A software update to the Oculus app blocks porting games on competing virtual reality (VR) headsets.
Currently, there are only two VR platforms for Windows PCs: the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive powered by SteamVR. An app called Revive lets HTC Vive owners play Oculus games on the headset.
Oculus announced an update to the Oculus app on May 19, which brings a number of performance improvements and bug fixes. However, the update also blocks HTC Vive owners to play Oculus games.
A Revive developer under the name CrossVR posted on Reddit that Oculus now checks if the Oculus Rift headset is connected to the Oculus Platform DRM. The Redditor explained that only the Oculus Platform DRM has been changed, which means games that use Oculus Platform SDK are the only ones that are affected. CrossVR also suggested a workaround to bypass the latest update.
"A temporary workaround if you have an Oculus Rift CV1 or DK2 is to keep the headset and camera connected while starting the game. That should still allow you to use your Vive headset to play the actual game, since Revive itself is still working," says CrossVR.
Oculus suggested that the latest update is an attempt to stop privacy.
"We take the security, functionality and integrity of our system software very seriously and people should expect that hacked games won't work indefinitely as regular updates to content, apps and our platform may break the hacks," says an Oculus spokesperson.
Libre VR, another Revive developer, has also released a new Revive version that would bypass Oculus Platform DRM.
"I really didn't want to go down this path, but I feel there is no other way. This release bypasses the Oculus Platform DRM in Unreal Engine games, so the entitlement check doesn't fail because the headset isn't connected," says Libre VR.
The Revive developer has just tested the workaround for Oculus Dreamdeck, but it is expected to work for all Unreal Engine games. Libre VR also noted that work for bypassing the DRM in Unity Engine games is also underway.
The latest software update that blocks non-Oculus Rift headsets to access Oculus exclusive games should not come as a surprise as the company hinted in April that applications like Revive are a hack and users should not expect the hack to work indefinitely.
It remains to be seen how Oculus responds to the workarounds posted by Revive developers.
