Oculus, the Facebook subsidiary behind the Oculus brand of VR headsets, has suspended sales of the Oculus Quest 2.
It’s a temporary measure, but it’s the result of reports that the black foam piece that goes between the Quest 2 and your face has caused skin irritation in a “very small percentage” of users, 0.01% going by an earlier statement. According to this latest statement, they’ve co-operated with various health authorities, as well as enlisting the advice of dermatologists and other experts.
Oculus said their investigation concluded that:
“Our manufacturing process is safe, meaning no unexpected nor hazardous contaminants were found in the Quest 2 foam interface or manufacturing process.”
However, they also previously stated that “we’ve already made changes to the Quest 2 manufacturing process, which we believe addresses the reported effects”. It may be that Oculus was playing it safe with its earlier announcement, make of that what you will.
In short, they’re saying there’s nothing wrong with the Quest 2, but are putting sales on hold and issuing silicone covers for the foam part of the headset. These silicone covers will be included with the Oculus Quest 2, when shipping resumes in a few weeks. You can also claim one if you already have an Oculus Quest 2, as explained here.
Some users have, rightly, asked why the Oculus Quest 2 doesn’t just ship with a silicone face-piece instead of a foam one. You can buy silicone face pieces on Amazon and, while we’ve yet to receive our silicone cover, we’re a little worried that grime will end up accumulating behind it.
For now, if you want to get your hands on an Oculus Quest 2, you’ll have to wait till this matter is resolved.
