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If you're one of the thousands eagerly awaiting your second iteration of the Oculus Rift headset but you don't happen to trawl through the official forums on a daily basis, you might have missed that there's a nasty issue with the DK2s currently being shipped out: the lenses scratch really easily.
There've been complaints on the official forum for a while now, without much of a comment from Oculus on the matter other than it's looking into it. It's not clear if the first batch of headsets featured lower quality lenses, or if there was a problem with the manufacturing process, but regardless, the end result is the same: those cleaning their lenses with the bundled cloth are scratching them quite badly.
Someone did suggest that some form of micro-contaminant has found its way into the packaging, thereby turning the cleaning cloths into fine sandpaper. However, some have found little problem with their cloths, so it's all up in the air at the moment.
Scratches are small enough not to show up in most demos, but can get quite severe over time with repeat cleaning
Some suggestions from users have involved buying lens protectors, which some have reported positive results from, though others have suggested that it creates too much glare. Others have suggested compressed air cleaning only, but that of course doesn't tackle the grease that builds up if you accidentally smear your forehead on the lenses, which you often want as close to your face as possible for maximum field of view.
One other suggestion has been to use a LensPen lens cleaner. Since this is a product typically designed for sensitive camera lenses, it perhaps offers the best solution without impeding your view.
KitGuru Says: We'll be keeping an eye on the official forum thread – not least because I have my own Rift DK2 coming soon – and we'll update you if we hear anything concrete from Oculus.
Image Source: zebrastealer
This is what I really hate… how about no suggestions for stupid workarounds? How about the really expensive product works and feels nice because it’s built well? None of these suggestions get around the fact that these lenses can be scratched that bad by anything other than a key or a razorblade and that is ridiculous. Reading this makes me lose excitement and purchasing interest in the Rift just because Oculus isn’t basically saying we are looking into solutions and new materials and estimate when there will be news of a solution.
Just hold your horses. Consumers are such brats. Obviously this isn’t good for business. This is ground breaking technology that DOESN’T EXIST, so please pardon quality assurance issues as it is being manifested into existence. Give them at least 3 business days for Christ sakes. These are AMERICANS. They have children, flu’s, car accidents, and they need sleep too. Anything you receive in an unreasonable timeframe is just bullcrud some PR person has to put out for impulsive fiends like you.
It’s also worth noting that these are DEVELOPMENT kits.
This is still a prototype (albeit like in the prototyping stages)
There will be problems.
They should make the lenses interchangable in my opinion, they’re going to end up being scratched in the end anyway.
Easily isn’t the right word. They’re proactively scratchable. If you’re at work thinking about them that’s probably scratching them. If you blink and your eyelash touches them that’s a scratch. If you call your mom and tell her how cool it is that’ll put a big scratch on them. Be careful!