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Facebook removes VR demo stations from hundreds of Best Buy stores

Some shops may have gone days without giving a single demo of the Oculus Rift headset.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
3 min read
Watch this: Trouble for VR? Facebook ending slew of Oculus demos in Best Buys
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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dons an Oculus Rift VR headset.

Facebook

Ask any expert: You've gotta try virtual reality before you can understand its true potential.

So it wouldn't be a particularly good sign if, say, Facebook was having a hard time getting people to try in-store demos of its Oculus Rift VR headset.

Business Insider reported Wednesday that Facebook is closing 200 of its 500 pop-up Oculus Rift demo locations across the United States, due to "seasonal changes."

"We're making some seasonal changes and prioritizing demos at hundreds of Best Buy locations in larger markets," an Oculus spokeswoman confirmed to CNET.

According to Business Insider's sources, though, "seasonal changes" may be a euphemism. According to multiple unnamed Best Buy workers who reportedly spoke to the publication, it was common for the Oculus Rift pop-up stations to go days without giving a single demo.

It's not clear why, though: One source suggested it was a lack of interest from the public, another software bugs, and a third that Best Buy wasn't pushing people hard enough to try the headset.

(I can personally attest that whenever I walk into my local Best Buy store, the dummy headsets are left unmanned and it's not clear how to actually try one on. But I understand many people start by signing up at this website before they walk into the store.)

It's also not clear exactly how much interest there is in the headsets at stores beyond Best Buy, and among other manufacturers.

Microsoft often does demos at its stores of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, and says it sees "a lot of customer excitement" around those devices. "Microsoft Store offers at least one virtual reality demo experience in every one of its retail locations, and continues to expand VR offerings," the company said in an emailed statement.

HTC said that it has "seen Vive demos become an in-demand experience" at retail venues including Microsoft Stores and Fry's Electronics.

Sony didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Google declined to comment.

Also worth noting: In Best Buy's third-quarter earnings statement in November, based on data ahead of the busy holiday season, CEO Hubert Joly said Best Buy had already given 300,000 VR demos -- though that could include other headsets demoed at Best Buy, like Samsung's prominently placed Gear VR. Samsung declined to comment.

Oculus Touch and Rift (pictures)

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"We still believe the best way to learn about VR is through a live demo," said Oculus in an emailed statement, pointing out that hundreds of Best Buy stores in the US and Canada will still offer demos, as will Microsoft Stores and other partners in Canada, the UK, France and Germany. "We're going to find opportunities to do regular events and pop-ups in retail locations and local communities throughout the year."

"Making seasonal changes to where we demo Rift at Best Buy is not an indication of the health of Oculus or VR as an industry," an Oculus spokeswoman added.

Best Buy also points out that even at stores that are no longer offering Oculus Rift demos, the Oculus Rift headset and Oculus Touch controllers will still be on display and for sale.

"We're always testing, trying and changing things in our stores to give our customers the best opportunity to experience and shop for technology," writes the retailer, in an emailed statement.

While excitement was high early on, virtual reality has had a pretty slow start, and publicly, momentum seems to have slowed. You can read more about that from my colleague Ian Sherr.

Originally posted Feb. 8 at 11:11 a.m. PT.
Updated Feb. 9 at 7:01 a.m. PT: Added statements from Microsoft and HTC.

Disclosure: Sean Hollister's wife works for Facebook as a business-to-business video project manager.

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