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
260 comments
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Anonymous
commented
So 6 Months and Oculus did nothing. No Spare Cables at the Moment. Ok Oculus thats fine, i sell my broken CV1 and buy a HTC Device. Really Bad Customer Support.
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Jeremy Jansen
commented
The people within Oculus that decided to alienate their most loyal fan base of early adopters need to truly reconsider their career choices. I own a CV1 and a Quest, but will not be giving you guys another dime unless you make this right by selling replacement cables.
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J. Coutch
commented
This concerns me, and will be looking into other VR headset brands the next go around.
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William Fortin
commented
This post is from september 2020, i'm typing this the 13 may 2020 and nothing have change yet ! If it's not possible to make cables (dont be stupid they can make it), than bring at least a solution ! Like wireless adaptator or stuff like that. What will happen with the Rift S in few months : <<yeah we dont make cables for the rift S anymore, you should upgrade for the brand new Rift S+ instead>>. This is what everyone should keep in mind when they think about Oculus, but they migth not think that way IF YOU PROVIDE US WITH CABLES OR AT LEAST SOLUTIONS. DO SOMETHING.
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Andy McAdam
commented
This is still bugging me. My cable broke a while back and I'm desperate for a new one, but there's no way I'm shelling out over £100 for a used one on Ebay.
Surely a company as big as Facebook can figure out a simple cable? Even at £50 each, people would buy them. -
dieterdisko
commented
Have you finally found an option for customers with defective cables who are out of warranty ???
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Leo
commented
This is a warning to all people planning on buying Oculus headsets. Stay away from this ****** brand!
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Joe Petrie
commented
If Oculus was expecting us to just replace these headsets every couple years they should cost at least half the price...****, I don't even replace computer components that often that cost way less. This is just ridiculous. I have controllers and other components that are 20 to 30 years old that still work just fine.
Honestly, this is the equivalent of your car manufacturer telling you to buy a new car because they decided to not allow anyone to make replacement parts for the model you own.
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Joe Petrie
commented
A few months ago my cable started acting up. It's an issue right at the point where the cable is attached to the headset. When I turn my head right the screen goes blank. I bought my CV1 in December of 2017. I was shocked and appalled to find that replacement cables were no longer available. This is pure nonsense. Not only should the cable have been stronger, but the unit itself should have been made better to prevent this problem from occurring. Replacement cables should also be available. Of course the unit should also have been made to use standard cables, but then they would have no way to attempt to force you into buying a new unit.
Unfortunately, I bought a Rift S in December 2019 (before I knew my CV1 was even having issues) for the computer in the living room for the kids. While it seems to mostly work, it has not convinced me it's a suitable replacement for the CV1 regardless of its lack of need of sensors. The controllers are worse (not sure why they changed them) and it's issues with USB3 expansion cards is atrocious (I have USB3 on-board of my main desktop though). I have had constant issues with it not going to sleep and when it seems finally "go to sleep" it doesn't come back on until I reboot the computer...I think I might have resolved that though by using the Oculus Tray tool (3rd party)...which should not even be necessary. The issues with Windows 10 and audio are also very troublesome. I still use Windows 7 on my main desktop where my CV1 is and it works just fine. I'm sure I'll run into the same issue with this thing in the next 2 years. Maybe a little later as it's not used often.
With that being said...I'm also willing to pay for a replacement cable. It's not a big deal and I would expect to have to do this eventually. 2 years seems short, especially when only being used for sit-down simulator games...But that's probably the average lifespan anyway which explains the 2 year warranty.
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Anonymous
commented
If you guys don't make this right, Ill never buy another Oculus product again.
I've spent over 1000$ on hardware/software with your company.
Its looking like Valve will be the way to go as they were replacing cables for FREE
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Luca
commented
We need a replacement cable! It doesn't make any sense to throw away a headset only for a cable. It's nonsense!
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Sean Kelley
commented
Look, I'm not asking you to replace this cable for free. I'll buy one; my current one probably just broke from regular wear and tear, and that's okay. But the idea that you refuse to sell a mandatory proprietary user-replaceable part, thereby rendering the entire headset useless, is galling. My Rift is broken. Broken. Cannot be used. Paperweight. I spend hundreds of dollars on this headset and upgrades for my computer and this is what I get? You ask me to buy a new headset, but it sounds like I should just buy a new HTC headset instead.
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Baerz
commented
450 dollar paperweight
Ive gone to all the youtube videos and told everyone not to buy the rift as it will just break
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Askajia
commented
I have my Oculus for about 2,5 years now. After one year and extensive use, my cable broke and oculus support sent me a new one without a problem.
Now 1,5 years later (and not so much use of the headset) it again stops working now and then ... and now I am reading this. This is truly sad. Will I have a 450€ paper weight at home when the cable stops working for good?
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TR
commented
Why are we still not able to get this cable? They are selling used on Ebay for more than the oculus was just a year ago.
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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.