A week ago, we learned that beginning this October, new Oculus VR headset owners would need a Facebook account (opens in new tab) if they wanted to use their devices. "Everyone using an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account," the company said in an August 18 blog post (opens in new tab), while existing Oculus headset owners have until 2023 to merge their Oculus accounts with a Facebook account.
In another announcement (opens in new tab), Facebook introduced Facebook Reality Labs, now the name for the AR and VR work being undertaken at Facebook. (Facebook Reality Labs was the name given to the Oculus Research division back in 2018.) Divisions working within Oculus are still called Oculus, however.
"Much like Facebook’s recent corporate rebranding, our emphasis is on clarity—visually identifying us as a part of Facebook while looking toward the future of the next computing platform that puts people at the center," wrote Andrew Bosworth, Facebook executive and head of Facebook Reality Labs.
Oculus Connect, the annual AR/VR developers conference happening digitally in September, is now called Facebook Connect (opens in new tab).
Correction: This article originally stated that Oculus VR and AR teams were being rebranded as Facebook Reality Labs. This was incorrect. While Oculus teams will now be under the umbrella of Facebook Reality Labs, the divisions inside Oculus are still called Oculus. We apologize for the error.
