All Oculus Rift headsets across the world have suddenly stopped working, and the culprit has been identified to be an expired certificate.
A temporary solution for the problem exists. However, the incident is an embarrassing gaffe for Oculus and its flagship product, which just recently overtook HTC Vive for the first time as the most popular Steam VR headset.
Oculus Rift Suddenly Stopped Working
Every single Oculus Rift owner in the world who recently tried to boot up their virtual reality headset was met with an error message. No, the error does not mean that the Oculus Rift is broken nor that it was hacked. If it is any consolation, all the units of the device across the world are offline.
All Oculus Rift headsets across the world are currently not functioning. After investigating what was going on, it was discovered that the problem was due to an expired certificate in the Oculus Runtime Service.
The file, named OculusAppFramework.dll, is being read as an invalid one, and it will need an update to get the Oculus Rift working again. The probable cause for the problem is that somebody at Oculus forgot to release an update for the file.
It is unheard of that a software issue rendered all the units of a flagship device useless, especially from a major company such as the Facebook-owned Oculus. Unfortunately, this is the reality that owners of the VR headset will have to face. The issue might mean a lost day for VR gaming for personal users, but it is a much bigger problem for commercial users of the headset.
When Will Oculus Fix The Problem?
On its official Twitter account, the latest statement by Oculus on the matter is that the company is still working on the software certification issue to get the Oculus Rift back up and running. No timeframe has been given, but Oculus recommends for users to wait until it provides an official fix.
For Oculus Rift owners who simply must get their fill of virtual reality, the temporary solution is to change the PC's system clock to any date before March 7. However, this raises the possibility of messing up other aspects of the computer, so it is a better idea to exercise patience and wait for Oculus to release a patch.
Oculus will have to get its act together quickly and roll out a solution to the problem, as every second that ticks without the fix may mean lower confidence and interest in the company's upcoming $200 Oculus Go.
