• Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

September 22, 2023

Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token

September 22, 2023

Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask

September 19, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Demo
  • Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Home»All Technology»Facebook recalls 4 million Quest 2 VR face liners over “rashes and hives”
All Technology

Facebook recalls 4 million Quest 2 VR face liners over “rashes and hives”

NewsBy NewsJuly 27, 2021Updated:July 27, 2021No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Enlarge / One day, the VR industry may be boosted with sensory tricks like smell-o-vision. That’s different from the itching and burning sensations reported by Quest 2 users—unless one of Quest 2’s VR zombie games is really, really ahead of its time.

Oculus | Aurich Lawson

Facebook’s VR division is recalling every single foam facial liner included in its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset in North America, the company confirmed, as part of a US CPSC recall notice. An investigation found 5,716 reports of “skin irritation” from system owners, along with “approximately 45 reports of consumers that required medical attention.”

The recall applies to “about 4 million” customers, which is the closest public estimate we’ve yet seen for Quest 2 hardware sales in the US since the system went on sale in late 2020. Since this estimate includes standalone purchases of face covers, it’s not an exact measure, but considering how ho-hum the default face masks are, we’re confident that few people were rushing to buy duplicates of it, as opposed to superior third-party options.

In light of the recall, Facebook is also taking the extreme measure of pausing all Oculus Quest 2 sales in North America, in addition to offering silicone-liner replacements to all existing owners. This news comes after UploadVR confirmed Facebook’s plans to launch a new price point for the VR system in August: $299 for a 128GB model (up from 64GB), along with the existing 256GB model at $399. Facebook now says that the August 24 relaunch will mark the system’s return to retail outlets with an updated silicone face cover packed in by default.

One of many serious Quest 2 downgrades

Consumer complaints began piling up shortly after the system’s October 2020 launch regarding rashes, burning sensations, red facial marks, and hives experienced while wearing the VR headset. These complaints often said that the users hadn’t felt particularly warm temperature-wise, so they were not building up sweat within the VR headset’s goggle portion. (My own review of Quest 2 mentioned so many complaints that I barely touched on my disdain for the cheap-feeling foam face liner, which felt like a serious downgrade from the Quest 1’s fabric. Quest 2 is marked by a number of downgrades from its predecessor, arguably to scrape back savings to make room for its spec upgrades.) By early 2021, Facebook posted a minor acknowledgment of the issue and described the problem as affecting “about 0.01 percent” of system owners.

Advertisement

That Facebook post was updated in April to confirm that the company had detected in the liners “trace substances” that “were already at levels below the industry standard,” without clarifying what those substances were or what industry standard it was referencing. Did Facebook mean “as compared to commonplace facial gear like ski goggles,” or did the company mean “with regard to virtual reality masks,” an industry that has yet to receive decades of product-review scrutiny?

In either case, Facebook pledged to “change our process to reduce [trace substances] further,” but the company didn’t remove the material entirely from the liner that makes constant contact with users’ faces. That action may have still run afoul of the CPSC’s rules about appropriately labeling anything that counts as an “irritant,” which the US agency defines as something that “causes a substantial injury to the area of the body that it comes in contact with. Irritation can occur after immediate, prolonged, or repeated contact.” Facebook has yet to clarify the exact source of the existing face mask’s irritation—including whether the culprit was the foam itself or any chemical treatment sprayed onto the foam ahead of being shipped to customers.

Tuesday’s recall follows a related disappearance of Oculus Quest 2 headsets across European Union nations in May, which Facebook confirmed was related to an EU commission looking into the system’s foam face mask amid users’ reports of irritation and worse. The headset has not yet returned to European retailers as of press time.

Thanks to Quest 2’s forced integration with Facebook accounts, it stands to reason that Facebook could begin targeting all Quest 2 owners with notices or advertisements about facial irritation, rashes, and hives across all connected Facebook services, including Instagram and Whatsapp. However, Facebook says it will contact affected users about this week’s recall via email, or they can go directly to a recall-related site and request a replacement of their own.

Source

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
News
  • Website

Related Posts

Flag Blockchain Sets a New Standard by Forking the Popular Polygon Blockchain

September 18, 2023

Best Internet Providers in Columbia, South Carolina

August 1, 2023

New Apple Watch Weather app: How it looks and works

July 27, 2023

Protect Your iPhone 14 to the Max with Casetify’s New iPhone Cases

July 24, 2023

Samsung Hints at ‘Slimmer and Lighter’ Foldable Phones Ahead of Unpacked

July 20, 2023

Sonic Frontiers sold more than SEGA anticipated, says company president

July 16, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts
  • Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together
  • Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token
  • Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask
  • Flag Blockchain Sets a New Standard by Forking the Popular Polygon Blockchain
  • Here’s how hot and extreme the summer has been, and it’s only halfway over
Recent Comments
    Demo
    Top Posts

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    A Look at the Future of More Sustainable Living and Travel

    June 5, 2021

    Germany’s patriotism paradox

    July 18, 2021
    Don't Miss

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    [Frisco, TX] – Flag Media, a dynamic and innovative conglomerate, is proud to announce the…

    Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token

    September 22, 2023

    Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask

    September 19, 2023

    Flag Blockchain Sets a New Standard by Forking the Popular Polygon Blockchain

    September 18, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Demo
    Most Popular

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    A Look at the Future of More Sustainable Living and Travel

    June 5, 2021

    Germany’s patriotism paradox

    July 18, 2021
    Our Picks

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token

    September 22, 2023

    Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask

    September 19, 2023
    Editor's Pick

    NASA’s Massive Artemis I Moon Rocket Arrives at Launch Pad Ahead of Historic Mission

    November 6, 2022

    Seismic Shifts In International Data Markets Demand Broadband Internet Policy Update

    November 23, 2022

    Fashion Futurist Caprece Ann Jackson Expands the Sustainable Fashion Movement

    June 12, 2023
    Futurist Journal
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2023 futuristjournal.com - All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.