How To Turn Off Oculus

The Oculus VR headsets are some of the most popular virtual reality headsets on the market.

With 3D positional audio built into the headsets, Six Degrees of Freedom tracking software (the headset tracks the movement from both the head and the body so no external sensors are needed) and hundreds of games and apps to use, they are well and truly ahead of the game (excuse the pun).

Oculus currently have multiple headsets on the go, including the Oculus Rift and the Oculus Quest.

With each new model they bring out – the most recent being the Oculus Quest 2 – their features keep getting better and better. But one thing that still remains a mystery is; how do you turn the Oculus off?

When you remove the Oculus headset, you think it automatically turns off. But actually it puts itself into standby mode. While we might think this is okay, in reality it is slowly draining the battery in this mode.

This means that the next time you pop your Oculus on to play some Beat Saber, there is no charge left because the battery has been depleting over time. However, we have this fixed!

Read on to find a clear guide as to how to turn the Oculus headsets off, so you’ll never be left with a dead VR set again.

How To Turn Off The Oculus Quest Range

The Oculus Quest headsets are very highly reviewed and regarded as top of the range for VR entertainment.

The Oculus Quest 2 was released last year, so it is still very advanced in terms of its newer features. The one thing that isn’t as advanced is its clarity on how to turn it off…

Now, there are multiple ways to turn off the headsets in the Oculus Quest range. However, the preferred option for this headset is through voice control.

Just as a side note – voice commands for the Oculus headsets are only available for customers using the Oculus in the United States, with English set as the default language. We’re not sure when this is going to change!

Before you start any voice commands on your Oculus, you have to turn on the voice commands option in the universal menu. This allows you to access the voice control – but you are able to turn it off at any point as well.

Next, you want to double press the Oculus button on the right controller. This will initiate the voice command option, and it will prompt you to give a command.

Here, you will want to say either ‘turn off’, ‘shut down’ or ‘power off’. If you forget these phrases, however, you can also say ‘What can I say?’ to receive a list of the possible supported commands.

If you feel uncomfortable turning on voice commands or are unable to use this feature, then you can use the power button. This will be covered in more detail in the Oculus Go range section!

How To Turn Off The Oculus Rift Range

While both of the Oculus Rift – Oculus Rift and Rift S – range has been discontinued, those who currently own one of the Oculus Rift headsets will of course still be able to use it. Both of these headsets follow the same power off routine.

Again, removing the headset from your head will automatically make it go into sleep mode, but it will steadily drain the power in standby. So, while the Oculus Rift and Rift S are able to use voice commands, there is a different recommended shut off method for this range.

After you are finished with your VR experience for the day, remove the headset from your head. Next, close the Oculus app on your computer.

You will then need to disconnect the cable that is connecting the headset to the console. This will also turn off the controllers, but if you want you can also remove the batteries from them.

How To Turn Off The Oculus Go Range

The Oculus Go headset was the first standalone headset from Oculus. This means that it has a built-in screen processor and battery, rather than being connected to a PC.

As with the Oculus Rift and Rift S, however, this has also been discontinued. This doesn’t stop the users who previously bought it from enjoying its wireless freedom though!

As with the Quest and the Rift range, the Oculus Go will respond to shut down voice commands. But for a completely failsafe method of shutting down your Oculus, we have two more ways explained below.

The first one is to hold down the power button (located on the top of your Oculus with the tiny black – white when turned on – dot next to it) until you see the menu button pop up on the screen.

You will now be given a menu with three options; you can either choose ‘cancel’, ‘restart’ or ‘power off’. Choose ‘power off’ and it should immediately shut down.

The second method is to hold down that same power button, but this time you are going to wait until the white light on the top turns off. Once this dot turns black, your console is off.

Can The Oculus Headset Turn Itself Back On After You Have Powered It Off?

Technically, yes. After you have used your headset for quite some time, the battery will be drained so you are going to want to charge it.

However, when you plug it in to charge and the percentage reaches 60%, it will always turn back on. There is no reason why, and there is no way to stop it.

To fix this, you can charge your headset to 100% first, before turning off the Oculus. Then you can unplug it and turn it off fully. As the battery will be at full, there is no way for it to turn itself back on again!

Conclusion

To sum up, you can turn an Oculus headset off by doing one of three things. You can turn your headset’s voice control on (only available in the United States) and say any of these phrases: ‘turn off’, ‘shut down’ or ‘power off’.

You can close the Oculus app on your computer and disconnect the headset from the console by its cable. Or, you can hold down the power button on the top of your headset and choose ‘power off’.

Richard Jones
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