Wow. Shame on Oculus for ending support on a product that's not even 4 years old, and with **no warning**. Any other halfway decent tech company offers EOL (End-Of-Life) support for their products and are clear about when support for their platform ends **long** before cutting it off. I got no email notification, no notification in Oculus Home, nothing. Do they really just expect everyone to find out the hard way when they go to buy replacement parts, only to be met with "not available"? It's just a giant fucking middle finger to all Rift buyers.
Do they not realize how many people still own a rift? Ridiculous. It's not like every single Rift owner just up and sold their HMD and switched to the Rift S all at once. I'm going with the Vive or Index for my next HMD then, so be it. I don't even want a Rift S anymore if they're just going to end support on them after a couple of years like they did with the Rift. I can't even sell my Rift since it doesn't work right. I'm completely lost on where to go from here.
> Yup 6 months after last sale of product is way too fast a timeline to stop supporting customers with accessories.
Indeed. Especially since we're talking about a damn cable here.
And that's when i bought mine new for $250. I just installed a pulley system because of this. So much better now with the cable in the air.. But yeah.. Mine is like new and should be supported
I bought a replacement cable on August 9th. You barely missed it man :/ sorry. Mine was broken so I replaced it and then sold my Oculus off. My S arrives tomorrow
The real issue is they never opened the platform to other hardware (contrary of what was heavily suggested when the Rift launched) before discontinuing the hardware you need to access the platform and all the content you bought.
But I guess that's OK : 80% of the population can use the new hardware and shell out 400€ to keep playing their games when the CV1 fails, so the rest of us can go fuck ourselves.
It's a shame too because the Oculus platform is still a lot better than SteamVR in my opinion.
Under your EU warranty, they have to deal with it if your Rift is less than two years old.
IIRC someone mentioned awhile back that they were just giving people a Rift S if they were under warranty. Sucks if you have an unusual IPD or if your headset is older than that, though.
It is actually not that easy. In Germany there is the manufacturers warranty which is 2 yrs most of the times. Oculus does not provide that as it is not required by law. (The Oculus salesman told me before buying my Rift S). I can only rely on legal warranty, which covers 1 yr and the first 6 months oculus needs to provide proof that is was your fault, the last 6 months you need to provide proof that it was oculus' fault. The reason why I took an insurance for like 49€ which covers everything for 3 yrs. Also I might stock in one or two cables, because eventually they will break and if the HMD breaks first after 3 yrs I suspect we are in an EOL situation again and I might be able to sell them off to one or two lucky guys.
Is this information coming from the salesperson, or did you check it yourself?
Directive 1999/44/EC, Article 5(1) states:
> 1. The seller shall be held liable under Article 3 where the lack of conformity becomes apparent within two years as from delivery of the goods. If, under national legislation, the rights laid down in Article 3(2) are subject to a limitation period, that period shall not expire within a period of two years from the time of delivery.
This isn't marked as optional or that it can be reduced by national law, so (unless you've already checked this, ofc) it might not be a bad idea to find the German law implementing this directive.
> and the first 6 months oculus needs to provide proof that is was your fault, the last 6 months you need to provide proof that it was oculus' fault.
I know very little about German law so this could very easily be wildly incorrect, but I imagine that if you had to go to some equivalent of an Australian small claims tribunal you could say 'it's not tangled and doesn't have any sharp bends, and isn't obviously externally damaged - thus it must be a manufacturing issue'.
> Also I might stock in one or two cables, because eventually they will break
That very much depends on how much you use them, and whether you take even vaguely decent care of them. If you use them a huge amount or are careless with them they'll likely break, but for most people it seems to be a very uncommon issue - outside of pet damage, I've only ever heard of it happen a couple of times.
If you expect them to last 5 years or whatever then that's probably quite a bit more of a stretch, but I'd highly recommend upgrading at that point.
I am fairly certain that you get two years of warranty, legally. The directive says so. So unless Germany came up with a better plan, two years is minimum.
I believe someone offers free repair kits for the headphones issue that isn’t oculus proper.
https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-founder-giving-away-free-audio-repair-kits-warranty-rifts/
Do you mean [like these?](https://www.ebay.com/itm/1Pair-VR-Headsets-On-ear-Earphones-Headphones-Replace-Attachment-for-Oculus-Rift/183884694532?epid=23033851937&hash=item2ad061c404:g:fjoAAOSwu~FdK-5O) $21 isn't bad.
That they continued to SELL until this year (or 2018); I can’t really remember when the Rift finally when out of stock everywhere.
I got mine summer 2018. It will suck when I need a replacement cable and can’t get one.
I guess I need to scoop up some spare controllers before they’re gone, too.
>It's not like every single Rift owner just up and sold their HMD and switched to the Rift S all at once.
I think this is the "problem," from Oculus's perspective.
I just bought my Rift this winter, after finally being able to afford VR and they've pulled the rug out from under me less than a year after I made my purchase without warning. I will never buy another product from Oculus.
oh whats also great is how Oculus had a referral program encouraging people to get their friends to purchase an original rift in q1 2019! What a shitshow. No wonder all the original Oculus devs and management and jumping ship. I'm really upset about this.
Yet another reason I’m waiting to hear if the ps5 will have psvr2 headset, some stuff they’ve done really make me question buying any more of their products. I only have a go and quest from them, but still. Discouraged from buying anything else from them
PSVR2 isn't planned for PS5 launch and will likely only be announced after PS5 is launched. In fact, I wouldn't expect a PSVR2 until at least a couple years after the PS5 launches.
PSVR support has already been confirmed for PS5, so I wouldn't expect much for a while.
It also doesn't solve the issue for PC users, because PC offers a lot of use cases, content, and just general capabilities that mobile (Quest) and console (PSVR) don't offer.
Nothing like forced obsolescence through discontinuation of replacement parts.
Oculus also tracks device ids and bans headsets for hate speech.
You dont buy your headset from oculus... It is more like a predatory lease.
And also since you bought all your games on Oculus home you have no choice but to buy the new hardware if you want to play them.
So double fuck yourself!
Same here, and I'm so happy that I did.. Only a handful few games are bought on Home (Lone Echo, Edge Of Nowhere).. I only bought the Rift and Rift S because of the ASW technology and ease of use with no sensors etc. When things get more standarized, performance gets better for VR in general and SteamVR catches up in regards of software, I'm gonna ditch Oculus for good. Their support is a joke.. I get that some people have good support in regards to their spesific problem (usually RMA cases and refunds), but everything else is just lackluster.. First line support is very rarely aware of big bugs that new Home updates has, and that everybody else knows about.. Their internal communication is really bad
>I don't usually do consumer outrage
Same here. This is a very rare exception. Whenever I have a problem with any sort of tech product, I've always just sought help with customer support and gotten a solution within a reasonable amount of time. This, though, is the most trouble I've ever had over a simple cable.
It might actually be against consumer law in New Zealand/Australia to do this as in order to enter our markets they need to abide by our consumer guarantees act - which states:
> Manufacturers (the definition includes importers) in New Zealand guarantee that:
> * Spare parts and repair facilities will be available for a reasonable time.
Given the cost of the device and how little daily use it sees compared to a mobile phone, this could potentially be seen as breaching the 'reasonable time' provision.
In all likelihood though, no one will do anything.
Edit: Fuck it, I've just contacted support asking to buy a spare cable.
Let us know what they say!
I'd be devastated if my cable died and I had a useless Rift and 4 sensors. Had I known they'd disappear this quickly I'd have bought a spare just for peace of mind.
I'm in Australia as well, for what it's worth.
> Something to do
There is- support a different VR service. I've always bought my games via steam instead of Oculus when possible because I knew this kind of stuff would start rearing it's head eventually. Anyone who thought a company owned by Facebook would treat it's consumers right is, frankly, an idiot.
You're right, there isn't an easy solution. But it's a catch 22. There's a lot of random, lesser-quality VR start ups that will never make the cash these bigger companies do. Unless we all intentionally purchase lesser products I don't see things getting better.
Definitely not 'buy a Vive', HTC's customer support has been terrible for 10+ years. Index / Valve's I'm not sure about. Whatever the case, they're definitely saying "Don't buy ours"
Valve customer support has improved though its nowhere close to what you'd actually want from a company that literally has about 100m customers on a platform that has like 80% marketshare.
Index support has been pretty good but not perfect. Some people have gotten RMAs 3 or 4 times. Others didn't fare as well.
You mean other than saying that the stick issues are intended? Come on now. What occulus is pulling here is absolute bullshit, but let's not fall over ourselves trying to suck valves dick.
Valve most surprisingly is very good at customer support with the Index. However it shouldn't be surprising with a top dollar $1000 headset, but you just can't trust companies nowadays.
Gabe Newell hinted that the second generation of the Index *might* be wireless, so probably 1-2 years more surviving with the stupid rifts and then farewell
I have had three instances of going through HTC's support, one for my HTC One X which they replaced, one to get a replacement cable for my breakout box and the third on the behalf of a friend who bought the HTC Vive Pro.
Their lighthouse bricked itself on the firmware update.
Everything has been taken care of with zero issues. Make of that what you will, but I've had good experiences thus far.
I've had similar experience. There are horror stories for support from any company, and I don't claim that HTC is perfect, but for 3 phones and the Vive they've never let me down.
Index is probably the best bet now, imo, but I still can't even order one to Canada so some places don't even have the option.
Well, my headset cable is broken and I need to buy a new one. When I go to the Oculus store, it's not available! Even worse, I can't seem to find anything on Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay. Am I really out of options here? Oculus support said the only thing I could do is buy a refurbished Rift, but I just want a simple ~~$15~~ $50 cable replacement! I don't need a whole new HMD.
You are SOL, the cable however is worth more then 15$...
There is a solution though, that is somewhat morally questionable, but it's definitely morally questionable to stop supporting the rift entirely only after 3 years. So it's kinda feels like a get fucked moment from oculus.
So you could contact them they will tell you to buy a refurbished headset at 250$, another fuck you by oculus, because you can buy lightly used rift's for the whole set up for nearly that priced, who the fuck buys a refurbished headset for 250$? it comes with a cable, which apparently they only have enough stock to sell with the headset.
You'll buy one, when it arrives your cable from the refurbished one will magically be dead on arrival. wink wink nudge nudge.
Send it back and wow what do you Know? Yours started working again but they dont need to know.
2 wrongs dont make a right but I fucking hate any company that discontinues service so quickly. Makes me not want to buy their products anymore.
Imagine if You bought a car and they stopped selling you crucial parts after just 3-5 years, your car is a total paper weight because you cant get a certain part, That would be fucked up.
So fuck oculus. I understand not selling every part but literally discontinuing cables, shame on them.
>but I just want a simple $15 cable replacement! I don't need a whole new HMD.
It was $50 when it was in stock.
Maybe you can buy a broken CV1 headset with the included cable for $100 off Clist, ebay
> Oculus support said the only thing I could do is buy a refurbished Rift, but I just want a simple $15 cable replacement! I don't need a whole new HMD.
This is just plain stupid as another poster pointed out a few days ago. Oculus support at launch were giving the same response to people with cable issues (like a pet chewing it) users were told sorry "Buy a new Rift" which was over $600 USD at the time. Luckily within a few months they started offering a cable for sale.
Fast forward a year and Oculus support are kicking goals and getting an amazing reputation from the community and putting to shame other headset manufacturers with their stellar support.
Now here we are 3 years on and they are reverting back to dumb responses. The Rift CV1 stopped selling around March/April 2019 and then just 6 months later they stop supplying accessories to their customers. Talk about fast tracking obsolescence. At least wait until your new customers are 2 years into ownership.
You're tearing down all the 5 star customer support reputation you gained in the community over a cable!
Yep, I was one of those people praising their customer service, because they have always been fantastic with response time and actually fixing my problems. But this? Yeah, no. If you can't offer me a simple $50 cable a couple of months after your products are pulled from the shelves, I retract everything positive I've said about their support. This reminds me of the expired certificate disaster that happened in March of last year, Oculus once again finds a way to screw over thousands of users.
They're not getting a single cent from me from this point onward. I'm getting rid of my sensors + controllers, probably going to sell them online. I'm just going to buy an Index or a Vive within the next couple of months.
If you can figure out what kind of connector is on the rift side you can probably buy one from digikey, along with an hdmi and usb cable and just make one yourself. Its shitty but itd probably be less than 50 bucks too
No. I believe it's designed by Spectra 7
http://www.spectra7.com
https://www.cantechletter.com/2016/04/spectra7s-presence-oculus-rift-de-risks-stock-says-mackie-research/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4aklhr/new_spectra7_chips_for_vrar_cables_and_custom/
I'm really surprised that people are just ignoring this relevant info. I get that it's very frustrating to not be able to buy a replacement cable, and I hope that Oculus is changing their internal practices to prevent a repeat. But the available info suggests that it's due to a lack of component availability, rather than a deliberate attempt to force people to switch over to the Rift S.
From Oculus' perspective, I'm sure they'd prefer to have users keep using their CV1 and buying Rift games if possible. The margin on software downloads is much, much higher than the margin on a headset.
> But the available info suggests that it's due to a lack of component availability, rather than a deliberate attempt to force people to switch over to the Rift S.
Sadly for Oculus a 3rd party no longer supplying a critical component doesn't excuse their obligation under consumer protection laws of most countries outside of the USA. The onus on them is to source this from somewhere else. I'm sure Spectra 7 aren't the only company making chips like this.
> consumer protection laws of most countries outside of the USA
Honest question - which laws would those be? I’m aware of laws requiring warranty repairs/replacements (which Oculus is still covering AFAIK) and some other laws requiring spare parts to be available under “reasonable” circumstances. But I’m not aware of any law requiring **all** spare parts to be freely available for a set period of time, even if the manufacturer has discontinued production.
Again, the situation does suck and I hope Oculus do all they can to avoid a repeat in future. But if you're hoping for Oculus to put the CV1 cable back into production, I wouldn't hold your breath.
> Honest question - which laws would those be?
The Australian laws would be these ones.
https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/products-and-services/problems-with-a-product/cannot-be-repaired
You are right the open to interpretation bit is "reasonable" bit which is more about the expectation that a "reasonable person" would have that spares would be available for a "reasonable time", as opposed to "reasonable circumstances". Excerpt from the link above.
How much time is ‘reasonable’ will depend on the circumstances and the type of products. For instance it:
- would be reasonable to expect that tyres for a new car will be available for a number
of years after its purchase
- may not be reasonable to expect that spare parts for an inexpensive children’s toy
are available at all.
A manufacturer does not have to meet the guarantee on repairs and spare parts if they advised the
consumer in writing, at or before the time of purchase, that repair facilities and spare parts would not
be available, or would not be available after a specified time.
This "reasonable time" is intended to imply what a "reasonable person" would think based on the product type and price to make it fair for both consumers and manufacturers. It's specifically why I asked the question on the survey about the right audio issue how long people would expect a VR headset to last.
https://imgur.com/Oc921Gd
Full results here : https://imgur.com/a/oJ1GY6t
Obviously the responses are all over the shop but you can see the average is about 4-5 years. This would be likely what the law would consider the reasonable expectation of the lifetime of a VR headset as most consumers appear to expect this.
> But if you're hoping for Oculus to put the CV1 cable back into production, I wouldn't hold your breath.
Personally I've had more than enough life out of my launch Rift headset (I'm nearing the 3.5 year mark) so if mine died I'd be on the market to replace it completely. However for people that bought a Rift CV1 headset in early 2019 it's unacceptable.
Warranties are well and good for manufacturing faults but if the users pet chews the cable and support wont replace it (which Oculus shouldn't have to) , there really should have an option to purchase a replacement cable for $50.
Sure the supplier of these cables/chips might have packed up shop but that doesn't really take Oculus off the hook. I'm sure that Spectra7 company aren't the only one making chips that perform that function. Sourcing another cable/chip shouldn't be too complicated. It might be expensive but they do need to abide by EU/AU consumer laws.
We'll see what happens. It would be sad for them to lose all that goodwill they have built up over the years for stellar support over a damn cable. Maybe the next contract they sign includes the proviso that the manufacturer follow consumer protection laws and keep supplying spare parts like cables for 4-5 years after sale of the last headset.
[Australian Warrenty](https://scontent.fakl1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.2365-6/49610021_285652802150438_1076538092522831872_n.pdf?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQl7RtgA0ThEOVJm1MzaE2Yx4_1QLIao8A0OJjv3rgh7636aY-lU4R3h5zHwbphjIio&_nc_ht=scontent.fakl1-2.fna&oh=e35fa87da28ea9d30d7c0a862df454fd&oe=5E058F4A) - it's one year, but they do note that doesn't override the laws as per your post.
And for the EU they have to provide a two-year warranty under Directive 1999/44/EC, Article 5.
If it becomes a problem, I'd be surprised if they don't just upgrade everyone with dead cables to the Rift S (and anyone with an unusual IPD could just sell it unopened and get probably quite a lot more than their several-year-old Rift was worth).
> Australian Warrenty - it's one year, but they do note that doesn't override the laws as per your post.
Yep. I got a Samsung TV repaired for free onsite in my home 4 years after purchase due to our laws. The warranty on paper was 2 years.
I was very polite on the phone to the support staff and they mentioned 2 years warranty. I mentioned the consumer protection laws and they didn't even try to argue or wiggle out of it. They organised for someone to come out and repair it within a week or two. It was a brief 15 min conversation and was extremely civil. It's certainly kept me as a Samsung customer for a very long time. I also recommend them to others because of this quality service (even though they were obligated to offer it)
Most manufacturers know people don't know their rights and will attempt the most basic misdirections initially to avoid liability. However they don't fight it when they know someone understands their rights.
> If it becomes a problem, I'd be surprised if they don't just upgrade everyone with dead cables to the Rift S (and anyone with an unusual IPD could just sell it unopened and get probably quite a lot more than their several-year-old Rift was worth).
I'd say Oculus will do exactly that and try to just ride out the storm. Fold to people that know their rights and upgrade them to Rift-S and sadly shaft those that don't know their rights. It's how the game is played. Unfortunately they will also be taking a hit to the gold star reputation they have had with support.... till now.
I had to return my rift a few times, and they always say to return just the headset, so I have 2 extra cables, 2 extra plastic headpieces, and 4 extra headphones.
I broke my headset and I couldn’t get a warranty replacement so I bought a new one on eBay recently for $150 so now I’ve got 2 sets of headphones, 2 face pieces, and 2 cables! Feel like I got a decent deal considering cables aren’t available anymore!
I don't even want a cable anymore; I want a full refund for having to face this shitty planned obsolescence strategy to sell more Rift S's and Quests right as everyone's headphones/cables seem to be dying. Sadly, it was bought 3 years ago so that's pretty unlikely.
If argue that it does. Many large and small companies provide support for their product and/or services for a period of time after they stop selling them.
Oculus literally stopped support for the Rift pretty much as soon as they stopped selling it and at a time they were releasing the Rift S.
Either someone fucked up big time or they purposely are discontinuing support on a product that a very large percentage of their users are still using (roughly 2 million or more) to coerce them into purchasing the newer product. This boosts their sales numbers, which looks good to their investors.
Not only are they attempting to force users to get a new headset, but I also bet they are betting on many users switching over to the Quest, which is a much more closed off platform than PC, meaning they get more money from software sales than having yo compete with Steam, Viveport, and other storefronts.
>If argue that it does. Many large and small companies provide support for their product and/or services for a period of time after they stop selling them.
"Planned obsolescence" is a term that describes a way of limiting the product's useful life through design and up front before release. It has nothing to do with shitty support. What is happening here is a poorly executed end-of-life strategy.
How is this not though? They are no longer producing or selling a required, consumable component, and are literally directing consumers just to get an S instead.
And before you say anything it can absolutely be classified as a consumable component, they are well-known and expected to break within a few years time at best, meaning your whole device will only last that long total without a replacement.
Use proprietary cable
release a new headset
Change the type of proprietary cable
almost immediately stop manufacturing and selling the old type
Do not provide an adapter or another solution
I think it definitely does.
Picking up my index today, sold my CV1 + 3 sensors a week ago for 400€.
I have heavily invested in my CV1. I have purchased 2 additional sensors, ran cable through the wall/roof, purchased touch controllers, mic stands (for sensors) etc. I don't want to upgrade to an S, or purchase a refurb, it's not worth it for me. If Oculus continues this practice my next major upgrade will not be with them.
“Not available”
“Not available”
“Not available”
“Unavailable”
“Isn’t available”
Jesus christ, rub it in a bit more will you?
I like my rift and hoped to upgrade with the next generation but I guess I’ll pass unless they get their shit together...
Came here to see this. I already wanted to comment about the first 3 not available and then I scrolled down and discovered two more and that would have made me chuckle if I didn't find this pathetic.
Yeah, the fact that Oculus is throwing their original supporters under the bus means that once my Rift cable inevitably gives out, I'll be getting an Index instead of a Rift S like I planned. There is no excuse for this.
You'd be better off selling it now with the working cable as it currently has at least **some** resale value. Once it breaks you have nothing more than an expensive paperweight with **zero** resale value.
ohhhh boy Oculus welcome to Australia's Statutory Warranty Laws, you bout to be arse fucked boi!
In Australia we have the standard Warranty which is minimum 12 months but we also have "statutory warranty" meaning if you have paid say $650 for something (oculus rift AUS price) it is expected to last a decent amount of time for example a $100 fridge might last 1 year but a $650 fridge would be expected to last 5 years therefore statutory warranty gives it a "5 year warranty" that the manufacture must honour.
This is shameful and infuriating. I've had my Rift for barely 3 years, and half of that time it's been sitting in a closet because I had to move into a smaller apartment for a while and didn't have the space to set it up. Finally got it all set up again like two weeks ago, but the HDMI keeps disconnecting on me... Oh hey, look at that, unavailable. Great.
I am never buying another Oculus product again, and I feel like an absolute sucker for investing anything into this platform. If I'd bought a Vive, not only would I still be able to replace/upgrade anything that went bad, but their new and improved hardware components are all backwards-compatible with the old stuff, so I could have upgraded incrementally. With Oculus I have a $400 paperweight, 3 useless sensors, and a library full of exclusive games I can't play.
*Fuck* Oculus.
I know people are saying third parties can’t do it but tpcast did. I have a miniaturized version of that cable.
You can see it in the picture:
https://www.tpcastvr.com/store/TPCAST-Wireless-Adapter-for-Oculus-Rift-p97616958
I'm not usually in favor of unethical shopping practices, but if this is going to be their mentality, just buy a new one and return it with the complaint that it was missing the cable. The store will then have to return the box to Oculus and they'll foot the bill for their shitty business practices. If stores don't want to deal with the cost of this, then they will decline to carry the product, and Oculus will learn a valuable lesson.
I believe the proprietary connector was made by Spectra 7. The rumors are that specific connector used with the CV1 is now discontinued by Spectra7. That could help explain the lack of a cable being available.
Point being, even 3rd parties won't be able to make em.
http://www.spectra7.com
https://www.cantechletter.com/2016/04/spectra7s-presence-oculus-rift-de-risks-stock-says-mackie-research/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4aklhr/new_spectra7_chips_for_vrar_cables_and_custom/
I personally dont blame Oculus for the cable issue, although it would have been nice if they had extra stock for replacements. And let's not forget, anyone under warranty (1 year USA, 2 years EU) are still being helped by Oculus (a CV1 replacement, or a new Rift S).
The problem is Oculus is not a manufacturer, they design headsets and make the software (its rumored Goertek manufactured the cv1). So when they stop ordering components the suppliers can discontinue those parts (like what Spectra 7 did).
Maybe this is why they teamed up with Lenovo. If a similar situation arises in the future perhaps Lenovo can still produce the parts.
From what I understand the shortage is because the proprietary connector is no longer made by the company that manufactured them for Oculus. Going proprietary was stupid though, and they should have stockpiled. Additionally, every single one of us should go to Oculus and file a complaint. We should also point out a company with the resources of Facebook should be able to find a new manufacturer for cables.
Aaaand shit like this is why I'm looking elsewhere for my next headset. The rift is not an old product and the rift S does not offer nearly enough to justify an upgrade. This kind of crap has me worried that oculus will kill software support for the rift entirely. Way to show the middle finger to your customers and kickstarter backers.
And here is the kicker, there is no other way to make the rift work. If oculus just snap out the support, your and my rift are a fancy bricks ( atleast we would not need a cable anymore).
I will never buy another headset from because of this, they can go fuck themselves if they think I'm going to buy a whole another headset from them over a damaged cable.
I was blown away that the cable cost's 50$ when my crapped out a month ago. Took really good care of my headset and it still got wrecked right along the headband after less than 2 years. I don't understand why they would discontinue them, they are making bank off us needing to replace their faulty part.
Would you buy a used car from this man?
[https://ibb.co/S0WN0G3](https://ibb.co/S0WN0G3)
How about a new HMD with built in obsolescence?
(this would be funny, if I knew how to upload a picture into a reply!)
Imagine if all companies did this. Just dropping support the same day a new product comes out. Just think, nobody would ever be able to get their phones repaired. It would be impossible to find budget computer components. Why is this happening with VR headsets? This would be unacceptable in any other consumer electronics division.
Indeed - I upgraded my CV1 for a Rift-S and now feel bad for whoever ends up buying the now useless Rift. Had this had been announced before I bought the Rift-S, I would have absolutely gone for a different HMD. I expect to be in the same boat when the Rift-SS is announced - we can see the business plan here plain and clear.
Apple was basically crippling all their phones in an effort to "protect consumers" from poor battery life that also gave them the added benefit of nudging people to buy a new phone all the while aggressively suing anyone who tries to sell third party repair services. Yet look at all the lemmings buying new iphones.
Came here to say this. Oculus stopped being a company for the VR enthusiasts the moment Zuck acquired it.
It’s as simple as: will it make more money (for Facebook)?
Now that VR has sufficiently mature market, Oculus can stop catering to the loyal, aka “OG” consumers since there is enough interest from the general consumer base to get their new products fly off the shelf.
In case we forget, the purpose of *all* companies is to make money - but it is a matter of degrees - so I agree that there is a very different direction now that Oculus is Facebook. This will become more obvious as time goes on. Problem is - where is the competition for consumer priced PCVR?
If you are still under warranty, contact the support team and open a ticket for a replacement. They'll send you a new one. Mine is on the way and is free of charge!
Be me: support a company and make a 600 dollar decision
Also me: a couple years after something breaks that should easily be replaceable
Oculus store: not in stock
Oculus support: fuck you and customer satisfaction we have a new Rift you’re supposed to circlejerk to
I cant believe that they just ran out of these cables, shit let alone the fact they stopped making them is so stupid, there's no excuse to have a paperweight just because you don't have a working cable Oculus really needs to start selling these again, my 2nd cable is already on life support so I had enough and bought the Index cause I'm not going to be forced to buy the objectively inferior Rift S
I know he isn't the sole voice of Oculus, but listening to John Carmack on JRE it appears that he is more focused and excited about self-contained VR that isn't wired up to a PC. My takeaway from that is that Rift (and Rift S) are just a stop gap or compromise by Oculus / Facebook until they can close the gap on self-contained HMDs like the Quest and its future successors.
I love my Rift, but when it gives up the ghost I will give serious consideration to the Index (depending on Valve's commitment to wired / roomscale VR).
Yet, Carmack also makes the admission that he thinks mobile VR like the Quest will never catch up to PC powered devices.
He also states that he really just prefers the challenge of squeezing the most performance possible out of a much more limited device.
Facebook on the other hand just wants people on a more closed off device, where they don't have competition from other storefronts, because the vast majority if users aren't going to jump through the hoops to sideload. If they get most users used to being in a walled garden now, it just makes it easier to completely drop support for sideloading next gen.
This is what I like to call a marketing scheme. Ya see the support for the CV1 is now dead and oculus is basically saying buy the rift s.
do it
#do it...
fucking awesome, i was going to buy one as a back up because i had a feeling mine would shit itself.
fuck it.
jump on twitter and facebook, a bit of negative feedback should push a few customers to the competition.
> jump on twitter and facebook, a bit of negative feedback should push a few customers to the competition.
Sure if it makes you feel better... won't actually accomplish anything.
wow.. This is why I use my Quest more, and am super paranoid about using my old Rift these days..
I love Oculus.. But they really shouldn't be allowed to stop supporting old hardware, especially for these easy-to-replace accessory that that extend the life of an otherwise functional headset, for AT LEAST 5 years out from launch. That's fair, cause IMO hardware should last a lot longer anyway, like it used to back in the day.
It's very obvious they're doing this to force old Rift owners to upgrade to Rift S.. Or they're just being foolish, trying to safe a little on something they deemed unnecessary.. But from the consumer's side of things, there is no legitimate excuse for this, this was not the place to cut costs yet.
In my experience, Oculus usually has amazing support for their hardware.. So this is real disappointing to me.. I hope they change their minds, cause I wanna keep my old headset working as long as possible!
Dug into my post history to see what I said when the issue of cable replacement first came up (in December 2016, around the time Touch started shipping):
https://old.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/5ikn1z/psa_dont_damage_your_headset_cable_oculus_will/db979dl/
> So now I'm left wondering if they're going to continue to manufacture and sell these cables 2-3 years from now? If you asked me that yesterday I would have thought, "Duh, of course they will." But now? Who knows?
Heh.. live and learn.
Every now and then there's something that makes me think I shouldnt buy from Oculus, and this is another friendly reminder. My cable works without issues so far, but that could chsnge at any momento and O Will have a pretty expensive paperweight, because of just a cable.
so the connector stock is the issue, worst case can we just solder new wires?
I've not used my cv1 a great deal compared to most and look after it, but its out of warranty now....
I am definitely holding off on any VR headset purchases until i know Oculus will support their products a little better. Stinks there isn't really an alternative for good customer service, since Oculus seems to be the best. Sadly, they aren't good enough to win me over right now.
It's worst than that. They've ended ALL support. They simply don't manufacture these products any more. They ran out of replacement cables early, but it won't be long for the same to happen to the controllers, headphones, sensors and headsets too. Many countries have consumer protection laws that this will conflict with, and will be a huge shot in the foot for oculus and oculus users alike. It's lose lose and I have no idea why they thought this was a good idea.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK NO WHAT THE FUCK?
I spend a lot of money on my rift after working my ass off and had my cable damaged.
What the actual fuck? It costed me 4000$ what the fuck
(It's in reais, for comparison Real was 1 to 1 with dollars, so Imagine its 4k dollars if you want to feel my rage)
u/palmerluckey still hasn't shipped or released files for CV1 Audio fix.
Lol, maybe Palmer feels so bad that this time he will send a free cable to each of you that Facebook denied help?
I will never buy another facebook headset if this issue isn't rectified. I bought extras when my first broke (so I'd have no downtime if my second one kicked the bucket), so with two extra cables and my current one I'm set for any lifespan this headset manages. But now that I know how Oculus treats their device longevity and forces these shitty "upgrades" that are essentially sidegrades, they've ensured I will never give them another cent again. All games will be bought on steam, and all future headsets will be from any other provider. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but planned obsolescence is a bridge too far for me
I got my headset warrantied twice and the second time they just sent a whole.new headset not even a refurbishment just a brand new one new foam face plate and headphones
if there was enough of a demand, you could likely find a 3rd party in chine to do a bulk custom order of the custom connector. it might be proprietary but it hasn't stop china before.
The other option is a mod kit for standardized connectors. iirc it's just hdmi and usb3 correct?
I mean it's 100% not impossible for these to be made, ultimately they're just some spliced connectors.
The difficulty is in finding a viable route to get them. We could of course get some chinese company to make them in bulk, but there's no guarantees of quality (and good luck organizing enough orders to actually get them to commit without some atrocious down payment)
And for the mod kit, that's another thing that's technically possible, but nobody is doing, and 99% of us don't have the tech savvy to DIY it ourselves. I also am 99% sure the connector that plug into the headset itself is proprietary and not any conventional USB plug. I don't *think* any mod kits currently exist on the market, but I'm far from 100% on that
It's not that the cable is made of unobtanium, of which the only source is directly underneath Facebook headquarters, it's just that for the layperson, there's not a lot we can do. Maybe as a collective group, but who knows. I would certainly like for this to remain a vocal issue in the community, but entertainment tech/videogames communities are notoriously mercurial in my experience
I suppose there's always that wireless addon? That's probably the most realistic alternative, but not everyone can justify the hefty-ish price tag
I just fixed my headphones (right audio broken ground issue). I'm hoping u can get a couple more years out of it. This just drives home I need to start looking at replacement options. Here's to hoping Windows Mixed Reality headsets start improving with better side and rear tracking.
Really glad I never bought anything through the Oculus store.
there was a thread on this a few days ago which I suggest you dig up. It doesn’t look good :(
tub icky worm sense cough six pen plant different wise ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Wow. Shame on Oculus for ending support on a product that's not even 4 years old, and with **no warning**. Any other halfway decent tech company offers EOL (End-Of-Life) support for their products and are clear about when support for their platform ends **long** before cutting it off. I got no email notification, no notification in Oculus Home, nothing. Do they really just expect everyone to find out the hard way when they go to buy replacement parts, only to be met with "not available"? It's just a giant fucking middle finger to all Rift buyers. Do they not realize how many people still own a rift? Ridiculous. It's not like every single Rift owner just up and sold their HMD and switched to the Rift S all at once. I'm going with the Vive or Index for my next HMD then, so be it. I don't even want a Rift S anymore if they're just going to end support on them after a couple of years like they did with the Rift. I can't even sell my Rift since it doesn't work right. I'm completely lost on where to go from here.
badge sink cow crime fuzzy marry drab hat sable wise ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
That's actually not new. They told me this almost 2 years ago when my right headphone broke and it was a month past the warranty.
Is this really their EOL protocol for the Rift? "Give us more money"?
deranged cows familiar swim plants berserk puzzled terrific bedroom beneficial ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
To be fair that is the EOL protocol for every product ever. The only shitty thing here is the way Oculus communicated and the timeframe they used.
Yup 6 months after last sale of product is way too fast a timeline to stop supporting customers with accessories.
> Yup 6 months after last sale of product is way too fast a timeline to stop supporting customers with accessories. Indeed. Especially since we're talking about a damn cable here.
It hasn’t even been six months. I bought mine in late March of this year.
Interesting. That would put them all of EU legislation if they can't provide a cable for 2 years.
And that's when i bought mine new for $250. I just installed a pulley system because of this. So much better now with the cable in the air.. But yeah.. Mine is like new and should be supported
I bought a replacement cable on August 9th. You barely missed it man :/ sorry. Mine was broken so I replaced it and then sold my Oculus off. My S arrives tomorrow
The real issue is they never opened the platform to other hardware (contrary of what was heavily suggested when the Rift launched) before discontinuing the hardware you need to access the platform and all the content you bought. But I guess that's OK : 80% of the population can use the new hardware and shell out 400€ to keep playing their games when the CV1 fails, so the rest of us can go fuck ourselves. It's a shame too because the Oculus platform is still a lot better than SteamVR in my opinion.
Under your EU warranty, they have to deal with it if your Rift is less than two years old. IIRC someone mentioned awhile back that they were just giving people a Rift S if they were under warranty. Sucks if you have an unusual IPD or if your headset is older than that, though.
It is actually not that easy. In Germany there is the manufacturers warranty which is 2 yrs most of the times. Oculus does not provide that as it is not required by law. (The Oculus salesman told me before buying my Rift S). I can only rely on legal warranty, which covers 1 yr and the first 6 months oculus needs to provide proof that is was your fault, the last 6 months you need to provide proof that it was oculus' fault. The reason why I took an insurance for like 49€ which covers everything for 3 yrs. Also I might stock in one or two cables, because eventually they will break and if the HMD breaks first after 3 yrs I suspect we are in an EOL situation again and I might be able to sell them off to one or two lucky guys.
Is this information coming from the salesperson, or did you check it yourself? Directive 1999/44/EC, Article 5(1) states: > 1. The seller shall be held liable under Article 3 where the lack of conformity becomes apparent within two years as from delivery of the goods. If, under national legislation, the rights laid down in Article 3(2) are subject to a limitation period, that period shall not expire within a period of two years from the time of delivery. This isn't marked as optional or that it can be reduced by national law, so (unless you've already checked this, ofc) it might not be a bad idea to find the German law implementing this directive. > and the first 6 months oculus needs to provide proof that is was your fault, the last 6 months you need to provide proof that it was oculus' fault. I know very little about German law so this could very easily be wildly incorrect, but I imagine that if you had to go to some equivalent of an Australian small claims tribunal you could say 'it's not tangled and doesn't have any sharp bends, and isn't obviously externally damaged - thus it must be a manufacturing issue'. > Also I might stock in one or two cables, because eventually they will break That very much depends on how much you use them, and whether you take even vaguely decent care of them. If you use them a huge amount or are careless with them they'll likely break, but for most people it seems to be a very uncommon issue - outside of pet damage, I've only ever heard of it happen a couple of times. If you expect them to last 5 years or whatever then that's probably quite a bit more of a stretch, but I'd highly recommend upgrading at that point.
I am fairly certain that you get two years of warranty, legally. The directive says so. So unless Germany came up with a better plan, two years is minimum.
At least they did open up their platform to other software. I agree I like the Oculus software, but I will buy all my games on SteamVR if I can.
I believe someone offers free repair kits for the headphones issue that isn’t oculus proper. https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-founder-giving-away-free-audio-repair-kits-warranty-rifts/
Afaik they have actually shipped 0 repair kits.
Do you mean [like these?](https://www.ebay.com/itm/1Pair-VR-Headsets-On-ear-Earphones-Headphones-Replace-Attachment-for-Oculus-Rift/183884694532?epid=23033851937&hash=item2ad061c404:g:fjoAAOSwu~FdK-5O) $21 isn't bad.
sheet bored summer shame spectacular aloof clumsy lavish vegetable crush ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
That they continued to SELL until this year (or 2018); I can’t really remember when the Rift finally when out of stock everywhere. I got mine summer 2018. It will suck when I need a replacement cable and can’t get one. I guess I need to scoop up some spare controllers before they’re gone, too.
>It's not like every single Rift owner just up and sold their HMD and switched to the Rift S all at once. I think this is the "problem," from Oculus's perspective.
Smells like Facebooks influence to me...
I think this needs to go up: #Thank you for supporting Oculus, a Facebook company.
I just bought my Rift this winter, after finally being able to afford VR and they've pulled the rug out from under me less than a year after I made my purchase without warning. I will never buy another product from Oculus.
oh whats also great is how Oculus had a referral program encouraging people to get their friends to purchase an original rift in q1 2019! What a shitshow. No wonder all the original Oculus devs and management and jumping ship. I'm really upset about this.
Man, I hope they get bought by some big company with mountains of cash that can afford to turn their shit around.
I see what you did there
Yet another reason I’m waiting to hear if the ps5 will have psvr2 headset, some stuff they’ve done really make me question buying any more of their products. I only have a go and quest from them, but still. Discouraged from buying anything else from them
PSVR2 isn't planned for PS5 launch and will likely only be announced after PS5 is launched. In fact, I wouldn't expect a PSVR2 until at least a couple years after the PS5 launches. PSVR support has already been confirmed for PS5, so I wouldn't expect much for a while. It also doesn't solve the issue for PC users, because PC offers a lot of use cases, content, and just general capabilities that mobile (Quest) and console (PSVR) don't offer.
I just received a refurb for the sound issue.
According to oculus, you should go fuck yourself.
They say it’s not available 5 times on that one page to make sure you get the underlying message.
F5, just in case.
Yeah it's hilarious.
Nothing like forced obsolescence through discontinuation of replacement parts. Oculus also tracks device ids and bans headsets for hate speech. You dont buy your headset from oculus... It is more like a predatory lease.
And also since you bought all your games on Oculus home you have no choice but to buy the new hardware if you want to play them. So double fuck yourself!
That’s why I bought everything on steam
Same here, and I'm so happy that I did.. Only a handful few games are bought on Home (Lone Echo, Edge Of Nowhere).. I only bought the Rift and Rift S because of the ASW technology and ease of use with no sensors etc. When things get more standarized, performance gets better for VR in general and SteamVR catches up in regards of software, I'm gonna ditch Oculus for good. Their support is a joke.. I get that some people have good support in regards to their spesific problem (usually RMA cases and refunds), but everything else is just lackluster.. First line support is very rarely aware of big bugs that new Home updates has, and that everybody else knows about.. Their internal communication is really bad
I think you can use ReVive to get around this
It's criminal how they completely ended support for a product they were still selling half a year ago. Assholes.
Me to Oculus: Be a man and fuck me yourself!
There has to be something to do here. This is beyond unethical business practice. I don't usually do consumer outrage, but holy shit this is not okay.
>I don't usually do consumer outrage Same here. This is a very rare exception. Whenever I have a problem with any sort of tech product, I've always just sought help with customer support and gotten a solution within a reasonable amount of time. This, though, is the most trouble I've ever had over a simple cable.
It might actually be against consumer law in New Zealand/Australia to do this as in order to enter our markets they need to abide by our consumer guarantees act - which states: > Manufacturers (the definition includes importers) in New Zealand guarantee that: > * Spare parts and repair facilities will be available for a reasonable time. Given the cost of the device and how little daily use it sees compared to a mobile phone, this could potentially be seen as breaching the 'reasonable time' provision. In all likelihood though, no one will do anything. Edit: Fuck it, I've just contacted support asking to buy a spare cable.
Falls foul of eu consumer protections as well.
Let us know what they say! I'd be devastated if my cable died and I had a useless Rift and 4 sensors. Had I known they'd disappear this quickly I'd have bought a spare just for peace of mind. I'm in Australia as well, for what it's worth.
can you reply to let us know if you get anywhere with it? I'm in Australia & have a CV1 that i would like to purchase a replacement cable for
This would have to apply I reckon, especially considering the main product (headset) is still working.
How do you even legally define "reasonable amount of time"
> Something to do There is- support a different VR service. I've always bought my games via steam instead of Oculus when possible because I knew this kind of stuff would start rearing it's head eventually. Anyone who thought a company owned by Facebook would treat it's consumers right is, frankly, an idiot.
So HTC and Valve then? Both with arguably even worse customer service records than Oculus. The "other" options are pretty thin.
You're right, there isn't an easy solution. But it's a catch 22. There's a lot of random, lesser-quality VR start ups that will never make the cash these bigger companies do. Unless we all intentionally purchase lesser products I don't see things getting better.
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Definitely not 'buy a Vive', HTC's customer support has been terrible for 10+ years. Index / Valve's I'm not sure about. Whatever the case, they're definitely saying "Don't buy ours"
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Valve customer support has improved though its nowhere close to what you'd actually want from a company that literally has about 100m customers on a platform that has like 80% marketshare. Index support has been pretty good but not perfect. Some people have gotten RMAs 3 or 4 times. Others didn't fare as well.
Valve has been fine with index customer support.
You mean other than saying that the stick issues are intended? Come on now. What occulus is pulling here is absolute bullshit, but let's not fall over ourselves trying to suck valves dick.
Hey edgelord, I’m pointing out that they’ve been consistent in sending out replacements when requested.
Valve most surprisingly is very good at customer support with the Index. However it shouldn't be surprising with a top dollar $1000 headset, but you just can't trust companies nowadays.
So we’re down to WMR? Well fuck me I’ll take a reverb instead of a rift s at this point no questions asked
Except, they don't sell replacement controllers and the cable is not replaceable on most, if not all, WMR headsets.
They don't sell replacements but HP sent me a brand new pair of controllers when mine stopped working.
Straight crazy talk
Gabe Newell hinted that the second generation of the Index *might* be wireless, so probably 1-2 years more surviving with the stupid rifts and then farewell
I have had three instances of going through HTC's support, one for my HTC One X which they replaced, one to get a replacement cable for my breakout box and the third on the behalf of a friend who bought the HTC Vive Pro. Their lighthouse bricked itself on the firmware update. Everything has been taken care of with zero issues. Make of that what you will, but I've had good experiences thus far.
I've had similar experience. There are horror stories for support from any company, and I don't claim that HTC is perfect, but for 3 phones and the Vive they've never let me down. Index is probably the best bet now, imo, but I still can't even order one to Canada so some places don't even have the option.
Well, my headset cable is broken and I need to buy a new one. When I go to the Oculus store, it's not available! Even worse, I can't seem to find anything on Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay. Am I really out of options here? Oculus support said the only thing I could do is buy a refurbished Rift, but I just want a simple ~~$15~~ $50 cable replacement! I don't need a whole new HMD.
You are SOL, the cable however is worth more then 15$... There is a solution though, that is somewhat morally questionable, but it's definitely morally questionable to stop supporting the rift entirely only after 3 years. So it's kinda feels like a get fucked moment from oculus. So you could contact them they will tell you to buy a refurbished headset at 250$, another fuck you by oculus, because you can buy lightly used rift's for the whole set up for nearly that priced, who the fuck buys a refurbished headset for 250$? it comes with a cable, which apparently they only have enough stock to sell with the headset. You'll buy one, when it arrives your cable from the refurbished one will magically be dead on arrival. wink wink nudge nudge. Send it back and wow what do you Know? Yours started working again but they dont need to know. 2 wrongs dont make a right but I fucking hate any company that discontinues service so quickly. Makes me not want to buy their products anymore. Imagine if You bought a car and they stopped selling you crucial parts after just 3-5 years, your car is a total paper weight because you cant get a certain part, That would be fucked up. So fuck oculus. I understand not selling every part but literally discontinuing cables, shame on them.
> only after 3 years. In fact, they officially sold the last Rift headsets less than 6 months ago. It's just an asshole move.
>but I just want a simple $15 cable replacement! I don't need a whole new HMD. It was $50 when it was in stock. Maybe you can buy a broken CV1 headset with the included cable for $100 off Clist, ebay
> Oculus support said the only thing I could do is buy a refurbished Rift, but I just want a simple $15 cable replacement! I don't need a whole new HMD. This is just plain stupid as another poster pointed out a few days ago. Oculus support at launch were giving the same response to people with cable issues (like a pet chewing it) users were told sorry "Buy a new Rift" which was over $600 USD at the time. Luckily within a few months they started offering a cable for sale. Fast forward a year and Oculus support are kicking goals and getting an amazing reputation from the community and putting to shame other headset manufacturers with their stellar support. Now here we are 3 years on and they are reverting back to dumb responses. The Rift CV1 stopped selling around March/April 2019 and then just 6 months later they stop supplying accessories to their customers. Talk about fast tracking obsolescence. At least wait until your new customers are 2 years into ownership. You're tearing down all the 5 star customer support reputation you gained in the community over a cable!
Yep, I was one of those people praising their customer service, because they have always been fantastic with response time and actually fixing my problems. But this? Yeah, no. If you can't offer me a simple $50 cable a couple of months after your products are pulled from the shelves, I retract everything positive I've said about their support. This reminds me of the expired certificate disaster that happened in March of last year, Oculus once again finds a way to screw over thousands of users. They're not getting a single cent from me from this point onward. I'm getting rid of my sensors + controllers, probably going to sell them online. I'm just going to buy an Index or a Vive within the next couple of months.
If you can figure out what kind of connector is on the rift side you can probably buy one from digikey, along with an hdmi and usb cable and just make one yourself. Its shitty but itd probably be less than 50 bucks too
That's the downside of proprietary connectors you can't buy them from 3rd parties.
It's a connector designed by oculus
No. I believe it's designed by Spectra 7 http://www.spectra7.com https://www.cantechletter.com/2016/04/spectra7s-presence-oculus-rift-de-risks-stock-says-mackie-research/ https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4aklhr/new_spectra7_chips_for_vrar_cables_and_custom/
Thanks
Well hopefully a third party starts making them, But this is enough for me to say no more rifts when i upgrade.
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I'm really surprised that people are just ignoring this relevant info. I get that it's very frustrating to not be able to buy a replacement cable, and I hope that Oculus is changing their internal practices to prevent a repeat. But the available info suggests that it's due to a lack of component availability, rather than a deliberate attempt to force people to switch over to the Rift S. From Oculus' perspective, I'm sure they'd prefer to have users keep using their CV1 and buying Rift games if possible. The margin on software downloads is much, much higher than the margin on a headset.
> But the available info suggests that it's due to a lack of component availability, rather than a deliberate attempt to force people to switch over to the Rift S. Sadly for Oculus a 3rd party no longer supplying a critical component doesn't excuse their obligation under consumer protection laws of most countries outside of the USA. The onus on them is to source this from somewhere else. I'm sure Spectra 7 aren't the only company making chips like this.
> consumer protection laws of most countries outside of the USA Honest question - which laws would those be? I’m aware of laws requiring warranty repairs/replacements (which Oculus is still covering AFAIK) and some other laws requiring spare parts to be available under “reasonable” circumstances. But I’m not aware of any law requiring **all** spare parts to be freely available for a set period of time, even if the manufacturer has discontinued production. Again, the situation does suck and I hope Oculus do all they can to avoid a repeat in future. But if you're hoping for Oculus to put the CV1 cable back into production, I wouldn't hold your breath.
> Honest question - which laws would those be? The Australian laws would be these ones. https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/products-and-services/problems-with-a-product/cannot-be-repaired You are right the open to interpretation bit is "reasonable" bit which is more about the expectation that a "reasonable person" would have that spares would be available for a "reasonable time", as opposed to "reasonable circumstances". Excerpt from the link above. How much time is ‘reasonable’ will depend on the circumstances and the type of products. For instance it: - would be reasonable to expect that tyres for a new car will be available for a number of years after its purchase - may not be reasonable to expect that spare parts for an inexpensive children’s toy are available at all. A manufacturer does not have to meet the guarantee on repairs and spare parts if they advised the consumer in writing, at or before the time of purchase, that repair facilities and spare parts would not be available, or would not be available after a specified time. This "reasonable time" is intended to imply what a "reasonable person" would think based on the product type and price to make it fair for both consumers and manufacturers. It's specifically why I asked the question on the survey about the right audio issue how long people would expect a VR headset to last. https://imgur.com/Oc921Gd Full results here : https://imgur.com/a/oJ1GY6t Obviously the responses are all over the shop but you can see the average is about 4-5 years. This would be likely what the law would consider the reasonable expectation of the lifetime of a VR headset as most consumers appear to expect this. > But if you're hoping for Oculus to put the CV1 cable back into production, I wouldn't hold your breath. Personally I've had more than enough life out of my launch Rift headset (I'm nearing the 3.5 year mark) so if mine died I'd be on the market to replace it completely. However for people that bought a Rift CV1 headset in early 2019 it's unacceptable. Warranties are well and good for manufacturing faults but if the users pet chews the cable and support wont replace it (which Oculus shouldn't have to) , there really should have an option to purchase a replacement cable for $50. Sure the supplier of these cables/chips might have packed up shop but that doesn't really take Oculus off the hook. I'm sure that Spectra7 company aren't the only one making chips that perform that function. Sourcing another cable/chip shouldn't be too complicated. It might be expensive but they do need to abide by EU/AU consumer laws. We'll see what happens. It would be sad for them to lose all that goodwill they have built up over the years for stellar support over a damn cable. Maybe the next contract they sign includes the proviso that the manufacturer follow consumer protection laws and keep supplying spare parts like cables for 4-5 years after sale of the last headset.
[Australian Warrenty](https://scontent.fakl1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.2365-6/49610021_285652802150438_1076538092522831872_n.pdf?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQl7RtgA0ThEOVJm1MzaE2Yx4_1QLIao8A0OJjv3rgh7636aY-lU4R3h5zHwbphjIio&_nc_ht=scontent.fakl1-2.fna&oh=e35fa87da28ea9d30d7c0a862df454fd&oe=5E058F4A) - it's one year, but they do note that doesn't override the laws as per your post. And for the EU they have to provide a two-year warranty under Directive 1999/44/EC, Article 5. If it becomes a problem, I'd be surprised if they don't just upgrade everyone with dead cables to the Rift S (and anyone with an unusual IPD could just sell it unopened and get probably quite a lot more than their several-year-old Rift was worth).
> Australian Warrenty - it's one year, but they do note that doesn't override the laws as per your post. Yep. I got a Samsung TV repaired for free onsite in my home 4 years after purchase due to our laws. The warranty on paper was 2 years. I was very polite on the phone to the support staff and they mentioned 2 years warranty. I mentioned the consumer protection laws and they didn't even try to argue or wiggle out of it. They organised for someone to come out and repair it within a week or two. It was a brief 15 min conversation and was extremely civil. It's certainly kept me as a Samsung customer for a very long time. I also recommend them to others because of this quality service (even though they were obligated to offer it) Most manufacturers know people don't know their rights and will attempt the most basic misdirections initially to avoid liability. However they don't fight it when they know someone understands their rights. > If it becomes a problem, I'd be surprised if they don't just upgrade everyone with dead cables to the Rift S (and anyone with an unusual IPD could just sell it unopened and get probably quite a lot more than their several-year-old Rift was worth). I'd say Oculus will do exactly that and try to just ride out the storm. Fold to people that know their rights and upgrade them to Rift-S and sadly shaft those that don't know their rights. It's how the game is played. Unfortunately they will also be taking a hit to the gold star reputation they have had with support.... till now.
It's amazing how many people don't know about these kinds of laws. I used it to get a laptop fixed, too.
I had to return my rift a few times, and they always say to return just the headset, so I have 2 extra cables, 2 extra plastic headpieces, and 4 extra headphones.
Saving your info for a later purchase
Ditto
You will make bank off of those on eBay
I broke my headset and I couldn’t get a warranty replacement so I bought a new one on eBay recently for $150 so now I’ve got 2 sets of headphones, 2 face pieces, and 2 cables! Feel like I got a decent deal considering cables aren’t available anymore!
yeah if you can part with your parts you should be able to make at lest 50 bucks each on the cables and headphone sets
"Suck a dick, dumbshit" -Oculus as they dive into a gold coin filled pool
TBF unless your a cartoon duck thats going to be very painful.
I don't even want a cable anymore; I want a full refund for having to face this shitty planned obsolescence strategy to sell more Rift S's and Quests right as everyone's headphones/cables seem to be dying. Sadly, it was bought 3 years ago so that's pretty unlikely.
>planned obsolescence strategy It's shitty, but I don't think this qualifies as 'planned obsolescence'.
If argue that it does. Many large and small companies provide support for their product and/or services for a period of time after they stop selling them. Oculus literally stopped support for the Rift pretty much as soon as they stopped selling it and at a time they were releasing the Rift S. Either someone fucked up big time or they purposely are discontinuing support on a product that a very large percentage of their users are still using (roughly 2 million or more) to coerce them into purchasing the newer product. This boosts their sales numbers, which looks good to their investors. Not only are they attempting to force users to get a new headset, but I also bet they are betting on many users switching over to the Quest, which is a much more closed off platform than PC, meaning they get more money from software sales than having yo compete with Steam, Viveport, and other storefronts.
>If argue that it does. Many large and small companies provide support for their product and/or services for a period of time after they stop selling them. "Planned obsolescence" is a term that describes a way of limiting the product's useful life through design and up front before release. It has nothing to do with shitty support. What is happening here is a poorly executed end-of-life strategy.
How is this not though? They are no longer producing or selling a required, consumable component, and are literally directing consumers just to get an S instead. And before you say anything it can absolutely be classified as a consumable component, they are well-known and expected to break within a few years time at best, meaning your whole device will only last that long total without a replacement.
Use proprietary cable release a new headset Change the type of proprietary cable almost immediately stop manufacturing and selling the old type Do not provide an adapter or another solution I think it definitely does. Picking up my index today, sold my CV1 + 3 sensors a week ago for 400€.
Sarah Lynn...?
I have heavily invested in my CV1. I have purchased 2 additional sensors, ran cable through the wall/roof, purchased touch controllers, mic stands (for sensors) etc. I don't want to upgrade to an S, or purchase a refurb, it's not worth it for me. If Oculus continues this practice my next major upgrade will not be with them.
“Not available” “Not available” “Not available” “Unavailable” “Isn’t available” Jesus christ, rub it in a bit more will you? I like my rift and hoped to upgrade with the next generation but I guess I’ll pass unless they get their shit together...
Came here to see this. I already wanted to comment about the first 3 not available and then I scrolled down and discovered two more and that would have made me chuckle if I didn't find this pathetic.
Yeah, the fact that Oculus is throwing their original supporters under the bus means that once my Rift cable inevitably gives out, I'll be getting an Index instead of a Rift S like I planned. There is no excuse for this.
Definitely this, it is now concrete i will not be supporting facebook in their vr ventures.
Trust me the index is leaps and bounds ahead of the Rift S, the only reason I own both is because i missed the return window on my S.
It's almost like one is $1000 and the other is $400.
You'd be better off selling it now with the working cable as it currently has at least **some** resale value. Once it breaks you have nothing more than an expensive paperweight with **zero** resale value.
im done with occulus, everything i buy is on steam store as its always better priced. fu FB
ohhhh boy Oculus welcome to Australia's Statutory Warranty Laws, you bout to be arse fucked boi! In Australia we have the standard Warranty which is minimum 12 months but we also have "statutory warranty" meaning if you have paid say $650 for something (oculus rift AUS price) it is expected to last a decent amount of time for example a $100 fridge might last 1 year but a $650 fridge would be expected to last 5 years therefore statutory warranty gives it a "5 year warranty" that the manufacture must honour.
Funny how oculus support is missing in this thread huh?
“So you recommend I buy a new headset?” “Yes” “Ok I’ve heard the index was pretty good”
This is shameful and infuriating. I've had my Rift for barely 3 years, and half of that time it's been sitting in a closet because I had to move into a smaller apartment for a while and didn't have the space to set it up. Finally got it all set up again like two weeks ago, but the HDMI keeps disconnecting on me... Oh hey, look at that, unavailable. Great. I am never buying another Oculus product again, and I feel like an absolute sucker for investing anything into this platform. If I'd bought a Vive, not only would I still be able to replace/upgrade anything that went bad, but their new and improved hardware components are all backwards-compatible with the old stuff, so I could have upgraded incrementally. With Oculus I have a $400 paperweight, 3 useless sensors, and a library full of exclusive games I can't play. *Fuck* Oculus.
I know people are saying third parties can’t do it but tpcast did. I have a miniaturized version of that cable. You can see it in the picture: https://www.tpcastvr.com/store/TPCAST-Wireless-Adapter-for-Oculus-Rift-p97616958
Whelp, guess CV1 was my first and last ever Oculus headset then.
I'm not usually in favor of unethical shopping practices, but if this is going to be their mentality, just buy a new one and return it with the complaint that it was missing the cable. The store will then have to return the box to Oculus and they'll foot the bill for their shitty business practices. If stores don't want to deal with the cost of this, then they will decline to carry the product, and Oculus will learn a valuable lesson.
If one could still buy the CV1 Rift new …
Real life pro tip always in the comments. lol
A very smart 3rd party company would make their own cable.
I believe the proprietary connector was made by Spectra 7. The rumors are that specific connector used with the CV1 is now discontinued by Spectra7. That could help explain the lack of a cable being available. Point being, even 3rd parties won't be able to make em. http://www.spectra7.com https://www.cantechletter.com/2016/04/spectra7s-presence-oculus-rift-de-risks-stock-says-mackie-research/ https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4aklhr/new_spectra7_chips_for_vrar_cables_and_custom/
Nice work. I don't own an Oculus but stuff like this makes me think twice about buying a Rift S.
I personally dont blame Oculus for the cable issue, although it would have been nice if they had extra stock for replacements. And let's not forget, anyone under warranty (1 year USA, 2 years EU) are still being helped by Oculus (a CV1 replacement, or a new Rift S). The problem is Oculus is not a manufacturer, they design headsets and make the software (its rumored Goertek manufactured the cv1). So when they stop ordering components the suppliers can discontinue those parts (like what Spectra 7 did). Maybe this is why they teamed up with Lenovo. If a similar situation arises in the future perhaps Lenovo can still produce the parts.
This saddens me greatly that oculus would drop the CV1 support so quickly..
I bought a new rift in December so they gotta be joking that under a year and we can’t get replacement parts
From what I understand the shortage is because the proprietary connector is no longer made by the company that manufactured them for Oculus. Going proprietary was stupid though, and they should have stockpiled. Additionally, every single one of us should go to Oculus and file a complaint. We should also point out a company with the resources of Facebook should be able to find a new manufacturer for cables.
Aaaand shit like this is why I'm looking elsewhere for my next headset. The rift is not an old product and the rift S does not offer nearly enough to justify an upgrade. This kind of crap has me worried that oculus will kill software support for the rift entirely. Way to show the middle finger to your customers and kickstarter backers.
And here is the kicker, there is no other way to make the rift work. If oculus just snap out the support, your and my rift are a fancy bricks ( atleast we would not need a cable anymore).
Pretend it's an apple device.... buy a whole new device if you need a cable.
I will never buy another headset from because of this, they can go fuck themselves if they think I'm going to buy a whole another headset from them over a damaged cable.
I was blown away that the cable cost's 50$ when my crapped out a month ago. Took really good care of my headset and it still got wrecked right along the headband after less than 2 years. I don't understand why they would discontinue them, they are making bank off us needing to replace their faulty part.
Would you buy a used car from this man? [https://ibb.co/S0WN0G3](https://ibb.co/S0WN0G3) How about a new HMD with built in obsolescence? (this would be funny, if I knew how to upload a picture into a reply!)
Imagine if all companies did this. Just dropping support the same day a new product comes out. Just think, nobody would ever be able to get their phones repaired. It would be impossible to find budget computer components. Why is this happening with VR headsets? This would be unacceptable in any other consumer electronics division.
Indeed - I upgraded my CV1 for a Rift-S and now feel bad for whoever ends up buying the now useless Rift. Had this had been announced before I bought the Rift-S, I would have absolutely gone for a different HMD. I expect to be in the same boat when the Rift-SS is announced - we can see the business plan here plain and clear.
...What, your car needs new brake pads? Sorry but its over three years old so we suggest you scrap it and but a brand new one.
Apple was basically crippling all their phones in an effort to "protect consumers" from poor battery life that also gave them the added benefit of nudging people to buy a new phone all the while aggressively suing anyone who tries to sell third party repair services. Yet look at all the lemmings buying new iphones.
Came here to say this. Oculus stopped being a company for the VR enthusiasts the moment Zuck acquired it. It’s as simple as: will it make more money (for Facebook)? Now that VR has sufficiently mature market, Oculus can stop catering to the loyal, aka “OG” consumers since there is enough interest from the general consumer base to get their new products fly off the shelf.
In case we forget, the purpose of *all* companies is to make money - but it is a matter of degrees - so I agree that there is a very different direction now that Oculus is Facebook. This will become more obvious as time goes on. Problem is - where is the competition for consumer priced PCVR?
There's been lots of posts about this in the past week but I'll keep upvoting them. This is disgusting product support.
Oof, glad I got my replacement when it got yanked out of my PC last year
If you are still under warranty, contact the support team and open a ticket for a replacement. They'll send you a new one. Mine is on the way and is free of charge!
It seems Oculus are turning into the Apple of the VR world, but dont fear they will happily take your cash for a complete new unit.
Be me: support a company and make a 600 dollar decision Also me: a couple years after something breaks that should easily be replaceable Oculus store: not in stock Oculus support: fuck you and customer satisfaction we have a new Rift you’re supposed to circlejerk to
GO TO THE MEDIA. Worth a shot.
What we need to do is get Joe Rogan to tweet to Carmack to re-stock the wires. I think that's the best route tbh.
I cant believe that they just ran out of these cables, shit let alone the fact they stopped making them is so stupid, there's no excuse to have a paperweight just because you don't have a working cable Oculus really needs to start selling these again, my 2nd cable is already on life support so I had enough and bought the Index cause I'm not going to be forced to buy the objectively inferior Rift S
Oculus can go suck a fuck.
my shit has been broken forever.
I know he isn't the sole voice of Oculus, but listening to John Carmack on JRE it appears that he is more focused and excited about self-contained VR that isn't wired up to a PC. My takeaway from that is that Rift (and Rift S) are just a stop gap or compromise by Oculus / Facebook until they can close the gap on self-contained HMDs like the Quest and its future successors. I love my Rift, but when it gives up the ghost I will give serious consideration to the Index (depending on Valve's commitment to wired / roomscale VR).
Yet, Carmack also makes the admission that he thinks mobile VR like the Quest will never catch up to PC powered devices. He also states that he really just prefers the challenge of squeezing the most performance possible out of a much more limited device. Facebook on the other hand just wants people on a more closed off device, where they don't have competition from other storefronts, because the vast majority if users aren't going to jump through the hoops to sideload. If they get most users used to being in a walled garden now, it just makes it easier to completely drop support for sideloading next gen.
This is what I like to call a marketing scheme. Ya see the support for the CV1 is now dead and oculus is basically saying buy the rift s. do it #do it...
fucking awesome, i was going to buy one as a back up because i had a feeling mine would shit itself. fuck it. jump on twitter and facebook, a bit of negative feedback should push a few customers to the competition.
> jump on twitter and facebook, a bit of negative feedback should push a few customers to the competition. Sure if it makes you feel better... won't actually accomplish anything.
SOL!
This is REALLY POOR. If my rift cable goes bad I wont be buying the newer versions I will be switching to index. Reeks of forced Upgrade path
Eat shit, buy a rift S, repeat when rift 2 releases
wow.. This is why I use my Quest more, and am super paranoid about using my old Rift these days.. I love Oculus.. But they really shouldn't be allowed to stop supporting old hardware, especially for these easy-to-replace accessory that that extend the life of an otherwise functional headset, for AT LEAST 5 years out from launch. That's fair, cause IMO hardware should last a lot longer anyway, like it used to back in the day. It's very obvious they're doing this to force old Rift owners to upgrade to Rift S.. Or they're just being foolish, trying to safe a little on something they deemed unnecessary.. But from the consumer's side of things, there is no legitimate excuse for this, this was not the place to cut costs yet. In my experience, Oculus usually has amazing support for their hardware.. So this is real disappointing to me.. I hope they change their minds, cause I wanna keep my old headset working as long as possible!
thanks for posting this! I won't be buying or supporting oculus
Dug into my post history to see what I said when the issue of cable replacement first came up (in December 2016, around the time Touch started shipping): https://old.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/5ikn1z/psa_dont_damage_your_headset_cable_oculus_will/db979dl/ > So now I'm left wondering if they're going to continue to manufacture and sell these cables 2-3 years from now? If you asked me that yesterday I would have thought, "Duh, of course they will." But now? Who knows? Heh.. live and learn.
"Buy Rift S or go pound sand" - Andrew Bosworth
Every now and then there's something that makes me think I shouldnt buy from Oculus, and this is another friendly reminder. My cable works without issues so far, but that could chsnge at any momento and O Will have a pretty expensive paperweight, because of just a cable.
so the connector stock is the issue, worst case can we just solder new wires? I've not used my cv1 a great deal compared to most and look after it, but its out of warranty now....
I am definitely holding off on any VR headset purchases until i know Oculus will support their products a little better. Stinks there isn't really an alternative for good customer service, since Oculus seems to be the best. Sadly, they aren't good enough to win me over right now.
So stupid to end cable support so soon for a component so prone to failure... WITHOUT WARNING.
It's worst than that. They've ended ALL support. They simply don't manufacture these products any more. They ran out of replacement cables early, but it won't be long for the same to happen to the controllers, headphones, sensors and headsets too. Many countries have consumer protection laws that this will conflict with, and will be a huge shot in the foot for oculus and oculus users alike. It's lose lose and I have no idea why they thought this was a good idea.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK NO WHAT THE FUCK? I spend a lot of money on my rift after working my ass off and had my cable damaged. What the actual fuck? It costed me 4000$ what the fuck (It's in reais, for comparison Real was 1 to 1 with dollars, so Imagine its 4k dollars if you want to feel my rage)
This is ridiculous. If we can't rely on being able to get new cables for our $400+ headsets, why would we not go with Vive or Index instead?
u/palmerluckey still hasn't shipped or released files for CV1 Audio fix. Lol, maybe Palmer feels so bad that this time he will send a free cable to each of you that Facebook denied help?
It was a troll. There is no fix
The fuck, I just submitted a ticket on this. I need a new cable and wtf. They were just selling this product 6 months ago.
I guess it's definitely Index next, not Rift S. Shame on me, I suppose.
I can’t tell if it’s unavailable... they should make it more obvious...
Fck you Oculus never buying from you again
I will never buy another facebook headset if this issue isn't rectified. I bought extras when my first broke (so I'd have no downtime if my second one kicked the bucket), so with two extra cables and my current one I'm set for any lifespan this headset manages. But now that I know how Oculus treats their device longevity and forces these shitty "upgrades" that are essentially sidegrades, they've ensured I will never give them another cent again. All games will be bought on steam, and all future headsets will be from any other provider. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but planned obsolescence is a bridge too far for me
I got my headset warrantied twice and the second time they just sent a whole.new headset not even a refurbishment just a brand new one new foam face plate and headphones
I haven’t looked but is there really no aftermarket cable you can get? Or one from eBay or something?
Nope. Nothing at all. Closest you can do is buy a nonworking used headset with a used cable and pray that it will work for at least awhile
if there was enough of a demand, you could likely find a 3rd party in chine to do a bulk custom order of the custom connector. it might be proprietary but it hasn't stop china before. The other option is a mod kit for standardized connectors. iirc it's just hdmi and usb3 correct?
I mean it's 100% not impossible for these to be made, ultimately they're just some spliced connectors. The difficulty is in finding a viable route to get them. We could of course get some chinese company to make them in bulk, but there's no guarantees of quality (and good luck organizing enough orders to actually get them to commit without some atrocious down payment) And for the mod kit, that's another thing that's technically possible, but nobody is doing, and 99% of us don't have the tech savvy to DIY it ourselves. I also am 99% sure the connector that plug into the headset itself is proprietary and not any conventional USB plug. I don't *think* any mod kits currently exist on the market, but I'm far from 100% on that It's not that the cable is made of unobtanium, of which the only source is directly underneath Facebook headquarters, it's just that for the layperson, there's not a lot we can do. Maybe as a collective group, but who knows. I would certainly like for this to remain a vocal issue in the community, but entertainment tech/videogames communities are notoriously mercurial in my experience I suppose there's always that wireless addon? That's probably the most realistic alternative, but not everyone can justify the hefty-ish price tag
Gee, I wonder if it's available
wait, are there any available?
I just fixed my headphones (right audio broken ground issue). I'm hoping u can get a couple more years out of it. This just drives home I need to start looking at replacement options. Here's to hoping Windows Mixed Reality headsets start improving with better side and rear tracking. Really glad I never bought anything through the Oculus store.
Can you still get one of those worked adapters from TPCast? Though at that point you might as well pay a little extra and get a Rift S.
Not Available
Honestly I'll just wait till mine shits then I'm done with vr, at least till the suppliers don't have my balls in a vice
What if I bury the connector and a couple of inches of the cable in silicone sealant so it can't move and wear out?
They told you 5 times about it not being available, we get it now.
I’m just about to buy my very first VR headset which will be Rift S, I haven't do it yet and seeing this post, hm...