The Oculus Rift S headset has had a rough road; it was launched in 2019 as a half-step ahead of its Oculus PC VR ancestor, the Oculus Rift, with a mix of new and old VR technology. It succeeded in securing its place as one of the more popular VR headsets, but over time it was quickly overshadowed by more technologically impressive units. Even its creator, Facebook, shifted most of its attention to the Oculus Quest 2 just a year after its release, perhaps deciding the fate of the Rift S.

According to Facebook, which spoke with UploadVR, Rift S inventory will not be replenished in the future and effectively stamped "end of life."

"The Rift S is still available in select channels worldwide, but as we announced last year, we plan to discontinue the Rift S in 2021," a Facebook representative told UploadVR. 'Generally speaking, once a channel's inventory sells out, it will not be replenished in the future.'

The Oculus Rift S may already be hard to find in some parts of the world. Here in the UK, you can still get it for £298. If you really have your heart set on an Oculus PC VR device, it seems best to get the shuffle.

The Rift S was a very popular device during its lifespan, dominating a significant portion of Steam's hardware survey. However, it was later topped by the Quest 2, which took the top spot not long after its launch in late 2020.

Even with so many great alternatives, it's a little sad to see the Rift S go; without a true tethered alternative for Oculus, its demise would mean the end of Oculus's designated PC VR efforts; Rift 2 rumors tend to end the same way. ： They were dismissed by Facebook's suits. Certainly, given the success of the company's standalone headset, this is not a surprise.

At the very least, most of the tethering experience can be easily emulated with the all-in-one Quest 2.

Check out our recommendations for the best VR headsets to see if another headset would be a suitable substitute: beyond Quest 2, which runs on the PC via Oculus Link, the Valve Index is practically high-end VR royalty today and has become the kingpin of high-end VR. There are also a variety of inexpensive and expensive sets on the market these days, including Vive and HP.