VR Cover, the company known for its aftermarket accessories for VR headsets, recently revealed their latest project, an array of Oculus Rift-compatible facial interfaces and foam padding that effectively replaces the one shipped stock with the Rift.
Along with the big reveal of the Rift at the company’s pre-E3 ‘Step into the Rift’ event last year, Oculus announced that multiple facial interfaces would be made available for the headset, an effort to appease both the glasses-wearers and lumpy headed among us. To the surprise of many, only a single foam insert was included in the box.
While the Rift’s stock facial insert clips in an out of the headset with ease, the problem lies in the fact that Oculus doesn’t sell additional interfaces on their store. The image below, showing Oculus’ original intention to ship two facial interfaces, was recovered from an Internet Archive page captured in late June 2015.
Enter VR Cover, a company that’s been producing hygienic covers for practically everything since the Oculus Rift DK2 back in 2014, and more recently prescription lenses for headsets through their Kickstarter-funded VR Lens Lab. Now, the company is filling a new niche with its swappable facial interfaces and replacement foam pads.
Support ‘Oculus Rift Facial Interfaces’ Kickstarter
To do this, the VR Cover team reverse-engineered a stock facial interface, and even engaged in what company founder Jay Uhdinger says were some “helpful talks with Oculus” to bring the project to life. Uhdinger maintains that the company’s aftermarket parts are in no way an officially sanctioned replacement, but says they “work flawlessly and will enable you to use a variety of face foam paddings on your Oculus Rift.”
Offering both ‘standard’ (what appears to be an exact copy of the stock interface) and an elongated version especially for glasses-wearers, VR Cover will be shipping the interfaces alongside a line of velcro-lined foam pads.
Currently only two foam pads are available to choose from—a thinner version for a wider FOV, and a ‘standard size’ version made from memory foam, both covered in PU leather, a material made from a split leather backing finished with a layer of polyurethane. According to the Kickstarter though, “[i]t’s very likely that we will have more options for you to choose from before we ship your reward.”
The lowest reward tier (€29 EUR ~ $32 USD) includes a single, black facial interface (glasses or standard), and a single replacement foam pad of your choosing. Rewards are slated to ship in September of this year.
Disclosure: I received a VR Cover for review on my personal blog late 2014.