In an unexpected move today, Facebook has announced their imminent $2 billion dollar purchase of Oculus VR, the company behind the 3D virtual headset that has been winning over the games press and public alike since its inception in 2012. In a press release founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg remarks:
"Mobile is the platform of today, and now we’re also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow. Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate."
Says Brendan Iribe, co-founder and CEO of Oculus VR:
"We believe virtual reality will be heavily defined by social experiences that connect people in magical, new ways. It is a transformative and disruptive technology, that enables the world to experience the impossible, and it's only just the beginning."
This move comes as a surprise, both because there have been no previous rumors linking Facebook to Oculus VR, and because so far the technology has been used mostly for video games. While the company cites "communications, media and entertainment, education and other areas" as the direction they'll be pursuing with this purchase, there's really no substantial clues as to what they'll really do with the Oculus Rift. The whole affair is so baffling I half expect they did it just to destroy anything more fun than Facebook (I'm kidding, but still. I don't expect Facebook will improve on the Oculus experience).
The purchase includes $400 million in cash and 23.1 million shares in stock, valued at almost $70 a share. The Oculus company headquarters will remain in Irvine, CA as they continue development on the Oculus Rift.
