The company wants to connect users in the virtual space

Mar 25, 2014 22:48 GMT  ·  By

The biggest news of the day so far is that the social network Facebook has entered a definitive deal that will see it acquire the Oculus Rift virtual reality hardware maker for the sum of 2 billion dollars (1.55 billion Euro).

Mark Zuckerberg has posted a rather long message on his official page in order to explain why the deal was done and how he plans to use the complex virtual reality technology in the future in order to make the world more connected.

The executive explains that Facebook needs to embrace the most innovative technology as soon as possible in order to grow and thrive and that he is aiming to make sure that the current focus on mobile devices continues to be the core strategy for his company.

He explains that Oculus Rift allows users to "enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it's different from anything they've ever experienced in their lives."

Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges that immersive gaming experiences are at the moment the main reason to use an Oculus Rift, but he also envisions a future where the same technology will be used to simply bring people together in the virtual space.

He adds, "This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures."

The Oculus Rift can also be used to deliver augmented reality experiences and Facebook will work with a number of other companies in order to unlock its full potential in the coming years.

The terms of the deal say that the entire team at Oculus Rift will continue working on their headset, which means that the second version of the development kit will soon be shipped to developers and that a consumer version should be out before the end of the year.

At the moment, the device does not have a clear date or an attached price tag.

During the Game Developers Conference, Sony announced that it was working on its own Project Morpheus, which is designed to offer complex virtual reality experiences on the PlayStation 4 home console.