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/for_those_who_need_a_replacement_oculus_rift/
and here - https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/cyfsk3/rift_cable_no_longer_for_sale_i_need_a/
phoenixdigital
shared this idea
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Nik commented
Common Oculus, my Rift isn't THAT old.. Even tho it's out of warranty at this point, it works good enough. The cable is getting old, even tho I'm careful, and I was planning to buy a backup cable to have around just in case. Didn't realize I missed my chance till it was too late.
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B Mill
commented
I would like Oculus Rift supplies to remain available for the HMD. It's a shame this is how Oculus wants to handle things like this. I don't think ANYONE should be buying games in the Oculus Store, Get everything on Steam because you can switch HMDs when Oculus leaves you blowing in the wind with a broken HMD that can't be fixed because the Proprietary parts are no longer available.
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NoMoreClownShoes
commented
It used to be that consumers only had so many choices when it came to VR, and Oculus was at the helm. Now, there are *definitely* other options out there, and I would urge everyone to move towards them.
Goodbye Oculus, I would like to say "it was nice while it lasted", but honestly since the FB acquisition, it's been a downhill slide.
Won't be buying another Oculus product, software or otherwise, again.
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NoMoreClownShoes
commented
Yep, I'm done with Oculus at this point. Couldn't care less if they re-consider and decide to continue providing cables for CV1.
Nice job Zuck lol. XD
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Squid Kid
commented
No guarantees Oculus won't pull the same stunt with Rift S, so I probably won't be buying another Oculus product again in the future.
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Karen Cusimano
commented
My headset is two year and two weeks old, and is in mint condition. I tend to be very clumsy in VR, so while my cable currently is still working, I am extremely concerned about the ability to NOT get a replacement for it should it go out. They really REALLY need to figure out a way to supply cables to the folks that are out of warranty, especially ones who just bought in the last couple of years.
I've done nothing but rave about my Rift since I got it two years ago, and have always said that it would take a serious customer service breach for me to want to change to a different brand. If they don't resolve this, THIS is that customer service breach that's going to send me elsewhere.
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Mark Collins
commented
All legal stuff aside. I mean, come on! **** move oculus!
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Anonymous
commented
EU Law requires them to continue to offer service and repair for product sold in the EU for 7 years from the date the last product was manufactured or sold. My dog ate my cable but I still have a legal right to purchase a replacement for 7 years from when I bought my Oculus. If Oculus want to take money from EU customers and trade in the EU then they must comply with EU law. (Also, the default opt in on this uservoice page is not compliant with GDPR! )
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Vince
commented
That cable design is the biggest joke, there are so many things i love about the Rift and but the custom HDMI cable was the worst idea. Cables get lost, break, degrade... you dont want to whittle away you're already slim customer base with bad ideas like custom cables but since you did, you better make sure we can buy replacements whenever we need them for years to come.
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emily commented
:/ I haven't had my headset more then 2 or 3 years so it will be very upsetting to throw out something this expensive if the headset or cable break. Please Support this longer by just selling cables at least.
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Anonymous
commented
The cable at the very least needs to be available for purchase, I am very disappointed in Oculus taking this path!
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Mike
commented
I am not naive enough to expect indefinite support but I think spare parts for a minimum of 12 months after being pulled from sale shoud be a legal requirement TBH. (And good customer service would be parts for 12 months after ALL units were out of warranty)
Edit some comments may be missunderstanding where we are. There ARE spares for headsets in warranty it's is just those out of warranty who are boned (which still sucks) -
Sarah
commented
Shame on Oculus
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Dan
commented
unbelievable they should be providing a full refund to any users that have an ipd not in range of the Rift S and that just bought their rift within the last year.
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Chris
commented
I purchased my Oculus rift in February 2019. This is ridiculous that you cannot get parts and the unit is under warranty. I will be opening a ticket to have mine swapped out to rift S. In Canada you have to provide parts during the warranty period they are in violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
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Anonymous
commented
Please... my CV1 cable is almost dead!! Only 2 years old...
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Andre commented
Fully support this. Its too bad that cable that easily can be ruined should be able to brick valuable equipment like an HMD.
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SyntaxTerror
commented
Make it so.
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Virtual Boy
commented
Supported. If my cable fails, I will likely look at other companies for future VR headsets. I shouldn't have to worry about an essential part being unavailable on a headset that was Oculus' main offering up until a few months ago
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Titan Pilot
commented
I support this too, my dog just chewed up my headphones. Luckily I had a pair of earbuds on standby for if the headphones ever died on me but I cannot buy a new pair of headphones anymore