Continue selling Rift (CV1) cables
Rift CV1 owners are concerned at the recent decision to stop selling the Rift CV1 accessories only 6 months after the sale of the last headset. Of particular concern is the lack headset cable which is probably the most fragile component. The expectation that we should buy a whole new headset if this $50 part fails is a major concern.
Many circumstances can occur outside of warranty conditions like
- pets can chew this cable
- accidental twisting over time fatigues the cable
- accidental falls can pull the cable from the PC
All these circumstances are not Oculus' fault and should not be handled under warranty. However the end user do have the expectation that they can repair a commonly failing part for their headset.
Consumer rights in the USA are very weak and favour companies over consumers. However in the EU, Australia and New Zealand the laws state that spare parts should be available for a reasonable amount of time after the product is discontinued. 6 months is not very reasonable considering that most users have an expectation that PC components should last between 3-5 years.
Ref: https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/products-and-services/problems-with-a-product/cannot-be-repaired
A survey of 250 Oculus users seems to suggest that most Rift owners expect to get approximately 4-5 years from their headset
Source of results can be found in comments for above image.
Many of us understand that this cable was possibly being made by a third party who has made the decision to no longer supply them to you. However you made the design decision to go with a proprietary cable so unfortunately the onus is on you to abide by consumer laws and will have to either make freely available design specifications and connector patents so a 3rd party can make them or source a new supplier for this cable so you can sell it yourself.
Your quality end user support compared to other VR headset vendors has earned you a great reputation in the VR community in recent years. This quality support has definitely helped accelerate the growth of your marketshare with as Oculus owners recommend your headset to family and friends based on how good your after market support is. Please don't tarnish this reputation and abandon the early adopters that have helped to grow your ecosystem. We want to remain Oculus customers but it becomes the standard that headsets (including the Rift-S) will be abandoned 6 months after the product is discontinued from sale many of us will have second thoughts about buying future Oculus products as well as using the Oculus store.
More voices here - https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/cynbei/forthosewhoneedareplacementoculusrift/
and here - https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/cyfsk3/riftcablenolongerforsaleineed_a/
phoenixdigital
shared this idea
245 comments
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Scott
commented
I have bought 3 cv1 headsets over the last couple years. Two of which have cable issues and it seemes to be a pretty common problem and the community can’t find them anywhere. So I ask you please if your not going to make them anymore release the license so a 3rd party can make them.
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Anonymous
commented
My cable failed due to the inadequate support strap above the left ear piece. I hope you don't shaft your replacement customers in the same way.
I expected this to last longer than 3 years. I've treated it like a newborn child
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Anonymous
commented
i also in need of a cable and a heavy gamer and i purchase top of the line hardware regular ... i will not put another penny in the pockets of oculus after this shambles.
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Jacob Rendall
commented
The fact no one on the oculus development team is confronting this issue and won't even allow a third party to make any replacements shows how little you care about your customers. I will definitely not be getting any other oculus products knowing how scummy your business practices are.
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Dan Amrich commented
I am the latest victim of a cable that stopped working due to twisting when playing in a 360-degree environment. I would love to see either this cable return to production or be licensed out to a third-party partner who would make official replacements available. Thank you.
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Natalie
commented
The lack of support or the ability to do something as simple as a cable repair concerns me. I talk to a lot of people in games such as VRChat and through my platforms in which I stream too. In the past I've told people the differences between headsets and why I felt that the Oculus was superior due to the controller design, it being lightweight, easy to use, and intuitive. I find myself wondering if having to purchase a new headset for $400 simply because of a $50 wire that wasn't engineered correctly may outweigh the reasons I find the Oculus headset superior. One attempt to get comments was on a youtube video I posted when Oculus decided to end support, with it now sitting at over 110,000 views, and many addressing the same sympathies as I, and please understand that I present this information simply because I hope to reach out and get an understanding from the Oculus powers that be, to help the many and keep us as loyal buyers and customers. I want to continue with Oculus, even though it's not as complicated or as high def as other models, i appreciate it where it counts. Easy, affordable, comfortable.
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Chris Bradfield
commented
The decision to no longer support the Rift has shown me that Oculus doesn't care about its customers and clearly wants to force them into buying their new model rather than repair old ones. For this reason I will be buying a Vive if i can't find a replacement cv1 cable.
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Ed
commented
please fix my cable or send me a new one
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Greg
commented
Continue selling Rift CV1 parts. 1 year and 4 months on a VERY lightly used Rift CV1 headset. The right headphone is defective. Oculus has NO spare parts in stock. I’m surprised that Oculus wouldn’t have discounted alternatives in the event that accessories are not in stock/etc.
I added a third sensor just a few months ago to get more enjoyment from the CV1 but this headphone issue is taking away from the immersion.
I was also looking forward to getting the Oculus Quest this year as an upgrade; but this incident will make me reconsider Oculus, as I can’t support a company that provides finite solutions to a simple issue for loyal customers.
I can't imagine how others who have failed cables/etc must feel with their $500+ paperweight. If anything else dies on this Rift and there are not parts being provided, Oculus has lost me as a customer to the competition. I won't hesitate to jump ship when a company fails their loyal customers this badly.
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Anonymous
commented
Just had my Rift CV1 Mini-HDMI cable die today. It looks like if I can find one 3rd party I have to pay around at least $150 .
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Steve
commented
Continue support and I will continue to buy.
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Leo Bergmann
commented
It would be great to have the option to buy a replacement cable. I bought the CV1 about 3 years ago, have used it mainly in a developing capacity so everything is in nearly mint condition (not more than 150 hours of active use) but the cable starts to bug out. I can't wont spend another 450€ for a new headset when the old one is perfectly fine except the cable has some wear on it. I've enjoyed the Oculus ecosystem and SDK but having no support for older hardware while using proprietary connectors/cables is a no go for a future buy from me.
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Jesse Barber
commented
Has anyone tried to solder the end of the headset connector to a new cable?
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Natzcape
commented
Sell new Cables. I also need a new one. Otherwise another company gets my money...when I buy a new Headset.
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Max
commented
I want a headset cable pls, mine is broken and I no longer have the original receipt :(
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m middleton
commented
Are you kidding me?! You don't make or sell CV1 cables any longer for your headsets?! WTF is this ****?! If this isn't fixed soon we'll NEVER purchase another product from you again! Epic FAIL!
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Carlos
commented
My warranty will be over soon, and I'm afraid my CV1 will render itself useless in the near future because of the cable breaking, as it is already showing symptons (HMD randomly shuts itself down while i'm moving around...)
If you guys fail to provide an affordable solution to all the CV1 owners you will be losing a lot of current and future costumers, since every scorned early adopter won't buy neither will advise people to buy an oculus product, ever.
So don't downplay word of mouth as it can break or make a company.
Support your costumers so they can support you. -
Ken
commented
This is a fail of epic proportions by Oculus. I'll be investing in htc hardware from now on. I'm part of the competitive echo arena league, and almost every player I know has had to make the decision to spend $400 to buy a rift S, or leave the community. These cables are not meant to last, and in my experience make it at most 6mo to 1yr of regular use before failing. Stories of cables lasting longer are extraordinarily rare, given regular use.
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Anonymous
commented
To the dear people at oculus
This is just a ridiculous move from your end. You cannot be hoping to sell any more of your headsets to us clients, if you cannot keep up a decent support over the lifetime of your product.
Please wake up and RECONSIDER!!!
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Phil Cantrell
commented
I myself owning two headsets, and one cable failing am thinking about selling the working one to help offset the cost of another companies headset. Maybe a company that puts enough pride behind their product to continue to sell simple replacement parts like a cable. If Oculus is not willing to resolve this issue by offering the cable again or giving 3rd parties the oppertunity to make and ditribute replacement cables I for one will never buy nor recommend another Oculus product. I am ashamed to have recommended the quest to my long friend as his first VR expireance.