one indication of a poor writer, and it doesn't change with "usage."

                    The definition has, in fact, changed, because definitions are fluid with usage.

                    At a minimum, my definition is no less valid than theirs. My criticism is no less valid than their usage. Why do you accept one as valid and not the other? Because your ignorance.

                    At some point in the near future, Oxford Dictionary will have a: brick (v): To render an electronic device non-functional, possibly permanently

                    Probably not, most regional/colloquial usage disappears over time, usually sooner rather than later. There's no reason to respect usage too soon.

                    • The reality of the situation is that they used a metaphor poorly. That's one indication of a poor writer, and it doesn't change with "usage."

                      No, they used a word by its contemporary definition. Your failure to be able to wrap your head around that is one indication of a poor reader.

                      At a minimum, my definition is no less valid than theirs. My criticism is no less valid than their usage. Why do you accept one as valid and not the other? Because your ignorance.

                      Not true. You're one person. The definitions flow in an evolutionary fashion where paradigm shifts occur when enough people begin to use a word differently.
                      If I use a word incorrectly, I'm just using it incorrectly.
                      If half the population uses it incorrectly, the definition changes.
                      The linguistic term is semantic shift (or at least it was while I was in college back

  • If you bought it you deserve it (Score:5, Insightful)

    by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @09:34PM (#61865381) Homepage Journal

    Paying Facebook to sell you a VR device is just encouraging them to be themselves. Nobody should be giving Facebook money, everyone who does is part of the problem.

    • Cool story? What's the alternative if you want to play VR? Go into the corner and cry? Buy absolute garbage from the competition? Invent a timemachine travel to the future, buy a Valve Index and then go back into to your own timeline and wonder why Steam VR doesn't support it?

      VR is not a commodity, as an emerging technology there is very little choice in the market, and even those people who waited several years for other headsets to hit the market may find themselves having to use hacks like Revive to acce

      • Re:If you bought it you deserve it (Score:4, Informative)

        by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Wednesday October 06, 2021 @09:49PM (#61868105) Homepage Journal

        Cool story? What's the alternative if you want to play VR? Go into the corner and cry?

        Better that than give Facebook money. Cry now or cry more later.

        • But that's the thing. No crying happened... It's not a question of cry now or cry later. It's a question of cry now, or give money to Facebook and be happy. Early adoption carries risk, and the biggest risk is that there's usually petty few options to take your money elsewhere if you're interested in something.

          • But that's the thing. No crying happened...

            The sun has not yet set.

            • Yes it has. I've had over 2 years of enjoyment out of the RiftS. If the entire thing implodes right now those 2 years don't disappear.

              • If you still don't understand that giving facebook money is bad for all humanity, I don't know what to tell you.

                • Except it's not. The Oculus division at Facebook has thus far run at a loss. So by giving money to Facebook via Oculus and continuing to support that money sink I'm effectively depriving them of money they could otherwise use for your evil scenario, while at the same time directly benefitting the technical development of VR.

                  This is good for humanity.

                  The world is more complex that your overly basic application of logic.
                   

  • Facebook, and internet only company, is incapable of producing an offline device and you're shocked? They're literally idiots...
  • ... own a device that is required to be tethered to a company via the web for use. When I purchase something I want it to be mine to do wish as I please. If that leaves me out of some cool tech so be it. Anything at all tied to facebook is definitely a no-go, tethered or not.

    • So I guess you haven't bought a game console since the PS2, don't have a cell phone, Steam account, cable TV, and you haven't owned a car made after about 1990. I'll just assume that you're posting from a computer at the local library or something, so that way you didn't technically buy it.

    • So.. what sort of untethered device were you entering your data on? I for one welcome our new AI overlords who have been sharing the “internet “ candy with us all since some time in the last millennium/ paradigm. There has never been a time when this community was not providing it’s data at our own expense to the overlords. Who did you think was providing the access? Don’t you understand how ironic it is that the “underground” is using a network provided by DARPA? Fake

  • Awesome, a device that will become worthless once Facebook decides to shut down the key server for good. And another device to end up in a landfill, or be picked apart by 12 year olds in a shit 4th world country (electrinics "recycling") for any precious metals and then the remains thrown into the enviroment (burned, buried into the ground to leach out toxins, etc..). There are decades of now worthless cloud dependent hardware that have met this fate.

    Why don't the owners of these companies just go a

  • What is "paper"?

  • Obvs (Score:2)

    by thsths ( 31372 )

    What was so bad about the outage was not just that Facebook was offline for 6 hours, but more importantly all facebook services were offline, including login via facebook.

    That is just not ok. They need to do better than this.

    Anecdotally, only Google has never lost my password (they did have an outage once, but it was quite short). Both Microsoft and Facebook have lost my password, and I had to change it.

    • When you sign up for a service, use a local account. To me, it doesn't make sense to go to a 3rd party for authentication. It's just too easy to make a website that looks like it has the "login with facebook" feature, and when the user clicks that, you redirect the browser to a page that LOOKS like a facebook login page, but the user provides full credentials anyway, and now you have them as well. Sure, there are little things to look for to make sure that doesn't happen, but so many people won't bother.

  • Misdirected complaints (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Wednesday October 06, 2021 @06:04AM (#61865923)

    The article focuses on Facebook integration while ignoring the actual obvious problem: A device checking for *any* account. The issue isn't that Oculus requires a Facebook account, it's that there's no automatic offline fallback mode.

    My Oculus Rift S continued to function just fine playing games in my Steam VR library. Incidentally this is something we shat on Steam over when it was first released as well until they released offline playing features. It's also something we shat on Epic Games for as well until they too introduced an offline play function this year.

    This doesn't highly a problem with having to connect to Facebook servers. This highlights a problem with having to connect to ANY servers.

  • VR (Score:3)

    by ledow ( 319597 ) on Wednesday October 06, 2021 @07:16AM (#61866025) Homepage

    Gosh, it's almost like I bought a Vive for a reason....

    • Gosh, it's almost like I bought a Vive for a reason....

      Because you hate VR, love the screendoor effect, and marvel at your lack of finger tracking?

      I mean they would be the reasons I *didn't* buy a Vive.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ledow ( 319597 )

        Vive Pro, mate, and I couldn't give a shit about finger tracking like most people who use VR.

  • I was under the impression that it was paperweight, for the most part.

  • I’d argue the issue is needing the internet in any form to use a piece of hardware. Here it is Facebook login, but it could be any other authentication service. The obey reason I can see is usage tracking, but I haven’t seen any analysis into why Facebook needs this and what data Facebook collects here.

    Why should a piece of hardware need any online login, to be able to use local software?

    • It's not hard to wonder if this is how civilization collapses.

      Even ignoring the clusterfuck of pure communications (financial transactions, etc), I can see some kind of failure that results in a catch-22 recovery problem when hardware/software needed to recover from an outage doesn't work because of the outage.

      I don't know what the solution is besides some kind of across the board regulation that all hardware devices must provide their normal functionality in the event of a loss of upstream communications f

      • I don't know what the solution is besides some kind of across the board regulation that all hardware devices must provide their normal functionality in the event of a loss of upstream communications for some minimum number of months. Maybe even "perpetually".

        Designing the system with notion that something important can fail would be a start. This means putting in place a manual process in times of a failure. The irony is certain cases the biggest security risk is the security itself. I am constantly reminded of this with captchas, when it feels like computers end up being better at decoding the captchas than the humans.

  • I have a Quest 1, we play on it all the time. It works just fine with no internet connection at all; combined with the sensors being self-contained this is one of the main selling points, that you can take your headset wherever you want. So I can take it to the office to let me coworkers play, or to my kids birthday party at the local community centre, and all the games that are already on my headset "just work". Sure you can't play online multiplayer games like Rec Room, but Beat Saber, Star Wars, etc w

  • Amazing the number of people who don't realize what becomes unusable without one connection or another.

    Yeah, *I'M* the alarmist where I work, clutching my physical workstations . . .
  • ... get up with fleas.

    Except for castaways on desert islands, everyone knows what Facebook is by now. If you continue to let The Zuck own your ass, I got no sympathy for you.

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