Facebook has announced it will buy Oculus VR, a Californian company which specialises in virtual reality products, for around $2bn (£1.2bn).

The start-up's flagship product, the Oculus Rift, is a goggle-like "immersive" headset for video gaming.

It was developed with funds raised through crowdfunding site Kickstarter, and subsequent investment.

Facebook's boss, Mark Zuckerberg, said Oculus' technologies could "change the way we work, play and communicate".

The Oculus Rift has yet to be released, but more than 75,000 orders for development kits have already been placed, according to the social media giant.

(BBC)