Oculus Releases A Patch For Broken Rift Headsets

Yesterday, we told you about an interesting problem that was affecting Oculus Rift headsets around the world. Many users were finding that their headsets wouldn't run software, instead returning an error that centered around an expired security certificate. It took Oculus a little while, but it now has a fix prepared for those who are affected by this issue.

The patch was shared in the support forum thread where Oculus first acknowledged the issue. Applying this update is a little more complex than it usually would be, owing once again to that expired certificate, which Oculus says "blocks our standard software update path." Even though an expired security certificate seems like a minor problem, it has certainly caused a lot of headaches in this instance.

In any case, if you're seeing the error, which says "Can't Reach Oculus Runtime Services," you can find instructions on how to apply the fix over on the Oculus website. The process of fixing the error involves downloading the patch from Oculus, repairing your Oculus software, and then opening then Oculus app and updating that when prompted as well. As I said, it's a little more complex than applying your run-of-the-mill Oculus update, but it should still be doable.

This little debacle yesterday caused quite the outcry. In the time before Oculus acknowledged the problem, many Rift owners around the world took to the internet to complain about their seemingly bricked headsets. Users and developers were even able to identify the root cause of the problem and come up with a workaround before Oculus realized that something was wrong.

At the time of this writing, that thread over on the Oculus support forums has 67 pages of replies, so this certainly doesn't seem like it was an isolated incident. The good news, at least, is that this update should fix the problem, though keep in mind that only those who are seeing the "Can't Reach Oculus Runtime Services" error should apply it. Were you one of the Rift owners affected by this problem? Head down to the comments section and let us know!