Facebook have massed another billion-dollar purchase, this time buying into the world of Virtual Reality.

GDC 2014 has just finished and the main talking point in the tech world is the announcement of Sony’s Project Morpheus. For those who missed the announcement and have no idea what I am talking about here’s a quick run down of Project Morpheus.

Project Morpheus is a new Virtual Reality system that Sony has announced. It will be used for gaming purposes and link directly to the PlayStation 4; the specifications of this device are similar to the Oculus Rift, with a 1080p display and a 90-degree Field of View, the device works in conjunction with the PS4’s camera to get an accurate idea of where the person is standing in order to work to its maximum potential also, the display will be projected onto another screen with just one view instead of the binocular view you get with the Oculus. The prototype has got a 4.5 meter long cable that must be attached at all times so maneuverability is an issue at the moment however, a release date for the development kit has not even been announced so it can all change in the future. Crytek and EPIC are on board with Morpheus to create games for the system with is very exciting with the possibility of a Crysis VR game coming in the possible future.

Project Morpheus was announced and immediately squared up against the Oculus Rift that has been around since 2012 and already has the worlds eyes watching it’s every development. The main problem that Oculus Rift would have going up against Sony is that Sony is a powerhouse in terms of a business and following, there would be no chance that an independent VR could stand off against Sony’s VR even if they were designed for different devices. However, breaking news tell us that Facebook have made a move to acquire Oculus for $2 billion. Facebook have also recently acquired WhatsApp.

I always believed that as soon as a powerhouse like Sony or Microsoft released a VR system the opposing team would then purchase Oculus. I never saw that Facebook would be the ones to move in on the company. Mark Zuckerberg the CEO of Facebook stated, “Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate.” Oculus also released a statement saying, “We are excited to work with Mark and the Facebook team to deliver the very best virtual reality platform in the world.” Facebook obviously have an end game plan with the recent acquisitions and I personally am excited to see what they have in mind.

With Facebook being the ones to pickup Oculus where does that leave Microsoft? Will they have a VR device of there own to announce at the next technology conference? Will Oculus take a more casual route and shy away from the gaming experience and more onto trying to take on Google Glass?