Oculus has released a fix for the error that made every single Oculus Rift around the world stop working, bringing the virtual reality headsets back online.
In addition to an apology, Oculus revealed that it will be giving away store credit to all Oculus Rift users. Will that be enough to make owners of the VR headset forget about the embarrassing incident?
Oculus Rift Fix Now Available
All Oculus Rift devices across the world suddenly stopped working recently, and the culprit was determined to be an expired security certificate for the virtual reality headset. Facebook-owned Oculus immediately acknowledged the issue and started developing a fix.
There was a temporary solution of changing the date of the PC, but Oculus advised against it and instead recommended Oculus Rift owners to wait. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the company to roll out a patch to update the expired certificate.
The patch to fix the Can't Reach Oculus Runtime Service error is now available to download on the official Oculus website. The accompanying support page for the patch reveals that the update is easy to install, with users only having to click on the Repair option after launching the file. After the repair process is completed, an update prompt will appear. The update, which will take about 10 minutes according to Oculus, will finally bring the Oculus Rift back to life.
Oculus Rift Users To Receive Store Credit
The fact that its flagship product was taken offline around the world due to an expired security certificate is an embarrassing incident for Oculus. The virtual reality company, however, hopes that Oculus Rift owners will forgive and forget soon.
Oculus cofounder Nate Mitchell, who also heads the Oculus Rift team, tweeted an apology in behalf of the company, admitting that it was at fault over what happened. Mitchell also mentioned that Oculus Rift users impacted by the downtime will receive Oculus Store credit, which was later confirmed by the Oculus Rift account as carrying a value of $15.
Oculus Rift owners who used the VR headset on or after Feb. 1 will automatically receive the $15 credit on their accounts over the next seven days.
The mistake spoiled what should have been a good month for the Oculus Rift, as the device took first place over the HTC Vive for the first time in the monthly Steam Hardware & Software Survey for February 2018. Oculus is likely hoping that its oversight on the expired security certificate will not dampen interest in the upcoming $200 Oculus Go.
