Facebook is already there deploying Messenger on the Oculus Quest and Quest 2 headphones and trust me, I’m crying too.
Messenger will only be available to those who have already connected their Facebook accounts to their Quest or Quest 2 headphones, so those who have been enduring the merging of their separate Oculus account for now are safe. But if you are one of those people who bought an Oculus headset after the last one October, you probably already know that Facebook requires you to sign in to your account first. It is understandable if this ad seems like a bigger attempt by Facebook to take over your gadget“And horde more data.”
Adding Messenger to Oculus is completely contrary to the whole purpose of virtual reality: immersion. Not only do I not want to read messages inside the headphones, as someone is supposed to respond exactly to Messenger while carrying a Quest? Facebook said in its press release that users can write messages by typing them into RVs, selecting something pre-written or using its voice-to-text feature, and gave no further details. Typing using the controller control bar has never been fast or convenient, not everyone can type without looking at the keyboard and voice to text is not 100% accurate. It doesn’t always matter regional dialects or speech disabilities.
And I mean, why would you want to chat with your friends on Messenger in VR when? VRChat does it exist Thank God, Facebook gives you the option to log out of Messenger on Oculus headphones, which is the best thing: the biggest problem here is Facebook’s propensity for data collection.
G / O Media may receive a commission
Necessary users linking your Oculus to your Facebook account means they already have access to social media your virtual reality gaming habits, but Facebook collects data from your Messenger app, too.
When Apple released its “privacy nutrition labels”For last year’s App Store, slapped a CVS-sized receipt on Facebook Messenger. First seen by 9 to 5Mac, it turns out Facebook collects an absurd amount of data about its users, including: sensitive information for product customization, analytics, and application functionality; financial information for third-party advertisers and for a mysteriously labeled “other purpose” category; and device identification data.
It’s likely that if you use Messenger on your Oculus, Facebook will also collect data; According to Apple’s privacy label, Facebook collects data about users ’game content. When announced the company for the first time would require Oculus users to sign in with their Facebook accounts, confirmed that they would collect data on users’ “relevant content” in “Oculus Activity” and that the data would be used to recommend Oculus events or reality apps virtual.
Oculus is another means for the company to collect more data about its users and add Messenger to the virtual reality platform offers the company more chances to do so. Combine all this with Facebook abysmal privacy song historyand honestly has taken all the joy out of VR games with Oculus headphones.