Acquiring a new Oculus Quest calls for budgetary considerations, which you will likely consider given the guarantee of value for your money. Despite its high value, the Oculus Quest is not immune to damages and requires proper handling. Mishandling your headset or exposing it to weather elements such as rain or sun may cause irreversible damage.
So, does the sun damage Oculus Quest? Exposing your Oculus Quest to the sun for a couple of minutes to hours can result in sun damage. Usually, the lenses will focus on the light, causing a burn in the headset’s display. This damage is usually permanent, forcing you to replace your headset if you are to enjoy the game obstacle-free.
As such, you should avoid leaving your Oculus Quest lenses facing the windows. You may also want to make it a rule in case of shared headsets that the parties should place it away either in a closet or drawer to ensure no one leaves it in the wrong place where it is prone to sun damage.
VR headsets, including the Oculus Quest, feature mobility. This may tempt users to walk out with them without employing necessary precautions, resulting in costly consequences. Read on to know if the sun can damage your Oculus Quest and what to do to prevent this when using your headset indoors and outdoors.
As stated earlier, mild to extreme exposure of your headsets to direct sun will damage the lenses and display. When the Oculus Quest lenses come into contact with sunlight, the lenses will magnify these rays and damage the screen permanently.
The extent of damage will depend on the type of lenses per the manufacturer. While you cannot go by testing each lens to establish which is more resistant to the damage, it is important to exercise precaution.
These lenses can damage within less than a minute of exposure, even if this exposure happens while the headsets are indoors. As such, avoid storing your headsets near doors or windows where they can get sunlight exposure.
You will recognize sun damage by a dark spot surrounded by a light circle. The burn may be so bad that it looks like a large smeared spot in severe cases. Unfortunately, sun damage is outside the standard warranty on your Oculus Quest, and you will not get a free replacement when this happens.
Thus, ensure you place your headset away from windows and direct sunlight to prevent damage. Where you suspect sun rays penetration, you can secure your space by closing blinds around the area where you place your lenses. After use, ensure you store your headset properly, preferably in its casing or with the lenses facing away from the sun.
While avoiding the sun is the best way to protect your VR headset from damage, you may need to use it while outside. In this case, ensure safety from portability by covering the lenses. It is advisable to transport your headsets in their case, but if this is impossible, cover the lenses with a piece of cloth during transportation.
Alternatively, utilize sun protection accessories such as the VR lens cover, lens protector, and Hard Shell Travel case, depending on the Oculus Quest version you are using. During transportation, you should keep your headsets intact in their case as long as the sun is shining and only use them when you are back indoors.
Is Oculus Quest Sweat Proof?
VR headsets, including the Oculus Quest, are revolutionizing the gaming industry, not to mention their impact on fitness. However, when it comes to fitness and headsets, users are concerned about whether continuous sweating with their headsets on will damage these devices over time.
The Oculus Quest is not sweatproof and may damage from constant sweat penetrating it. Luckily, you can use this hardware with sweatproof accessories to enjoy the comfort and maintain hygiene in shared headsets. These accessories include skull caps, VR cover, and Microfiber cloths.
It is advisable to use the sweat-absorbent skull caps when working out using the Oculus Quest. These caps are affordable, easy to find, and the brand does not affect their functionality as much. They are useful in aerobic sports and sufficient for an average VR gamer. Wearing a headband or full head cover will also prevent your sweat from flowing into the head strap at the back of your head.
Silicone VR covers are another alternative you can explore. The Quest features a sweat-absorbent material in its facial interface. However, workouts will cause you to sweat more often, and the sweat may penetrate your headset. This will be unhygienic and gross in the long run. Thus, to prevent this, use silicone covers.
These covers are waterproof and will block the sweat from accumulating on your face or running down your head from penetrating your headset. Despite being effective in proofing your headsets from sweat, silicone covers require you to take them off severally, as they accumulate the sweat.
This will be a problem in intense fitness sessions as you will have frequent disruptions. However, with less active games, you should be fine with cleaning the silicone after finishing your workout.
If you are focused more on hygiene than sweat resistance, microfiber cloths are ideal. They are also an important accessory, and every Oculus Quest owner should have them. This is because scratching your lenses has no known fix.
A microfiber cloth will come in handy, wiping the sweat off your lenses. Since lenses are very sensitive parts of your Oculus Quest, ensure you invest in a high-quality microfiber cloth. A decent microfiber cloth will sell between 4 and 10 dollars.
The Oculus Quest features a replaceable stock facial interface. This feature allows third-party developers to manufacture comfortable sweat-resistant and comfort mods for these headsets. An example of such a mod is the leather foam interface.
Fitting this interface on your Oculus Quest will take less than ten minutes, after which you can enjoy comfort while working out. The foam padding features a leather lining that is easy to wipe and clean.
This way, you can get rid of the sweat much faster. In addition to the hygiene, this interface is also more comfortable than the original facial interface that comes with the Quest. It features a thinner foam padding that brings your eyes closer to the lenses for a wider field of view. However, this feature may be a good or bad addition depending on the type and size of your face, not to mention your comfort levels with Virtual Reality.
The leather foam interface does not match the silicone cover despite its comfort. This is because it is not completely waterproof. As such, some sweat will soak into the padding, and you should take off your headset several times to wipe off the interface if you want to keep it clean. However, this is unnecessary in short workout sessions or less sweaty individuals.
How Do You Clean Sweat Off Oculus?
If you use your Oculus headsets for workouts, demos, or training, or you share it with more than one person, cleaning it is necessary to maintain good hygiene. This is because your headset will have regular exposure to sweat, dust, and body oils that can easily transfer between users, not to mention their damage to your headsets if left to accumulate.
Bacteria may also grow on the foam cushions after wearing these headsets for a few days and knowing how to clean off the sweat to prevent this growth is necessary. In addition to good hygiene, a clean headset will improve your gameplay experience.
To clean your Oculus, use a soft cloth to wipe off the sweat and oils. You should use antibacterial wipes with shared headsets and controllers as long as it does not have alcohol or abrasive ingredients. The main focus areas include the eyepiece, which is the part that you touch when putting on and taking off the headset. You should also pay attention to the halo adjustment ring at the back.
When cleaning your lenses, avoid using liquid cleaners such as lens cleaners or damp paper towels. Instead, use a microfiber cloth, similar to the one used in cleaning computer screens and eyeglasses.
This cloth is good at keeping your lenses free of scratch, given that there is no way to fix a scratched lens. The microfiber cloth is also useful in wiping larger debris and smudges. Start at the center and wipe outwards in a circular motion when wiping the lenses. You should air dry your lenses in a sunlight-free zone to prevent sun damage. To clean debris and dust around the lenses, use a compressed air canister.
Wipes will come in handy cleaning the softer areas of the headset, including the foam and headband. Afterward, leave these surfaces to air dry. It is advisable to wait until your headset dries completely before use to prevent the introduction of more microorganisms in an already damp environment. When cleaning the facial interface, pay special attention to the nose area. After cleaning the foam, wait for it to dry completely before use.
It is normal to feel tempted to use a hairdryer or expose the device to direct sunlight to speed up the drying process. While this may work, it can degrade the material. As such, you should store your Oculus in an area with good air circulation after cleaning to allow drying.
Remember, your warranty will not cater to cosmetic wear and tear, which is why you should be gentle in the cleaning process. You should also avoid a closed-up area when drying your headset, as it will contribute to odors, making it uncomfortable to use.
The face pad comes in direct contact with sweat, but luckily, it is removable, making cleaning much easier. Start by removing the face pad from your Quest and hand washing it using a gentle detergent. Next, pat it dry and leave it to air dry. You can then reinsert it and ensure it clips well at the top and bottom.
Sweat will also accumulate on the hand controllers since some individuals have sweaty hands. You can use wet wipes or a lightly damp paper towel to clean your controller. Alternatively, use a compressed air canister to clean the buttons and inside the analog stick.
Generally, it will not take long to wipe the sweat off your Oculus Ques as long as you use the right cleaning supplies. The face pad is the only part that requires more attention, and if you do not share your headset, you may not need to clean it regularly, especially if you are using the right sweat-proof accessories. Also, keeping your headset in a clean area, free from dust and moisture, will reduce the number of times you will need to clean, leaving more time to play.
After cleaning your headset and it is ready to use, it is advisable to clean your face before wearing it. You can use an antibacterial wipe to do this. This way, you will reduce the amount of grease, oil, and dead skin that finds its way to your headset, minimizing the amount of bacteria build-up on the headset.
Also, in the case of shared headsets, avoid sharing them if you suspect an individual is unwell to avoid transmitting microorganisms. If you are working out, you can reduce your sweating by turning on the air conditioning.
This way, you will keep your face as cool as possible while playing and reduce the accumulation of sweat on your face cushion. Finally, after cleaning your headsets, place them in a clean area free from dust.
Wrap Up
The Oculus Quest has revolutionized gaming and workout. However, this device features limitations and will damage easily if exposed to certain factors such as the sun and water. Exposing your Oculus headsets to the sun will cause sun damage.
This damage is evident on the lenses, and you should avoid leaving your headsets in direct sun or indoors where the sun rays penetrate. You should use blinders or place your Oculus Quest in its casing after use.
Equally, the Oculus Quest will damage if exposed to continuous sweating. Thus, utilize sweat-proof accessories to protect your headset. From time to time, clean your headsets, paying attention to the face pads and controllers, which accumulate a lot of sweat. You should also use the right detergent for each part to avoid damages. With proper care, your headset will wear and tear normally, preventing unplanned expenses.
