Gamers who are still stuck with a Meta Quest 2, 3, or 3S that was bricked by a recent update will be glad to hear that Meta is offering replacements for the VR headsets. The offer is likely a relief to Meta Quest owners, but could still be perceived as a nuisance by some, especially new buyers.

Supported Meta Quests get regular updates, but unfortunately, something seems to have gone wrong with one of the most recent releases. Owners of the Meta Quest 2, 3, and 3S started reporting that following the update’s rollout, their Meta Quest headsets were bricked and would no longer function at all. Meta began investigating and initially suggested that players simply hard-boot their devices, but it wasn’t a solution that worked for everyone.

Now, Meta is making up for its mistake by offering replacements to users who haven’t had any success with its suggested solutions or updates. Players who still can’t get their headsets to work can visit Meta’s support site and request a replacement for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest 3S. Users will need to have basic information on-hand, like their account details and the serial number of their device. According to some reports, not all models seem to be covered according to the automated system. Anyone who finds themselves in this situation should try getting in touch with support, as they may be able to issue a replacement regardless.

This issue, which Meta officially acknowledged just days before Christmas, has likely left the team scrambling to find a fix. Christmas is a big deal for all gaming companies, as many players get gifted consoles, games, and headsets. While long-time owners have reported having issues when bringing their headsets out of storage following this update, the bigger problem is likely going to be with new buyers. Some who received the Meta Quest as a gift and can’t get it to work may simply end up returning the headset, and it could leave a bad impression on those who might have otherwise loved the VR experience.

According to VP Mark Rabkin, who leads both the Horizon OS and Meta teams, most headsets are now functioning and won’t need to be replaced. While this is obviously a frustrating situation for anyone to find themselves in, it’s good to see that Meta is taking the issue seriously and offering a fix for those who still need it. With any luck, whatever went wrong with this particular update won’t be repeated in the future.

Your changes have been saved

Meta Quest 3S

Meta Quest 3S is the budget alternative to the Meta Quest 3, one that still offers high-end performance. Supporting virtual and mixed reality, the headset comes with a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, 8GB RAM, HD resolution (1832×1920 pixels per eye), and roughly 2.5 hours of battery life.