Facebook recently announced their new wireless, all-in-one vr headset, the Oculus Quest 2 at a low price point of $299. VR is about to enter mainstream. 

From the words of Ars Technica Writer, SAM MACHKOVECH:

"On August 18, 2020, Facebook (who owns Oculus) announced that it would soon mandate the use of Facebook accounts within its Oculus ecosystem, all in order to "unlock social features." In Facebook's ideal world, you'll be your Facebook self on the Facebook VR system... instead of using an existing, separate "Oculus ID."

"What's the big deal, you may ask? This isn't the first time a major tech company has tried to combine various services under a "unified account" umbrella. But while Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and others have spent years building such empires, none has pulled quite the bait-and-switch as Facebook did.. Facebook's latest decision deserves fierce scrutiny, right now, before it explodes like a virus outside of the niche that is virtual reality."

"This is how an Oculus ID works: Without spending a penny or confirming your real-life name, you can make a username, build a friends list, and acquire free-to-play software licenses. If you want to buy software or add-ons, you can either add a credit card or claim a prepaid voucher code. And if you violate any ToS, either within an official Oculus app or in a third-party ecosystem, punitive actions can be taken on both your username and your VR headset's unique ID. They don't need your name or life history to do that."

"But Facebook's real-name policy differs largely from the Oculus ID system:

'Facebook is a community where everyone uses the name they go by in everyday life. This makes it so that you always know who you're connecting with. The name on your profile should be the name that your friends call you in everyday life. This name should also appear on an ID or document from our ID list. Pretending to be anything or anyone isn't allowed.'

We've already seen how this policy can result in everything from headaches to security concerns. Victims of harassment and abuse are but one community with a vested interest in establishing alternate online identities. The same goes for members of the LGBTQ community. Weirdly enough, 2014 protests over the real-name policy included pledges from Facebook to expand and clarify its real-name rules for the sake of inclusion and user protection, but the above 2020 language doesn't reflect such strides in the slightest.

Less-vulnerable users may simply not want their VR activities (gaming, apps, social spaces) attached to a "real-name" Facebook account for a number of reasons. Or they may vote with software by electing to use a third-party app's account system—especially one that works across other VR ecosystems. Users may have established an identity in the online game Rec Room on an Oculus headset in order to play games and socialize with people on PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, or other headsets. Enforcing a Facebook requirement on top of that will send ripples through established VR communities."

"When you log into Oculus using your Facebook account, Facebook will use information related to your use of VR and other Facebook products to provide and improve your experience. This information is also used to show you personalized content, including ads. For example, we might show you recommendations for Oculus Events you might like, ads about Facebook apps and technologies, or ads from developers for their VR apps."

For more information about the "Facebooking" of Oculus about this read this article

Before this new, affordable VR headset comes to market, we need to force Mark and Facebook to revert their stance on requiring users to make a Facebook account.