Facebook expands gift of virtual reality gear to Arkansas

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced today that Facebook would expand its gift of virtual reality gear to all Arkansas high schools.

The company earlier had provided 400 virtual reality classroom kits, including computers, cameras and Oculus Rift equipment to cover 250 schools. Now equipment will supply 360 schools and each will also receive an Oculus Rift touch controller and 30 virtual reality viewers.

Hutchinson said the gift would generate excitement in STEM fields in Arkansas schools and that, in turn, will encourage students toward tech jobs. He put the value of the gift at $1.3 million.

NOTED: Back in May, it was reported that Facebook was closing its Oculus movie studio, amid some criticism of the virtual reality system.