![]() Though it's not clear in the story, the presumption is that Carmack did this work in his free time - not while he was on the clock at Zenimax. Carmack freely admits to having worked on code for the Oculus Rift prior to being hired by Oculus VR/Facebook in 2013. Of note, Wired's 2014 story spells out much of what's being alleged in the suit. Zenimax believes it is necessary to address these matters now and will take the necessary action to protect its interests."įormer Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe demonstrates a prototype of the Oculus Rift headset for Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget. Zenimax and Oculus previously attempted to reach an agreement whereby Zenimax would be compensated for its intellectual property through equity ownership in Oculus but were unable to reach a satisfactory resolution. Oculus has used and exploited Zenimax's technology and intellectual property without authorization, compensation or credit to Zenimax. Luckey would not disclose this technology to third persons without approval. Luckey acknowledged in writing Zenimax's legal ownership of this intellectual property. Well before the Facebook transaction was announced, Mr. Carmack developed when he was a Zenimax employee, and used by Oculus, are owned by Zenimax. The proprietary technology and know-how Mr. Zenimax provided necessary VR technology and other valuable assistance to Palmer Luckey and other Oculus employees in 20 to make the Oculus Rift a viable VR product, superior to other VR market offerings. Zenimax's intellectual property rights arise by reason of extensive VR research and development works done over a number of years by John Carmack while a Zenimax employee, and others. Zenimax's technology may not be licensed, transferred or sold without Zenimax Media's approval. "Zenimax confirms it recently sent formal notice of its legal rights to Oculus concerning its ownership of key technology used by Oculus to develop and market the Oculus Rift. Zenimax provided media with the following statement at the time: Before filing suit, Zenimax lawyers contacted Oculus VR with those claims. Just two months after Facebook announced its acquisition of Oculus VR, Zenimax announced its intent to sue Oculus and, by extension, Facebook.Īt the heart of the suit was the contention that John Carmack allegedly took company secrets with him when he left id Software (owned by Zenimax) for Oculus (owned by Facebook). The result was a completely immersive gaming experience, the kind that would otherwise require $10,000 in high-end optics." So Carmack coded a version of 'Doom 3' that pre-distorted the image, counteracting the effects of the magnifying lens and making the picture appear correct to the viewer. The problem was, that lens distorted the image underneath, making it warped and uneven. The Rift’s biggest selling point was its 90-degree field of view, which Luckey accomplished by slapping a cheap magnifying lens on the display. But his greatest contribution came in the code he wrote for it. 'It was one of two prototypes that he had.'Ĭarmack got to work on the machine, hot-gluing a motion sensor to it and duct-taping on a ski-goggle strap. Would Palmer consider sending him a loaner unit? Palmer, who idolized Carmack, shipped it off to Texas immediately - 'no NDAs, no signing anything,' Carmack says. Wired catalogued the exchange in a 2014 story timed to publish soon after the Facebook acquisition: On the journey from ski-goggle prototype to something sellable, Carmack - an idol of Luckey's and, apparently, a member of the same VR forum - got in touch and asked to be sent a prototype. He was a part of the "mod" community, which is notorious for taking existing hardware and modifying it into something new - a portable Xbox 360, or a GameBoy that plays Super Nintendo games, for instance. Luckey was a member of several forums dedicated to the world of 3D and, eventually, virtual reality. So the story goes: Palmer Luckey was working on the Oculus Rift headset's earliest prototypes from his parents' house. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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