Facebook has suspended sales of its Oculus Quest 2 headset since the sponge material used on the device, in contact with the face, has caused in some cases a serious “skin irritation”. The suspension of sales was decided despite the fact that in December the company had stated that only 0.01% of users were affected.
Oculus Quest 2, sales suspended temporarily due to some skin irritations
Facebook has long been aware of the possibility that the sponge used in the viewer can cause skin irritation. In a post by December 2020, the company said: “We have received reports of skin irritation from approximately 0.01% of people using Quest 2, occurring where the foam part of the Quest 2 headset rests on the face. While the vast majority of cases are mild and cases should resolve themselves, this does not meet our high standards for customer experience. “
After that, in theApril 2021, Facebook had decided that there was no problem with its viewers, posting an update:
“After conducting a thorough investigation into this issue, we found no contamination or unexpected substances in our manufacturing process. We have identified some traces of substances normally found in the manufacturing process that may be contributing to skin discomfort, and although they were already at levels below the industry standard, we have carefully modified our process to further reduce them.
We have confirmed with expert dermatologists and toxicologists that these levels are considered extremely low. While this issue has only been reported by a very small percentage of Quest 2 users, with these changes, we believe users are even less likely to experience irritation. We encourage all customers who experience any irritation when using Quest 2 to contact Oculus support for material replacement. “
Photo Credits: Facebook.
Sales will resume on August 24, with an additional accessory
But obviously some problems were detected, as yesterday the company published another update. Facebook has indeed decided to temporarily suspend sales of Quest 2 globally. Sales will resume on August 24, with a silicone cover which will replace the offending foam rubber one. In addition, those who already own an Oculus Quest 2, can request the silicone cover to be received at home.
According to a document published by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) together with Health Canada, users affected by skin rashes would be 5716, of which about 45 required medical attention.