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I've mentioned here before I got rid of my Facebook account for my mental health. Silly reason or not, it's done, and I have no desire to go back. I also real

I've mentioned here before I got rid of my Facebook account for my mental health. Silly reason or not, it's done, and I have no desire to go back. I also really like my Oculus. It's helped me escape a bit, and gotten me moving around more. It's a fantastic little device. I'm not looking forward to the day it becomes a paper weight. The only positive in all of this is I've started upgrading my PC to get it to the point where it can play VR games, and deciding which VR rig I want to go with. It won't be as great as the Oculus, even if the tech is better, since I love the untethered nature of the Oculus, but a cable-tether is worlds better than a Facebook-tether, at least to me.

evo_9 6y ago
The Vive/VivePro support full wireless via the wireless adapter: https://www.vive.com/us/accessory/wireless-adapter/ https://www.vive.com/us/accessory/wireless-adapter/
- eps 6y ago
  I have the original (wired) Vive and I upgraded it with a wireless adapter not a month ago. It was trivial to do, the software worked on the first try and it was overall a very nice experience. It also improved the gameplay dramatically.
- nico_h 6y ago
  yeah, facebook is the only thing preventing me from buying an occulus. I have a VR ready pc, but there is no alternative to the quest / quest 2 in that price range. the vive / valve’s headset all cost in the 1k and adding 349 to that is not appealing to get a heavier setup.
  - g00gler 6y ago
    I have an oculus quest purchased over the summer. I was able to sign up for oculus, not Facebook. I got emails about a change in account stuff & I was able to keep my oculus account and not sign up for Facebook. Can new customers only sign in through Facebook???? Seems like a very bad idea...
    - mcv 6y ago
      You probably have a Quest 1. The Quest 2 shipped in October, and apparently requires a Facebook account instead of an Oculus account. In the future, all remaining Oculus accounts will be forced to move to Facebook.
      - MisterTea 6y ago
        There was a small window where early Quest 2 purchases before October or whatever are able to keep their oculus accounts. My friend has one without needing a facebook.
    - banana_giraffe 6y ago
      As others mentioned, new customers now can only use Facebook. I'm in the same boat you are, but: > If you choose to continue using your Oculus account, you’ll be covered by our updated Oculus Terms of Service and Oculus Privacy Policy, which we previewed last month. After January 1, 2023, we will end support for Oculus accounts That boat will finally arrive at Facebook in two years. Two years is a long time for a bit of tech, but for me, the bigger deal is any money I've sunk into the Oculus ecosystem will go up in smoke then. That was the primary reason I started gaming mostly on Steam via Rift, and am looking to replace the headset completely now. (Helping this decision were things like downloading custom songs in Beat Saber is just easier on the desktop.)
- pmarreck 6y ago
  Is the Valve Index ever going to come out with a wireless solution? I feel like wireless is a VR game-changer but I am not 100% sure about upgrading my Vive Pro to a Vive Cosmos and adding the wireless adapter and card, due to expense, and also, wanting to try something different
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
shrewdcomputer 6y ago
It really feels like Facebook is making a mistake here. Most people who are into VR are relatively tech savvy and probably not that keen on being forced to tether to Facebook as a company. I don't think you'll be alone in your decision to look at other VR solutions. It's a shame because I wanted to get into VR at the beginning of lockdown and everything I've read about Oculus seemed positive except the facebook account.
- ashtonkem 6y ago
  One of the most frustrating things about mega corps like Facebook is that it’s really easy for them to make dumb decisions and just keep going. They’re too large for anything but the biggest mistakes to bring market pressure to bear. The literal worst case here for FB is that a few people don’t buy a Quest II, which isn’t even core to their business success.
  - lostcolony 6y ago
    Well, it ostensibly hurts the entire Oculus line, not just the Quest 2. And, while it's not core to their current business success, it was intended as a strategic decision, to have a path into VR social networks, I suspect. But I can easily see short term business decisions and priorities dominating that consideration, yes. Businesses are not know known for their long term planning skills.
fraudsyndrome 6y ago
Recently tried to delete multiple old accounts on FB and they have this thing where they lock your account and won't allow you to do anything until you verify yourself through identification. I've decided to just leave them "open" forever instead of giving them my info.
amelius 6y ago
> I also really like my Oculus. It's helped me escape a bit, and gotten me moving around more. I'm thinking about getting an Oculus for the same reason. What software would you recommend? Are there any good titles with just scenery (e.g. beach, mountain, etc.)? Are the YouTube VR channels any good? (I sure hope they don't get interrupted by 3d advertisements).
- banana_giraffe 6y ago
  Google Earth VR is my recommendation to people just trying out VR for the first time. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect, but somehow seeing where you grew up, or went to college, or whatever is just a great first experience for a lot of people. Beyond that, there's an entire category of "Travel the World" apps out there. I'm a big fan of the Ocean ones, but look around in the category to see what sparks interest. YouTube is also a great source of videos. I'm a fan of the "360 Walking Tours" of various cities. Even the ones of the city I live in are great, though I gravitate to the big bright cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong. And of course, there are plenty of more fast paced videos, like 360 videos from the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels that are pretty fun. Some performers are also have concerts (or even do live concerts) in 360 if that's your thing. Beyond that, don't rule out the games. Aircar VR technically has goals, but it doesn't enforce them, and it's great fun to fly around a Blade Runner inspired world. Beyond that, some of the story games are really good. Ghost Giant is a fairly easy puzzle game, and while the story was a little saccharin for my tastes, it was really well done and fun. Beyond that, a lot of my friends seem to love the Theater apps like BigScreen. This has never really worked for me, perhaps because I don't have lots of great memories of theaters for whatever reasons, but for those missing that side of life, it seems to be a good option. I got more out of the social side of that, but only when using it with friends, when entering the public rooms, it's too hit-or-miss if you get a griefer or not for my tastes. And of course, I think there's a law that every VR owner tries out Beat Saber. I really like it, but beyond that, it's a great app to show off to friends, since it's trivial to get started in. Of course, don't take my word for any of these, I recommend you dig into reviews and see what floats your boat.
  - amelius 6y ago

evo_9 6y ago

The Vive/VivePro support full wireless via the wireless adapter: https://www.vive.com/us/accessory/wireless-adapter/ https://www.vive.com/us/accessory/wireless-adapter/

eps 6y ago
I have the original (wired) Vive and I upgraded it with a wireless adapter not a month ago. It was trivial to do, the software worked on the first try and it was overall a very nice experience. It also improved the gameplay dramatically.
nico_h 6y ago
yeah, facebook is the only thing preventing me from buying an occulus. I have a VR ready pc, but there is no alternative to the quest / quest 2 in that price range. the vive / valve’s headset all cost in the 1k and adding 349 to that is not appealing to get a heavier setup.
- g00gler 6y ago
  I have an oculus quest purchased over the summer. I was able to sign up for oculus, not Facebook. I got emails about a change in account stuff & I was able to keep my oculus account and not sign up for Facebook. Can new customers only sign in through Facebook???? Seems like a very bad idea...
  - mcv 6y ago
    You probably have a Quest 1. The Quest 2 shipped in October, and apparently requires a Facebook account instead of an Oculus account. In the future, all remaining Oculus accounts will be forced to move to Facebook.
    - MisterTea 6y ago
      There was a small window where early Quest 2 purchases before October or whatever are able to keep their oculus accounts. My friend has one without needing a facebook.
  - banana_giraffe 6y ago
    As others mentioned, new customers now can only use Facebook. I'm in the same boat you are, but: > If you choose to continue using your Oculus account, you’ll be covered by our updated Oculus Terms of Service and Oculus Privacy Policy, which we previewed last month. After January 1, 2023, we will end support for Oculus accounts That boat will finally arrive at Facebook in two years. Two years is a long time for a bit of tech, but for me, the bigger deal is any money I've sunk into the Oculus ecosystem will go up in smoke then. That was the primary reason I started gaming mostly on Steam via Rift, and am looking to replace the headset completely now. (Helping this decision were things like downloading custom songs in Beat Saber is just easier on the desktop.)
pmarreck 6y ago
Is the Valve Index ever going to come out with a wireless solution? I feel like wireless is a VR game-changer but I am not 100% sure about upgrading my Vive Pro to a Vive Cosmos and adding the wireless adapter and card, due to expense, and also, wanting to try something different
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

shrewdcomputer 6y ago

It really feels like Facebook is making a mistake here. Most people who are into VR are relatively tech savvy and probably not that keen on being forced to tether to Facebook as a company. I don't think you'll be alone in your decision to look at other VR solutions. It's a shame because I wanted to get into VR at the beginning of lockdown and everything I've read about Oculus seemed positive except the facebook account.

ashtonkem 6y ago
One of the most frustrating things about mega corps like Facebook is that it’s really easy for them to make dumb decisions and just keep going. They’re too large for anything but the biggest mistakes to bring market pressure to bear. The literal worst case here for FB is that a few people don’t buy a Quest II, which isn’t even core to their business success.
- lostcolony 6y ago
  Well, it ostensibly hurts the entire Oculus line, not just the Quest 2. And, while it's not core to their current business success, it was intended as a strategic decision, to have a path into VR social networks, I suspect. But I can easily see short term business decisions and priorities dominating that consideration, yes. Businesses are not know known for their long term planning skills.

fraudsyndrome 6y ago

Recently tried to delete multiple old accounts on FB and they have this thing where they lock your account and won't allow you to do anything until you verify yourself through identification. I've decided to just leave them "open" forever instead of giving them my info.

amelius 6y ago

> I also really like my Oculus. It's helped me escape a bit, and gotten me moving around more. I'm thinking about getting an Oculus for the same reason. What software would you recommend? Are there any good titles with just scenery (e.g. beach, mountain, etc.)? Are the YouTube VR channels any good? (I sure hope they don't get interrupted by 3d advertisements).

banana_giraffe 6y ago
Google Earth VR is my recommendation to people just trying out VR for the first time. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect, but somehow seeing where you grew up, or went to college, or whatever is just a great first experience for a lot of people. Beyond that, there's an entire category of "Travel the World" apps out there. I'm a big fan of the Ocean ones, but look around in the category to see what sparks interest. YouTube is also a great source of videos. I'm a fan of the "360 Walking Tours" of various cities. Even the ones of the city I live in are great, though I gravitate to the big bright cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong. And of course, there are plenty of more fast paced videos, like 360 videos from the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels that are pretty fun. Some performers are also have concerts (or even do live concerts) in 360 if that's your thing. Beyond that, don't rule out the games. Aircar VR technically has goals, but it doesn't enforce them, and it's great fun to fly around a Blade Runner inspired world. Beyond that, some of the story games are really good. Ghost Giant is a fairly easy puzzle game, and while the story was a little saccharin for my tastes, it was really well done and fun. Beyond that, a lot of my friends seem to love the Theater apps like BigScreen. This has never really worked for me, perhaps because I don't have lots of great memories of theaters for whatever reasons, but for those missing that side of life, it seems to be a good option. I got more out of the social side of that, but only when using it with friends, when entering the public rooms, it's too hit-or-miss if you get a griefer or not for my tastes. And of course, I think there's a law that every VR owner tries out Beat Saber. I really like it, but beyond that, it's a great app to show off to friends, since it's trivial to get started in. Of course, don't take my word for any of these, I recommend you dig into reviews and see what floats your boat.
- amelius 6y ago