I think the perception here is not that FB will stop VR, but that they will ruin it. This is possible in a variety of ways including them making it into a walled garden similar to the iOS or blocking progress of competitors through patents or anti-competitive practices.
Personally what I want is something that once I buy is completely free from the company that I bought it from. I.e. an open system that I can control. I don't see such a product coming from a company like FB, but I could be wrong.
Can you imagine how much Facebook would like a recording of your facial expressions while you have a private talk with your friends? Or when you look at ads?
Setting aside the fact that I don't think Oculus has any plans for getting facial expression data (can their current IR camera even get that info?), what exactly do you think Facebook would do with your facial expressions?
There are layers of stupid in objections to Facebook but "something something watching your cameras" is by far the dumbest.
Not only does the Oculus positional tracking camera not work like that (and can't work like that since you know, you have an Oculus Rift on your face) but no one has managed to give a statement on what they think the value of that data would be.
Uh, I can think of useful data analysis to run on that.
Both to characterize the feelings associated with relationships (which is data that Facebook would like to know), and sentiment analysis for various adverts or other things.
For example, Facebook could use a virtual room for people looking to interact, and then place ad objects within the room - and rate your responses to them, in order to profile you for advertisers, and figure out what kind of placements generate the least interruption or most positive association.
Further, you're only talking about the current gen Oculus technology, and not anything about what Facebook might (speculatively) deveop going forward.
The obvious path (seeing other virtual worlds) is to generate some method of putting realistic gestures in to the experience, which I highly doubt they'll never attempt to do.
I'm much more okay with a stand-alone thing doing that, than anything tied to Facebook's environment, because I believe Facebook is a fundamentally exploitative company.
The Oculus camera doesn't work like that right now, but the social-related uses Mark Zuckerberg has been talking about for VR definitely would require facial expression tracking.
You think Facebook spent $2bn to stop Occulus working on VR??