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

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. (credit: 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.

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