Newegg Stops Selling Oculus Rift, Fueling Hardware Update Speculations

Facebook’s Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset has disappeared from the website of electronics retailer Newegg, fueling speculations that the company may be getting ready to introduce an updated version of the device.The Rift is also listed as sold out on Bestbuy.com, and out of stock on Microsoft’s online store. Micro Center, another authorized retailer, currently warns customers of limited availability, noting on its site: “May not be in stock at time of order. No back orders.”Asked about this, a Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on any upcoming hardware updates. “Rift is still available for sale at Oculus.com and other channels, including Amazon,” that spokesperson said via email. “We don’t comment on future products, but are excited about the year ahead.”Newegg delisting the Rift headset was first noticed by Reddit user Vanfanel1car, who previously noticed stock shortages across all retail channels. Fellow Reddit users were quick to chime in and muse that the shortages may be a sign of Facebook discontinuing the original Rift hardware. “Clearing out the stock before they start selling (…) new models,” one user suspected. Facebook announced at its Oculus Connect developer conference in September of last year that it will release a new standalone headset dubbed the Oculus Quest this spring. The company has kept mum on plans to update the Rift, which was first introduced in early 2016.