Freedom of modding

[RetroGame066]

Dear Oculus,    

I recently updated to Oculus Quest version 9 and I've stumbled upon a set of rules that highly concerns me. I am talking about the ability to enable developer mode. 

As many tech enthusiasts do, when we buy a cellphone, computer or a device like the Oculus Quest, we like to alter, mod or add pieces of software that is not originally provided by a developer or the company itself.    

When I read the privacy statement closely, it states that you will strip down people's ability to enable developer mode or even permanently ban people if they mess with pieces of software or upload software that isn't compliant with the Oculus Quest guideline making the Quest entirely useless if you don't follow the rules.    

I quote the following: "We also employ dedicated teams and develop advanced technical systems to detect misuse and violations and reserve the right to take appropriate action as per our Terms of Service, including removing content, blocking access to certain features, disabling an account, or contacting law enforcement."   

Isn't the Oculus Quest build on Android? Because android's privacy policy clearly states that it is not allowed by a company to monitor anyone's device let alone by the AVG/GDPR standards. That being said if somebody installs something locally on their device, without that software using any form of cloud based communication to Oculus Quest's servers how are you able to monitor that? That would mean your company has backdoor access to all Quest devices to see what kind of local apps are installed. This is a big violation of our privacy and I can speak for many people that they are not happy that a company is monitoring our software usage.  

Privacy should never ever be violated in order to detect pirated software or something that has been purchased and modded.  For example, if you buy an android based mobile device, you can enable: "Allow software from unknown sources" when developer mode is enabled to install your software outside the Google play environment, this is the exact same principle with the Quest. But i've never heard of a mobile company that has an entire team that will acces your cellphone if you installed something that is against the law or violates any rule based on their policy, simply because it's against privacy rules. I've also never heard of a windows gaming company that will scan your entire hard drive for pirated games so they can block you or remove you permanently from their service, because yet again, it would be against the privacy law to collect that data from their local device to detect piracy.   

I support developers and don't like to see companies getting robbed from their hard earned money, but this isn't the way to go. Oculus Quest was a device that had it all, tweaking, modding, sideloading and the yet to come Oculus link and Hand tracking. Since the Facebook privacy scandal it is way out of boundary to monitor all Quest's devices like this.

There was an entire community build around Beat Saber for example, now they have stopped, just because you threaten to disable their accounts and thus making their devices useless and removes any purchased games, this gives a company way too much power.  

I want to give an example to Valve: Half life, portal and many other games have been customized or entirely remodded by the community so people could enjoy their own way of gaming. I was really thrilled that the Oculus Quest was as free spirited as Valve itself, but from now on, it is illegal to even adjust the tiniest bit of software that you purchase and play offline in your own environment, because your company threatens with permanent bans and a complete dedicated team to make sure everybody follows every rule. The Oculus Quest as I see it was the device of the future, now it seems like oculus doesn't care about people minding their own business.  

 In the old days when you bought Tomb Raider you could download a nude pack so you could see the 3 pixels of boobs as a kid? Just like the entire remake of Black Mesa in 2012 as a dedication to Half Life made by a single modder.  Most idea's, functions, expressions and builds you have to thank to those modders, who made these in their free time so we could enjoy it. And that makes a community thriving and vibrant. But you've set the tone and made sure that everyone who dares to touch the system will be punished.   

Really, I do stand for anti-piracy, but I am more pro-privacy and fair use policy.

[Anonymous]

Good luck getting a reasonable response.  I don’t know what they’ve done, but a friend of mine applied all of the appropriate steps to achieve 2x resolution (which is absolutely essential for this device), and it didn’t work.  I am in the process of returning my Quest because of the inadequate resolution.

[RHunterr]

"Inadequate"? "absolutely essential"?? lol... neither of those is true.

[BrotherO4]

kinda need to know. i need my AMD Relive streaming feature since Oculus does not want to provide that feature themselves. 

[h.r.gargi]

Jesus! Freedom of modding... Come on! Really? Since I saw the first apps like Sidequest I thought this all goes into a wrong direction. This button is called Developer Mode and not Fiddle around mode. It is made for companies making new apps or people learning how to build VR apps like I did the last months. And not for providing stuff for the masses left and right of the regulare store.
Look here in this forum. How many posts about sideloading stuff from people who don't even know what they are doing in the background can you read day by day? Is this the way it has to be? 
There is no freedom of modding, there is an expensive piece of hardware and a DEVELOPER mode. 

[BrotherO4]

when oculus wants to provide a wifi streaming mode than maybe we can talk about not having the ability to sideload. this is one of the main things about quest being a bad idea..FB wants everything to be locked down. this is why i simple avoid buying any game on the oculus store. sure they let us play steam VR today...but they can blocked it tomorrow with an update.

[h.r.gargi]

Again: Sideloading was never a customer feature or offered for that way from Oculus. It is a developer's tool. Nothing more nothing less. All other things are fanmade and never intended by Oculus. They can't take something they never gave 😉

[BrotherO4]

i dont know what world you live in but side loading does exist cause we have been doing it. so yes..they are trying to take away something for no reason at all. 

[Partyfreaker]

h.r.gargi said:

Again: Sideloading was never a customer feature or offered for that way from Oculus. It is a developer's tool. Nothing more nothing less. All other things are fanmade and never intended by Oculus. They can't take something they never gave 😉

I guess you have an iPhone? So that everything is nicely locked away? Oculus is nothing more than a android mobile device that has been stripped off their mobile functions and build into a standalone headset. When you press on the software version on a android device multiple times you'll get access to the developer mode exactly as the quest does, but the quest just build a fancy skin around it. This is not something that quest has build themselves but is a standard function provided by android. It's nothing more than installing an APK out the standard store.

That's why I like Valve so much, even tho Oculus has banned SteamVR from their soft and hardware, Valve added native support for the oculus quest and rift controllers so you can play SteamVR on Virtual Desktop or Revive even while the product is not owned by valve. I don't like greedy companies, and I don't like it when they try to control how I use my content.

That being said, if I buy a game like beatsaber for €40 on the quest I hope I can add a spongebob template menu whenever I damn please. Now I'm really not interested anymore in buying something on the Quest store because apparently I don't own it and risk the chance of even losing it. When I buy a VR game in the Steam store at least I own it and can mod it however I want and am guaranteed that I the own of it for the rest of my life no matter what I add to the software. Really sad that a community that was growing in such a fun experience is now changed so drastically.

[h.r.gargi]

Maybe I am too old to understand you people. A highly priced game should be a reason why you are allowed to mod and hack it?
I see ... I am on the wrong side of the moon.