Originally posted on: www.roadtovr.com
Facebook has halted sales of all Oculus VR headsets in Germany, something the company says will be temporary during its ongoing talks with German regulators.
Original Article (10:00 AM ET): “We’ve temporarily paused the sale of Oculus hardware to consumers in Germany due to pending discussions with the regulator [sic]. We hope to resume sales again in the future,” Facebook says in an FAQ provided to German publication MIXED.
“We know this is an inconvenience and we are actively working with German authorities to educate regulators on our practices and to ensure our products comply with local laws,” the FAQ states.
This comes on the heels of the company’s controversial move to both require valid Facebook accounts for all new Oculus users, as well as the beginning of a two-year grace period for all Oculus account users to connect to a valid Facebook account.
Germany tends to lead the way in antitrust legislation, and it seems Facebook is again finding themselves in the crosshairs there.
Just last year, German antitrust regulators attempted to ban Facebook from combining data on users without their consent across its social media properties Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Although Facebook hasn’t confirmed this, it appears it’s in a similar situation with Oculus-to-Facebook account amalgamation.
Facebook says Germany-based users already in possession of an Oculus device can continue to use it normally. The company says since it’s not actively selling Oculus headsets in Germany, that newly imported devices may not work as intended.
“As a result of this temporary pause, we will not be replenishing stock with our retail partners in Germany. Headsets may still be available with certain retailers. We hope to resume selling Oculus hardware to consumers in Germany soon,” the statement reads.
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