Oculus Rift Headsets Have Stopped Working [Update: Fix Released]

Update: Oculus has now released a software update that resolves the ongoing issues. You'll need to download a patch from the official website and have it "repair" your Oculus software. Full details on grabbing the file and how to use it are outlined here. The original story follows.

Oculus Rift headsets have stopped working as part of a huge, widespread technical snafu that the company is currently trying to fix. Rift users have been unable to boot up their headsets today due to an expired security certificate. The headsets are rendered basically useless now.

"This is an issue with our software certification that we're still actively working on," Oculus said on its website. "For security, we use a certificate to ensure that the software you receive actually comes from Oculus. That certificate has expired, and we're looking at a few different ways to resolve the issue."

In a follow-up post, Oculus said it is in the process of updating the certificate, but this is not so easy to do. "Unfortunately, pushing the update out to affected users has some added complexity, as the expired cert blocks our standard software update path," Oculus said. "We're working through the options now, and we expect to have more details to share later this evening."

According to Engadget, it might be possible to fix your Rift headset manually by tinkering with the system clock. However, this is no advisable, given it can have unintended negative effects. Oculus said in its support post that it recommends you wait until the company can release an official fix instead of trying to do so yourself and potentially making things worse.

"Our teams apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you and appreciate your patience while we work on a resolution," Oculus said.

We'll report back as more details become available. Is your Rift headset not working or are you experiencing other issues right now? Let us know in the comments below!