Amid a global recall for the newly launched Note 7 due to exploding battery issues, Oculus warns that users should not use the device in the Gear VR headset prior to getting it replaced.
Following official confirmation of the defect by Samsung, which says a battery issue has led to 35 reported cases of Note 7 combustion, Oculus has tweeted a warning to Gear VR users:
Samsung Note7 owners: please don’t use with Gear VR until yours is replaced. Contact Samsung with q’s. https://t.co/OJL5z2dI9x
— Oculus (@oculus) September 4, 2016
While some reports of the combusting Note 7 have led to property damage, having a potentially dangerous phone mounted on your face is certainly a bigger safety (and legal) matter.
Samsung has begun a global recall for the phone, also saying they have stopped all sales of the phone as of September 2nd. The company has launched an exchange program for those who purchased the phone, providing the option to have the unit replaced or exchanged for another Samsung smartphone (including accessories). Samsung also says they’ll pay the price difference between exchanged phones. Bloomberg estimates the recall could cost the company as much as $1 billion.
Samsung, who collaborated with Oculus on the Gear VR headset, launched the latest version of the headset alongside the Note 7 last month. The new 2016 Gear VR headset supports the Note 7 and its new USB-C connector. The headset is also backwards compatible with all Samsung smartphones supported by the 2015 Gear VR headset thanks to a handy included adapter which swaps USB-C for MicroUSB. The new headset also features some subtle improvements over the previous model like a slightly improved field of view.
While the 2016 Gear VR runs $100, the 2015 model just dropped in price down to $60.
