Oculus quest 2 do you need facebook

One of the key barriers to adopting Meta’s excellent Quest 2 virtual reality headset has been the Facebook account requirement. That changes today.

Meta is rolling out Meta accounts and Horizon profiles from today, meaning there’s no longer a need to link a Facebook account in order to enjoy VR experiences.

Unsurprisingly the requirement had made some Facebook-averse folks feel a little icky – given the privacy ramifications of having a Facebook account – so the change might make a Quest 2 purchase a little more palatable.

Meta had promised the profiles would come in August and today’s the day. In a blog post, the company says it’s all about giving users more flexibility.

The company writes: “Our new Meta account structure gives you more flexibility and control, letting you choose how you do and don’t show up—and whether Facebook and/or Instagram is part of your experience in VR and other surfaces where you use your Meta Horizon profile.”

The video accompanying the blog explains how to get started:

The new policy is a reversal of sorts. For the longest time after buying Oculus, the company enabled users to continue logging in with their Oculus account. That changed in 2020, much to the chagrin of headset owners who’d supported the company since the first Rift headset debuted on Kickstarter. While existing Oculus accounts can still be used, they are being phased out in 2023.

Of course, it’s not a perfect world. While a Meta account might not provide the same level of intrusiveness and personal exposure as a Facebook account, with all of the web tracking and targeted ads, this solution isn’t necessarily perfect.

Users will still be handing over some data to Meta, which presents problems of its own. The company says that not all users will see the option to set up a Meta account today, but it is now rolling out globally.

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Meta headsets will no longer require a Facebook account from next month.

In August Meta will “begin rolling out” Meta accounts, which can be used to set up Meta headsets. You’ll still be able to link your Facebook account to your Meta account to message and call Facebook friends from inside VR, but this is no longer required.

If your Facebook is currently linked to your Quest, you can choose to unlink it when you set up your Meta account.

Meta accounts are purely for signing in, they aren’t social media account. But you still need to set up a ‘Meta Horizon’ VR social profile, formerly known as your Oculus profile. As with current Oculus profiles (or other platforms like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network) you have a username, profile name, profile photo, and avatar.

Your Meta Horizon profile is visible to others in VR apps and when searching for you in the Oculus app or Quest social menu, but you can customize who exactly can see your activity status (whether you’re online and the app you’re currently using).

These changes come less than two years after the company imposed the requirement of a Facebook account in good standing for its headsets, starting with the release of Quest 2 in October 2020. Tying the use of a hardware device to the standing of a social media profile was a widely unpopular decision, and left some users with a paperweight.

At Connect 2021 in October, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced: “frankly as we’ve heard your feedback more broadly, we’re working on making it so you can login into Quest with an account other than your personal Facebook account”. Nine months later, Meta is ready to deliver on that promise.

We’ll be discussing this topic in more detail on our weekly podcast on Tuesday:

David Heaney

Writes about VR & AR technology news & industry trends. Usually on VR Download.

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