Oculus Quest 2 is giving out free silicone covers due to skin irritation issues

The Oculus Quest 2 has a removable foam facial interface that's causing skin irritation for a small number of players, so Oculus has recalled the part and is offering a silicone cover free of charge. Furthermore, Quest 2 sales are being halted while Facebook works on adding the silicone cover to every package and bumping the base model's 64GB of storage all the way to 128GB for the same price.

In December, Oculus acknowledged reports of skin irritation "from about 0.01% of people using Quest 2," noting that the "vast majority of cases are mild and cases should resolve on their own." Regardless, the company said it was investigating the issue with experts in dermatology and toxicology to better understand its nature. It was then that Oculus said it was working on a tool for people to request a replacement part for free.

Then, in April, Oculus offered an update saying it had identified "a few trace substances that are normally present in the manufacturing process" and "were already at levels below the industry standard," but regardless could contribute to skin discomfort. Despite checking with experts who allegedly called the levels of trace substances "extremely low," Oculus said it took steps to reduce the levels further, with the hope of lowering the risk of skin irritation in Oculus Quest 2 users.

Today, Facebook is offering a free silicone cover that installs over the foam part that's causing skin irritation. Furthermore, it's temporarily pausing Oculus Quest 2 sales globally and packaging the new silicone part into all future units beginning August 24. Starting on the same date, the $299 base Oculus Quest 2 headset will now boast 128GB of storage space instead of 64GB as before, while the 256GB will continue to sell at $399.

Oculus says all you need to do to get your silicone cover is sign into your account with your Oculus ID and then head to My Devices to submit a request. However, at the time of writing, we weren't able to access the tool. That's not entirely unusual since it's just being rolled out today, but it's worth noting in case you're having trouble too.

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