Oculus introduces refund policy for Rift and Gear VR games

VR pioneer Oculus is now allowing users of its Rift and Gear VR headsets to request refunds for any games they have purchased.

The new refund policy is detailed on Oculus's support website and can be handled through the Oculus Store on whichever platform users require. The policies are similar across both formats, but with differing time limitations.

The Rift refund policy is similar to that of Steam. Users are eligible for an automated refund if they have spent less than two hours playing the game and the request is filed within two weeks of purchase.

Meanwhile, the Gear VR support page stipulates that users will only be eligible if they have played for less than 30 minutes and request after three days of purchase. This may seem quite strict, but most mobile VR titles are still built around short bursts of gameplay - partly for player comfort, and partly to conserve smartphone batteries.

On both pages, Oculus clarifies that those who don't qualify for an automatic refund or fail to file their request in time may still be able to receive their money back by contacting Oculus Support.

Oculus claims that automatic refunds should take no more than five days to review and seven to nine business days to process.

The introduction of a refund policy is a wise move given that virtual reality is still a very young technology. Some users are still affected by motion sickness, despite the best efforts of developers to make a smooth VR experience, so being able to claim back on titles that are uncomfortable to play should keep Oculus in good stead with its slowly growing audience.