Oculus promises Rift S software update will fix open-ear audio volume

Oculus’s Rift S tethered PC VR headset is only days old, but complaints have already piled up over the audio experience delivered by its open-ear speaker system. Thankfully, Oculus VR head Nate Mitchell has confirmed that a software update will soon address the issue, which the company apparently knew about but didn’t remedy before Rift S’s release.

Unlike the original Rift, which uses headphones, Rift S places speakers in its headband — a design decision inspired by a similar choice in the inexpensive all-in-one Oculus Go headset. This prioritizes convenience and comfort over immersion and audio quality. After Redditors opined that Rift S’s audio was “bad” if not “terrible,” Mitchell said that an upcoming “monthly Rift platform release” will “improve the audio quality of the onboard audio system,” later adding that the Rift S team has been working to improve both bass and overall volume.