Facebook has announced that it is ending sales of 64GB Oculus Quest 2 headsets. Instead the minimum storage quota for this device will be 128GB, but the price will remain at US$299. The company also sells a 256GB version of the device for $399 – a price that won't be changing. Oculus Quest 2 sales are currently paused while this re-jig takes place, and the headsets are all bundled with new silicone mask covers, with sales due to restart next month.
On the topic of the need for silicone mask covers, Facebook says that it has seen "reports that a very small percentage of Quest 2 customers experienced some skin irritation after using the removable foam facial interface that comes with Quest 2". As sales volumes have grown, Facebook now sees this issue as an unacceptable trend and thus has instigated a "joint voluntary recall of the Quest 2 removable foam facial interface with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada". Other countries look set to follow.
Facebook is inviting all current owners of a Quest 2 or a Fit Pack (contains the old foam cover) to request a silicone cover, which fits over the 'foam interface'. If you are in North America you can do this now, otherwise please wait for voluntary recall coverage. Facebook claims it did a thorough investigation into skin irritation reports due to the Quest 2 foam mask, and while it found "no unexpected nor hazardous contaminants," it still wanted to provide silicone covers to minimise the chances of skin irritation for all customers.
Checking the CPSC website (linked above), you can see that it received 5,716 complaints of skin irritation, plus "approximately 45 reports of consumers that required medical attention." It is estimated that 4 million Oculus Quest 2 headsets have been sold in the US.
If you are interested in the Oculus Quest 2, particularly now that the minimum storage has doubled for the same entry price, it looks like you will be able to buy into the platform starting from 24th August. Facebook says from that date, all Quest 2 headsets will come with the free silicone cover in the box. It is hoped that the expanded minimum storage will "give people more flexibility to instantly access and manage more content on a single device".
