Facebook finally launches social VR options for Oculus users

Back in September, Facebook announced that it would soon introduce new social VR options for Oculus users, and now those features are officially here. According to the company's announcement, Oculus users can connect with their friends for photo and video sharing, and livestream to Facebook.

Virtual hangouts — If you're an Oculus user, you can bring your friends to e-hangouts for gaming, networking, or just plain chatting. This was previously an invite-only feature but Facebook has opened access to the feature for everyone now.

A big caveat — In order to take advantage of Oculus' social VR features, you’ll need a Facebook login. This cancels out people who don’t want to touch Zuck. The world’s biggest social network is trying its best to attract more users for its Oculus base but as privacy concerns and questions about ad targeting dog the company, Facebook will need to offer more than just social events with a VR bent.

And what about your Oculus data? — While all these social features sound fun and exciting for the pro-VR set, it's worth noting that you’re handing over quite a bit to the network. Facebook has stated that it will use Oculus data to understand your preferences and possibly target you with ads and relevant events. As it stands, ad targeting and micro-focusing on individual users is an issue replete with ethical problems, and this very well could discourage skeptical people from giving the platform a go.

Although the company claims that this policy won't affect third-party apps, I still suggest you go through the FAQ section for Oculus to better grasp what it does with your data. It won’t hurt to be a little cautious here.