Following Meta’s move away from Oculus branding and, subsequently, from requiring Facebook accounts during XR device log-ins, the Menlo Park-based firm is removing all Oculus accounts and related data by the end of the month.
Meta’s move means that a Quest user who logs into their XR device with an Oculus account will no longer be able to do so by the end of the month. Additionally, all data linked to a user’s Oculus account will disappear by the end of March.
Meta will enforce the changes on March 29th, according to reports. “If your Oculus account is deleted, you will no longer be able to use Meta Quest with your Oculus account, and you won’t be able to reactivate or retrieve anything from the account,” Meta noted in an official email explaining the news. However, Oculus account users can migrate their data via Meta’s website.
The move comes as Meta also works to develop further enterprise XR services. By leveraging its Meta Quest for Business service, firms can utilize a framework of XR hardware, software, and management tools to help enterprise end-users get started with the firm’s immersive portfolio. Premium additions to Meta’s enterprise service allow end-users to negate sign-in requirements, driving simpler onboarding processes.
Notably, Meta’s removal of Oculus log-ins and data seemingly marks the final breath of Oculus. In 2021, Facebook officially rebranded as Meta during that year’s Connect event and subsequently, all Oculus products and technology fell under the Meta banner – alongside the firm’s social media portfolio.
Now, all systems are Meta. Recent partnerships during a paradigm shift in the industry may highlight how Meta is looking towards the future as a hardware provider.
Meta, LG to Drive XR Wearables
The Oculus account deletion may seem like a small piece of news. However, alongside Meta’s enterprise drive, the move could also advance parallel to the firm’s recent LG partnership.
Last week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with LG CEO William Cho and Park Hyoung-sei, the President of the Home Entertainment Company, in a two-hour meeting at LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Seoul. The meeting was widely publicized, and they discussed future collaborations on XR devices.
This meeting marks the beginning of a strategic collaboration between LG and Meta’s technology portfolios to drive XR device and customer experience innovations. During the discussion, LG’s William Cho got hands-on with the Meta Quest 3 headset, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and large-language models. He noted the potential of leveraging Meta’s technology for AI-ready XR devices.
LG also believes it can build a technology ecosystem by combining its TV division services with Meta’s XR portfolio. LG will present the benefits of its smart device OS to work alongside Meta’s AI systems to create a competitive XR device.
LG’s smart OS is worth roughly $750.5 million from app revenue, and it could potentially provide a valuable source of income and services for Meta’s XR hardware ecosystem to compete with Apple Vision Pro offerings.
