Doom creator backs Oculus/FB deal

John Carmack is still a legend in video game circles, known for his role in the creation of pioneering titles "Wolfenstein 3D," "Doom," and "Quake."

Now, as CTO for Oculus VR, he says he "wasn't expecting Facebook" but thinks "they get the Big Picture".

Having left Id Software in 2013 in order to push boundaries at Oculus, Carmack wrote in response to concerns raised by digital musician Peter Berkman, one quarter of chiptune band Anamanaguchi.

Carmack contrasted the development of virtual reality tech with that of Steam, Valve's digital distribution games platform for Mac, Windows and Linux PCs.

"For years, the industry thought Valve was nuts, and they had the field to themselves. Valve deserves all their success for having the vision and perseverance to see it through to the current state," he wrote.

"VR won't be like that. The experience is too obviously powerful, and it makes converts on contact. The fairly rapid involvement of the Titans is inevitable, and the real questions were how deeply to partner, and with who," Carmack explained, casting the Oculus acquisition as a necessity.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting Facebook (or this soon). I have zero personal background with them, and I could think of other companies that would have more obvious synergies."

"However, I do have reasons to believe that they get the Big Picture as I see it, and will be a powerful force towards making it happen. You don't make a commitment like they just did on a whim."

Berkman's objections were built around three pillars – data-mining virtual reality, the creation of an information monopoly, and the nature of good ideas.

He lamented the "most promising VR company being acquired by the world's largest data mining operation".

"Cultural evolution is the most important thing in the age of information, good ideas can and should change paradigms," he said, arguing that Oculus is getting "sucked into the old system just as [it] reach[es] potential to break a standard model."

Carmack, who is also founder of a rocketeering company, later conceded that Oculus's new owner may cause him to reevaluate his own plans.

"The FB deal probably will get me to take another swing at aerospace," he tweeted, "but not for several years. I have divided my focus too much in the past," though he didn't say whether that was for financial or ideological reasons.