What you need to know
- Facebook has halted sales of the Oculus Quest 2 until further notice, citing reports of skin irritation caused by the foam pad.
- Facebook previously initiated a voluntary foam pad replacement program on older Oculus Quest 2 units after the results of an internal investigation.
- New Quest 2 units will ship with a silicone wrap to solve any future problems.
- Facebook is also debuting a new 128GB version of the Quest 2 to replace the existing 64GB model.
Article updated with additional information and confirmation from Facebook.
Facebook has ceased sales of the Oculus Quest 2, citing skin irritation issues reported by users since the Quest 2 debuted. On a blog post, Head of Facebook Reality Labs Andrew Bosworth details that Facebook worked with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada to issue a voluntary recall of current Quest 2 foam facial covers and will be providing a new silicone cover for all existing Quest 2 owners. If you're a current Oculus Quest 2 owner, you can request a free silicone cover on the recall page.
"Starting on August 24, all Oculus Quest 2 headsets will come with a silicone cover that fits over the Quest 2 foam facial interface included in every box. Existing Quest 2 owners can request a silicone cover and we're temporarily pausing sales globally as we work to provide the covers in every Quest 2 box, as part of our ongoing effort to ensure our products are safe and comfortable for everyone who uses them."-A Facebook Spokesperson
Right now, all listings for the Oculus Quest 2 have been taken down at major retailers, including Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy. Facebook has recalled these units from retailers in order to include that new silicone cover in the box and will be returning them to stores by August 24, 2021. Additionally, the new Oculus Quest 2 128GB model that's been rumored for some time is making its debut on August 24 alongside Lone Echo II — presumably, the last PC-exclusive Oculus title to be released. That new 128GB model will retail for $299; the same price as the now-discontinued 64GB model.
Initially, Oculus began a voluntary replacement program on the foam facial interface pads for Quest 2 units manufactured before January 4, 2021. While Facebook changed the manufacturing process after that January date, it seems that the problem wasn't truly fixed. Facebook says that the issue isn't caused by an allergy, rather, by Contact Dermatitis — a skin irritation issue that's seen with other products like watches. Folks using the best Quest 2 facial interface alternatives don't need to worry since they're already using a better facial interface material, although you can still request a free silicone wrap from Facebook to have as a backup.
