The Oculus Rift S is fairly new to the VR scene, and there are a few bugs that still need ironing out. One issue that has been plaguing users is a crash to a black screen in certain games and apps, which often requires a full unplug of the head-mounted display (HMD) from your PC to get it working again. Needless to say, this issue can seriously get in the way of your fun, but there are a few fixes you can try that may help you avoid the black screen problem.
Products used in this guide
- Latest Rift HMD: Oculus Rift S (opens in new tab) ($399 at Amazon)
- Earbuds for Rift S: 1MORE Triple Driver earphones (opens in new tab) ($70 at Amazon)
How to fix Oculus Rift S black screen issues
It's uncertain what exactly is causing black screen issues with the Rift S, so there are a number of methods collected here that you can try out if you are experiencing the issue.
- Restart the Oculus Runtime Service
- Reseat the Rift S cable
- Adjust Oculus Rift S volume
- Update Windows 10 and your GPU drivers
- Delete and reinstall Oculus app and files
Restart the Oculus Runtime Service
In our experience, a quick way to fix a lot of issues with the Rift S is to stop and start the Oculus Runtime Service.
- Right-click the Start button.
- Click Search. You can also click the Search field directly if it is visible in your taskbar.
- Type services and hit Enter on your keyboard.
- Right-click Oculus Runtime Service.
- Click Restart. It will likely take a moment to finish.
Reseat the Rift S cable
The cable tether from your HMD has DisplayPort, USB-A on the PC end, and a single connector on the Rift S end. With some action, the Rift S end of the cable might come loose, which would result in a black screen. Here's how to reseat the tether.
- Pull out the face gasket around the left lens carefully. This includes the rubber portion as well as the foam. Do not just pull on the foam, as it will likely rip.
- Remove the cable from the Rift S. Now is a good time to check for any dust or damage.
- Reseat the cable in the Rift S, ensuring it has a tight fit.
- Replace the face gasket around the left lens by lining up the teeth and applying pressure.
You might also want to try swapping the DisplayPort cable to a different port on your GPU. Each GPU has a "primary" port, and though it's likely not labeled, this might be causing issues if you're plugged into a secondary DisplayPort.
Adjust Oculus Rift S volume
It seems that in some cases loud volume from the built-in speakers will cause your Rift S display to go dark. This is particularly noticeable when playing shooting games due to the volume of fired guns, but you might get the same problem from other games with loud bursts of noise.
To fix this, you can either try lowering the volume of the Rift S built-in speakers or you can plug in a set of third-party headphones (opens in new tab) to the HMD.
Here's how to lower the volume once you're already in VR.
- Press the Oculus button on your right Touch controller to bring up the Dash.
- Select the Quick Options button on the right side of the dash. It looks like three periods in a row.
- Select a volume level on the bottom audio slider.
Update Windows 10 and your GPU drivers
A black screen could mean something is up with your graphics card (GPU), so checking for any driver updates is a good idea.
AMD's support page and NVIDIA's support page (opens in new tab) both let you choose your exact GPU to get the latest drivers for your hardware. If you have desktop apps installed from your GPU vendor, updates can be acquired there, too.
As always, be sure Windows 10 isn't sitting on any updates. To check, follow these steps.
- Right-click the Start button.
- Click Search. You can also click the Search bar if it's visible in your taskbar.
- Type update and hit Enter on your keyboard.
- Click Check for updates. Windows 10 will handle the rest, though you will likely need to restart your PC if there are indeed updates available.
Delete and reinstall Oculus app and files
If nothing else is working and you're about ready to send in an Oculus Support ticket (opens in new tab), you can go for broke and delete Oculus files and reinstall the app.
Because Oculus is always looking for updates, you first want to disconnect your PC from the internet. Unplug your Ethernet cable or disable Wi-Fi for the time being. You can also make backups of your Oculus content, but you can also just re-download the games and apps after reinstalling the Oculus app. Finally, before continuing with the steps below, boot your PC into Safe Mode.
- Launch File Explorer from your desktop, taskbar, or Start menu.
- Click Local Disk (C:).
- Double-click Program Files.
- Double-click Oculus.
- Double-click OculusSetup.
- Click Uninstall.
- Click Uninstall.
Once the Oculus app has been uninstalled, there are some file folders you'll want to delete.
- Launch File Explorer from your desktop, taskbar, or Start menu.
- Click Local Disk (C:).
- Double-click Program Files.
- Right-click the Oculus folder.
- Click Delete.
There are also some folders under your username that must be deleted.
- Launch File Explorer from your desktop, taskbar, or Start menu.
- Double-click Users.
- Double-click Your Name.
- Double-click AppData.
Within the AppData folder are three sub-folders, titled Local, LocalLow, and Roaming. Each of these folders contains an Oculus folder that must be deleted before continuing.
Once the app has been uninstalled and you've deleted Oculus folders in AppData, restart your PC without Safe Mode, connect your PC to the internet, and grab a fresh installer of the Oculus app (opens in new tab) from the Oculus website.
Our top equipment picks
The Rift S is the latest PC-powered VR headset from Oculus. It has ditched external sensors for five built-in sensors known as Oculus Insight, and it has a new design with built-in audio. There are still some kinks to work out, but the VR experience on offer is well worth the effort.
(opens in new tab)
Oculus Rift S
PC-powered VR
The next evolution of the Rift brings improved lenses, a display with a higher pixel count than the original, and a redesigned head strap and tracking system, but you're still tethered to a PC.
If you find that lowering the volume on your Rift S or plugging in third-party headphones helped with the black screen issue, you might be looking for a quality pair to use with your HMD. Though a lot of over-ear cans will work with the Rift S, you'll have to deal a lot less with slipping and fitting with a pair of earbuds.
(opens in new tab)
1MORE Triple Driver earphones
Louder audio while Rifting
With these earbuds, you should be able to crank up the volume in your Rift S without worrying about any black screen problems. They're comfortable, they offer great sound, and you won't have to deal with over-ear cans slipping or fitting over the Rift S halo headband.
Additional Equipment
If you're looking for some Oculus Rift S accessories to take VR to the next level, we've rounded up a bunch of the best out there, from extension cables to stands to hygiene solutions. Here are some of our favorites.
Energizer rechargeable batteries (opens in new tab) ($14 at Amazon)
The Touch controllers included with the Rift S each require a AA battery to operate and, speaking from experience, you're going to want to invest early in some rechargeable batteries to save money in the long run. This pack includes a wall charger that can handle four AAs at once, so you shouldn't have any downtime while waiting for a charge.
Cable Matters 6-foot USB-A cable (opens in new tab) ($7 at Amazon)
If you're extending the DisplayPort cable on your Rift S head-mounted display, you'll no doubt also want to extend the USB cable to match. This option from Cable Matters should have no issues working with the Rift S, and it's long enough to fit most setups.
Rankie six-foot DP cable (opens in new tab) ($8 at Amazon)
The Rift S has made the switch over to DisplayPort 1.2 for a video connection, so you'll need an extension cable to match. This one from Rankie has been seen working with the Rift S, and it's the same length as our recommended USB-A extension so that there's no extra slack lying around.
SecurOMax microfiber cloths (opens in new tab) ($9 at Amazon)
There's nothing worse than foggy or dirty Rift S lenses. They obstruct your ability to focus on the action in the headset properly, and frankly, they're just gross. These cloths from SecurOMax won't scratch your headset's lenses and you'll be glad you have them on hand after a couple of sessions.
Cale Hunt is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on laptop reviews, news, and accessory coverage. He's been reviewing laptops and accessories full time since 2016, with hundreds of reviews published for Windows Central. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.
FAQs
How to fix Oculus Rift S black screen problems? ›
...
I'm getting a black screen in my Oculus Rift S headset or display...
- Open the Oculus app on your computer.
- Click Settings on the left side of the app.
- Click Beta at the top of the settings options.
- Click Restart Oculus.
If you get stuck during the in-VR setup process, rebooting your Meta Quest 2 headset will often fix the issue, and allow you to continue setting up your headset. To reboot your Meta Quest: With your headset on, hold the power button on the right side of your headset down until you're prompted with a shut-down screen.
How do you repair Rift S? ›- Go to www.oculus.com/setup scroll down to Oculus Rift S and click Download software.
- Select Repair. If Windows asks you if you're sure you want to open this file, click Yes. ...
- Allow the repair process to run, download and install.
- Launch the Oculus PC app.
Why is my VR Screen Black? The three main reasons for VR Screen black are due to the headset cable connection problem, due to the wrong camera placement of the headset, and due to VR not detecting headset.
Why does my Oculus Rift S never work? ›Make sure that your Rift S headset is plugged into your dedicated graphics card. If you try to use your integrated graphics card, the headset won't connect. Make sure that your Rift S and computer are up-to-date.
How do I troubleshoot the black screen of death? ›The mouse is responsive; you might see some desktop icons; there is no taskbar. In short, Windows 10 is stuck with a black screen. To resolve this problem, simply hold the power button down on your PC or laptop to switch off the computer. A cold start should result in the system booting properly.
How do I Factory Reset my Oculus? ›- Open the Oculus app on your phone.
- Tap Devices in the bottom menu.
- Tap the headset connected to your phone.
- Tap Advanced Settings.
- Tap Factory Reset and then Reset.
It took a little bit, but the Rift S is no longer available on the Oculus website, having vanished without a direct successor to a dedicated PC VR headset. Those duties have been handed off to the Quest 2, a standalone headset (the hardware is built in) that can also be tethered to a PC.
How do I stop Rift S from crashing? ›Disabled USB selective suspend setting in the Windows Power Options. Unplugging all of my other USB devices. Checked that the DisplayPort wire connection in the headset is connected properly. Ran the Oculus software in Administrator.
What does orange light mean on Oculus Rift s? ›ago. Additional comment actions. It can happen if the headsets firmware gets a bit stuck. You might be able to tell that when it's off it's actually white and orange. Essentially the orange light is stuck on.
How do I update Rift S firmware? ›
- Right click on your desktop and select AMD Radeon Settings. ...
- Select Information on the menu.
- Select Software Update.
- Select Check for updates now.
- Download and install the latest graphics card drivers (64-bit drivers are required).
The VR headset displays no image
Unplug the VR headset connection cable from the VR headset and then plug it back in. Try bypassing the VR headset connection cable and plug the headset directly into the processor unit. If this corrects the problem it may be an issue with the VR headset connection cable.
Unplug/replug the breakaway connector to power-cycle the headset and restart SteamVR. If the headset remains in standby mode, try reinstalling USB drivers for SteamVR devices: Unplug your headset from the USB port. Navigate to the SteamVR status window.
Does Oculus have a warranty? ›The following services are part of our Enterprise support package: 2-year warranty on all devices. Begins at the point of device activation.
Is black screen of death fixable? ›Repair a Black Screen of Death in Safe Mode
Driver and hardware issues leading to a black screen of death issues can be fixed in safe mode. If your computer hangs with a black screen, restart it and hold down F8 or Shift and F8. This should be able to boot the PC into safe mode.
To fix a black screen on an iPhone or Android, the first (and easiest) step is to do a hard reset. This basically entails rebooting the phone's software. A hard reset can be performed right on your phone, although the process differs depending on what type of device you own.
Why does my screen keep going black? ›The top common reasons for your monitor keep going black randomly are: The cable connections – Check your video cables and video ports. Bad Drivers – Check if they are outdated or corrupt. Bad Power Supply – Check whether the power supply and the right amount of voltage are being delivered.
What does factory reset do? ›A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled. To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account. Learn how to back up your data.
Does Oculus Rift's need factory reset? ›The Rift S is essentially just a VR Monitor and receiver, it's not like the Quest 2, it doesn't store any info itself, it doesn't process anything, that's why it needs a PC to do anything. Nope, I just sold my Oculus Rift S and there is no factory reset.
Why is my Oculus Go stuck on a loading screen? ›Why is my Oculus Go stuck showing 3 dots loading when I turn it on? This is a known issue with the Oculus Go. It can occur when there are account synchronization issues, such as when an Oculus account password has been changed, or a different WiFi network has been used.
Why is my Quest 2 not loading anything? ›
Make sure your Oculus software is fully up-to-date. Try plugging your Quest 2 into a PC with a USB cable. Some users have reported that this has worked for them. If neither of these works, then it may be time to consider a factory reset.
Why is my Oculus Quest 2 stuck on the logo screen? ›As we have discussed, if the logo is hanging when you turn the Quest 2 headset on, it is likely because the headset is updating the core software. If that core software update gets interrupted, doing a factory reset on top of it will NOT likely fix this issue.
Why is my Oculus go not turning on? ›If your Oculus Go isn't responding or the controller isn't working—and the volume keys aren't working on the Power Off menu—it's time for a forced reboot. Yes, this actually happened to us a few times. Just hold down the power button for about 10 seconds, and the unit should turn off.
Is there a reset button on Oculus Quest 2? ›How to Factory Reset your Meta Quest 2 - YouTube