The Oculus Rift CV1 (consumer version 1) was the fist virtual reality headset many people ever used. For many people, it sparked an interest in the virtual worlds that would soon be a regular part of the day. Virtual reality has the power to move, influence, and change people. This was all available with the original Oculus Rift back in 2016.
There have been plenty of consumers that are concerned with the future of their once-new headset. Although there is new headsets from Oculus, the original is something that many people are attached to. If this was your first experience inside of virtual reality, you would want to keep the headset nice as well. With that being said, the CV1 was never intended to last more than a few short months until the newer version was released.
Oculus did a fantastic job for three years keeping their hardware and software up to date. They were constantly outdating the older headsets, but that wasn’t good news for all. UploadVR reached out to Facebook for a statement for what the company was planning on doing for the CV1 owners that were concerned about the longevity of their cables. Facebook responses by saying the following:
“for customers who are still within warranty, we are still providing replacement cables as needed. As Rift is a product that is no longer in market, our team is evaluating options for customers outside of warranty.”
Although Facebook took time to respond, what they said isn’t very promising for those who are looking for an updated cable for their older headset. Facebook has been known in the past for leading customers on, only to never follow up with the problem they are facing with their older hardware. If you are a CV1 owner, or even a headset owner of the older models of any Rift that isn’t the new Rift S, you are going to need to be extra careful, especially if you are out of warranty.
Evaluating options isn’t the worst thing customers could’ve heard. The email could’ve simply said they were out of luck, but Facebook seems to be somewhat aware of what they are dealing with here. If they are able to take care of this problem in a timely manner, it could mean a lot for their future business as well. Any company that treats their customers and regular consumers with care, regardless of their warranty being expired, is going to do well.
The biggest part of the original Rift that people enjoy is the manual IPD adjustment. The headset let you physically change the IPD with your hand while you were inside of the headset, as the new Rift S makes it part of the software you have to change inside of the headset. It is much easier and more convenient to have this feature on the outside of the headset rather than on the inside, but Lenovo and Oculus insisted that it be changed on the newest model of the Rift.
As for people who are done looking for a replacement part for their old headset, there are plenty of new headset with outstanding technology to choose from. If you’re looking to stay within the Oculus Rift family, the Rift S is the progression the Rift took. If you are looking for a headset that is much more versatile and can give you a feeling of immersion on the fly, the Oculus Quest is the best you can find on the market. For more VR news and updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
