Fortune Magazine (March 26) -- Today, Facebook announced that it has acquired Oculus VR, the maker of a virtual reality gaming headset called Oculus Rift for $2 billion. Illinois' computer science professor and alumnus, Steve LaValle (BS CompE ’90, MSEE ’93, PhD ’95), is currently on leave, working at Oculus. Combined with sensing and filtering algorithms that were the subject of LaValle’s most recent book, Sensing and Filtering, their simulation goggles have revolutionized the virtual-reality industry. In addition, Andreessen Horowitz, an investment firm established by Illinois alumnus and Netscape cofounder Mark Andreessen (BS CS ’94), provided the lead funding for a $75 million investment in Oculus. Also: TechCrunch (March 25), The Atlantic (March 26), Business Week (March 25), ABC News (March 26), CNN Tech (March 26), Forbes (March 25), Huffington Post (March 25).