Meta Quest users will no longer need to log in with a Facebook account to use the device as before, simply using a separate Meta account.
According to SlashGear, old Oculus users will need a Meta account to continue using their headset after January 1, 2023. Meta emphasizes that a Meta account will not be a social network, allowing users to log in to their VR (virtual reality) device and view/manage purchased apps in one place. The company notes future devices will also require a Meta account.
However, Meta also said that when users create a new Meta account, they need to create a Meta Horizon profile with their username, profile picture, profile picture, etc., which they use about the metaverse. Users and their Oculus friends can follow each other, and users can unfollow someone as well as block that person from following them… Users still need the option to link their Meta accounts to Facebook and Instagram to be able to chat with friends in the VR version of Messenger or play games.
The new accounts will offer a variety of privacy controls, including the option to make a user’s profile private and manually approve follower requests. Users between the ages of 13 and 17 will have a profile by default.
This is an important change for Meta as the company continues to focus more on its vision of the metaverse. However, Meta is said to have narrowed down its goals in the past few months by canceling a number of virtual reality projects as well as halting the development of the dual-camera smartwatch they had previously planned.