Quest VR Owners Have New Meta Logins To Use Instead of Facebook (theverge.com) 33
Meta will now allow users of its Quest VR headsets to log in with a new Meta account instead of a Facebook account, the company announced on Tuesday. The Verge reports: The company had said in July that this change would be rolling out in August, and it marks a shift from an unpopular policy announced in 2020 that required users to log in to their headsets with a Facebook account instead of a separate Oculus account. Users can create Meta accounts through the Meta mobile app using an email address, Facebook account, or Instagram account. Once you create a Meta account, you'll need to set up a linked Meta Horizon social profile that will be used in VR. As with Facebook accounts before, you'll need one of these accounts to use a Quest headset.
"Our new Meta account structure gives you more flexibility and control, letting you choose how you do and don't show up -- and whether Facebook and / or Instagram is part of your experience in VR and other surfaces where you use your Meta Horizon profile," Meta says in its blog post. If you want to set up a Meta account, the company has instructions in the blog post and in a video. If you are still using an Oculus account, you'll be able to do so until January 1st, 2023. After that date, you'll need to make a Meta account. The company says the option to make a Meta account and a Meta Horizon profile is rolling out now, so if you aren't able to just yet, you should be given the option soon.
"Our new Meta account structure gives you more flexibility and control, letting you choose how you do and don't show up -- and whether Facebook and / or Instagram is part of your experience in VR and other surfaces where you use your Meta Horizon profile," Meta says in its blog post. If you want to set up a Meta account, the company has instructions in the blog post and in a video. If you are still using an Oculus account, you'll be able to do so until January 1st, 2023. After that date, you'll need to make a Meta account. The company says the option to make a Meta account and a Meta Horizon profile is rolling out now, so if you aren't able to just yet, you should be given the option soon.
What About (Score:2)
Oculus Rift owners?
Are we still supposed to make a FB account?
Which for me gets insta-banned by FB's algorithms as soon as I make it?
Re: (Score:2)
They sent out an email saying Oculus account holders need to switch to Meta accounts by the end of the year. So no you don't need a FB account
Re: What About (Score:2)
But you will still be tracked.
Re: What About (Score:4, Insightful)
The main issue isn't whether the account is tracked, it's the linking of a product use account to a social media account with draconian policies.
The internet is full of examples of people who have used their Rift/Quest for years, suddenly forced to link to Facebook only to get blocked because their credit card name doesn't match their social media name (in breach of Facebook's policy). Or people who sign up to Facebook only for their Headset, only to a couple of days latter be permabanned because a Facebook account without friends and without content looks identical to spam accounts.
And all that is before we get into the topics of social lists, the people you're friends with may not be the people you want to game with, and visa versa.
It was a fucking braindead policy to begin with, and the backlash against it had little to do with being tracked, that was always a given.
Re: (Score:2)
They sent out an email saying Oculus account holders need to switch to Meta accounts by the end of the year. So no you don't need a FB account
AGAIN!
Meet the new boss, same as the old (Score:4, Insightful)
Facebook: "You will need to log into your Facebook account to use your Oculus VR hardware."
Meta: "Good news! You will no longer need a Facebook account to use your Oculus VR hardware. You will need to log into your Meta account to use your Oculus VR hardware. And it's still going to be tied to social media tracking."
Great point (Score:1)
Reading the summary, I was like - how is this better or different?
What it is is more annoying! Why do I have to keep shifting logins every few years.
Really a shame what Apple is building is not meant to take on the Quest.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Meet the new boss, same as the old (Score:4, Insightful)
No they heard them. I think you're not understanding the issue. Most people were fully aware of the privacy issues (even back when it was quest accounts). The core reason people were upset:
a) Facebook accounts with fake names got banned when linked to credit cards required to buy things from the Oculus store.
b) It was hard to setup a Facebook account just for VR since empty accounts without posts got banned.
c) Not everyone games with their friends. The concept that maybe I want to play games with user YoMama69, but don't want anything the fuck to do with them on a social media account seems to have been lost on Facebook, and I sure as heck aren't interested in YoMama69's real name either.
Re: (Score:2)
He wasn't stating it wasn't. He is stating that this hopefully solves one of the issues that using a fake (or unused) facebook account created for the occulus - namely having your account banned since the facebook profile didn't match the credit card or was incomplete.
Re: (Score:2)
No, they link to a social media experience, but the key part is that there are two accounts which are separate. Everything links to "social media" these days. In many cases your SteamID can be considered "social media" as well. The key part here is Meta Horizon (the VR/gaming social network) and Facebook (a social network used mostly for friends and family) remain two separate networks.
I have one of these (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Once I started blocking the requests from various young ladies who lost their blouse Facebook has started trying to match me up with all kinds of random people.
The funniest one was the younger sister of a girl I went to school with who I haven't spoken to in over 40 years.
She lives in the Netherlands and is a very, very religi
Re: (Score:2)
Well, now at least they have a name to the shadow account they've been running for all those years.
Re: (Score:2)
And I setup an empty facebook account. I never post to it and never friend anyone on it. Never do anything with it at all. It's the trade off I made and I'm okay with it.
That's great, except because it's a social media account Facebook has a horrendous history of blocking just the kind of thing you created. Empty accounts have been repeatedly banned in droves (they look like spam accounts). It's almost like Facebook doesn't realise just because people buy VR heatsets doesn't mean they want to post shit on social media.
Meta? Really? (Score:2)
And we're supposed to trust Meta more than Facebook because......?
Re: (Score:3)
Because it's no longer shit and stinks but it's now called manure and promotes growth.
Never heard of marketing and brand scrubbing?
Re: (Score:2)
"this plan is a crock of shit and it stinks" --> "This plan is good for our company"
And the President looked upon the Plan
And saw that it was good,
And the Plan became Policy.
And this, my friend, is how shit happens.
Amen.
Re: (Score:2)
No, we're supposed to celebrate the idea that Facebook realise that just because you own a headset doesn't mean you want to post on social fucking media. Or just because you own a headset doesn't mean you want to use your real name when playing games. Or just because you enjoy gaming with YoMama69, doesn't mean you want that random internet gamer to be your Facebook friend looking at your holiday selfies.
No one trusts Meta. Hell they didn't trust them when they were Oculus accounts either, but it makes no f
Meta the new 8bit (Score:2)
same BS different name? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
No, not same BS. It's the same as an Oculus account which people were fine with. What people are not fine with is being forced to play games using an account tied to their real name, with a friends list made up with actual local friends they have rather than gaming with internet randoms.
It's just like how Instagram isn't f-ing TikTok, Zuckerberg can't figure out why different services exist and not everyone likes the idea of having just one service for everything they do.
Different name, (Score:2)
same Privacy Rapists.
Hmm. Let me think about that for a minute... (Score:2)
You can still FUCK OFF.
Re: (Score:2)
Actually Yes Meta. The peak complaint among users is not that Facebook / Meta / Flavour of the month name are privacy raping shits, but rather the idea of linking gaming and social media accounts.
Do you play games with your real full name? That's precisely what Facebook was trying to force on people by saying you need a Facebook account. Do you maybe not use your real name on Facebook? Well welcome to the banhammer when you link your credit card so you can pay for a game in the Oculus store and Facebook rea
My grandmother uses a Quest? (Score:2)
The funniest thing is that somehow my grandmother, who died in the mid 80's managed to set up a Facebook account to use her Quest headset.
Re: (Score:2)
Gramma was a real trend setter and turbo-hipster. Doing things not only before they were cool but even before they were invented!
Meet the new boss same as the old boss. (Score:2)
What happens when meta folds? (Score:2)
online gambling (Score:1)