Oculus Rift headsets everywhere are offline because of an expired security certificate [Update]
Oculus has released a fix to the Rift issue caused by an expired security certificate.
Update: Oculus has released a new patch that takes care of the problem. If you did get this error earlier today, you will need to manually download and install this patch.
The patch will ask to repair your Oculus software install, let it do its thing. It'll then download an update and you'll be back in business.
If you didn't run into the issue, or haven't used your Rift in a while, your Rift software will automatically grab the patch and install it. For those affected, Oculus is offering $15 in store credit.
The credit will show up in your account within the next seven days, but only if you used your Rift on or after February 1, 2018. Oculus has yet to announce this compensation through its social channels, but Rift owners received an email with these details.
Be sure to hit the link above for a step-by-step guide on how to install the patch, in case you're having trouble.
The original story continues below.
Original story: Reports from Oculus Rift owners worldwide have been pouring in about their headsets not working.
"Can't Reach Oculus Runtime Service", and "Failed to initialise with Oculus: Signature Invalid" are some of the error messages reported, and most are not able to launch games and apps through Oculus Home.
The problem was later identified to be the result of an expired Oculus Runtime Service security certificate. "For security, we use a certificate to ensure that the software you receive actually comes from Oculus," the company said.
"That certificate has expired, and we're looking at a few different ways to resolve the issue."
In a later update on Twitter, Oculus confirmed that it's still working on resolving the issue, but it's not going to be as simple as you think.
"We're still working hard to resolve the issue & are in the process of integrating an updated cert. This has some added complexity, as the expired cert blocks our standard update path. We're working through options & expect to have more details tonight."
This is clearly a big oversight, but Oculus is not ready to say definitively when the issue will be fixed.
Though you could set your system clock to a time before the certificate's expiry date, this is not recommended. Depending on the software you have on your PC, some apps check Windows time regularly and could lock you out as a way of preventing tampering with their files.
The best thing to do now is wait. We'll bring you updates as we have them.