Late yesterday, Facebook made an announcement: It has acquired the virtual reality startup Oculus VR, the maker of the Oculus Rift headset, for around $2 billion in cash and stock. The news excited some in the tech industry, and confused many others. (As Alexis summed it up: “The dominant reaction to the move could be summed up in three letters: WTF.”)

But on the other hand, and much more broadly, Oculus’s technology should be able to help Facebook developers to create immersive virtual spaces that digitally mimic those of the physical world.

Oculus purchase price: $2bln.

Linden Labs market cap: $200m.

Jerry's Place, Oculus Rift:

Second Life, last year:

If people wanted to meet in virtual space, they would have done so in 1999. When was the last time you even heard Linden Labs mentioned in the press?

posted 3682 days ago