By Brian Barnett
Oculus Rift Patch If you are having trouble opening the Oculus application on your PC, this Oculus Install Patch will update your Oculus system files with the proper certificate. For more information, please refer to the support article.
Update 2: Oculus has released a series of steps for fixing your Rift (via Polygon). Following the steps below should resolve any issues related to yesterday's 'Oculus Runtime Service' error.
To start, download Rift's latest patch. Once downloaded, open 'OculusPatchMarch2018.exe' and allow Windows to run it. If you see a 'Windows protected your PC' message, simply click 'More info' and then 'Run anyway.' As Polygon notes, this may require you to disable any anti-virus software, but you're safe to re-enable it after this process is completed.
Next, click 'Repair' and confirm you'd like to repair the Oculus software. You can then launch the Oculus app, which will trigger one last update for the app itself. Complete the update and your Rift should once again be functional.
Update: Oculus has confirmed Rifts around the world stopped working this morning due to an expired software certification. The company is currently working to resolve the issue. Below is Oculus' updated statement:
'Hey everyone - This is an issue with our software certification that we're still actively working on. 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. We’ll update you with the latest info as available. We recommend you wait until we provide an official fix. Thanks for your patience.'
Original story follows:
Oculus Rift devices around the world stopped working this morning, due to an error notifying users their devices were unable to reach the 'Oculus Runtime Service.'
In a post on Twitter, Oculus acknowledged the issue and said it's currently working on a fix. 'We're aware of an issue impacting people's ability to use Rift's software, and we're working to fix the problem,' the post reads.
Many users have reported the issue on Oculus' forums. Upon opening the Oculus application, users are greeted with the following error message: 'Can't Reach Oculus Runtime Service: Your Oculus software may be updating. Please wait a minute and try again.' Users are prompted to contact Oculus Support if the problem continues.
Once the error message has appeared, however, Polygon reports that Rift headsets are no longer usable, as there currently seems to be no way to properly restart the Oculus application. The issue may be caused by a lapsed security certificate which expired today.
IGN has reached out to Oculus for comment and will update this story if we receive a response. You can also keep up with the latest updates on Oculus' support forums.
For more on Oculus, check out the stand-alone Oculus Go VR headset announced late last year.
Brian Barnett is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow and chat with him (he's super friendly) on Twitter at @Ribnax.
Are you locked out of your Oculus Rift? There's a pretty decent chance you have -- Facebook appears to have goofed, and now its Windows-based virtual reality headset is totally unusable. (We confirmed with our own Rifts.)
Good news: Your headset isn't bricked, and there's now a fix right here. Plus, Oculus tells us you'll automatically get a $15 Oculus store credit as an apology if you used your Rift between Feb. 1 and March 7.
Original story:
You can use a simple workaround to get back in VR almost immediately... albeit a risky one you may want to immediately revert afterwards.
- Right-click on the clock, likely located in the lower-right hand corner of your Windows desktop
- Select adjust date/time.
- Uncheck set time automatically, then click Change.
- Set your computer's time and dateto a few days in the past.
Why does that work? Most likely because Facebook failed to update the Oculus Rift software's security certificate, which Windows uses to tell whether programs are legitimate. You know, instead of being spoofed by a malware company or something.
But that's also why it's risky to set your Windows system's time to a date that's already past. So maybe wait for the official fix instead? That's what Oculus recommends.
'We are aware of and actively investigating an issue impacting ability to access Rift software. Our teams apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you and appreciate your patience while we work on a resolution,' reads the current official statement from Oculus. You can check out the official support thread or this Reddit thread to stay informed about a fix.
First published, March 7 at 11:48 a.m. PT.
First published, March 7 at 11:48 a.m. PT.
Update, 2:03 p.m. PT: Oculus has confirmed it's a security certificate issue, and recommends you wait for an official fix. '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,' the company writes.
Update, 5:48 p.m. PT: Oculus says it's still working on the issue but that the expired certificates are blocking the usual software update path.
Update, March 8 1:27 a.m. PT: Oculus has released an official patch to fix the issue. We can confirm it works on one of our affected PCs, and you can download and install it here.
Update, March 8 at 10:10 a.m. PT: Oculus says affected users will automatically get a $15 Oculus Store credit. We've confirmed with Oculus that includes anyone who used their Oculus Rift between Feb. 1 and March 7, so you can't just fire up your Rift now and get the credit.