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submitted 6 months ago by utopiah@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

Meta XR headsets are very cheap for the performance they give. Unfortunately they require a Meta account and one can assume as much data as legally possibly is sent back to the advertising company.

For years now, since the Quest 1, those Android devices have not been rooted except for some specific version number of the Quest 2.

This recent work https://github.com/FreeXR/eureka_panther-adreno-gpu-exploit-1 makes the latest headset with a rather recent update (but NOT the very last ones, so be cautious!) rootable.

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[-] tabular@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Waiting on a software freedom-respecting headset.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Yesssssss!

Using root on META Quest 3/3S is very dangerous SINGLE CHANGE IN THE BOOTLOADER PARTITION WILL RESULT IN A HARD BRICK AND MAKE YOUR DEVICE UNUSABLE!!! requiring one to unsolder the UFS chip and reprogramming it with external (and expensive) hardware. Reflashing the device via EDL is impossible due to Meta refusing to provide the users the cryptographical keys needed to authentificate secure boot on QFPROM implemetation.

Ehhhhh.... Maybe I'll wait a bit...

[-] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

Reading this has me almost considering one. I feel like I still wouldn’t use it enough for it to be worth it.

[-] utopiah@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

Well I would ask you to reconsider reconsidering. It's a very neat technical fear, arguably even an important one... but you would be giving money to Meta. So unless you really have to, because you work in the domain, maybe try to recycle a 2nd hand headset for a cheaper price and tinker with it as much as you want? Maybe even contribute to the rooting process by finding ways to remove the Meta account requirement altogether?

TL:DR: nobody needs a XR headset but if you do and you want to get a Meta one, get it 2nd hand.

[-] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 0 points 6 months ago

I'm kind of curious. Is the Quest 3 actually profitable, or is it a loss leader? If it's the latter, I'd be even more inclined to take their product and have them lose money in the process.

[-] pishadoot@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago

My guess is that it's a loss on the hardware but their revenue stream is tied to data collection.

[-] utopiah@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Good point, based on how much Meta spends on their XR department I wouldn't be shocked if the hardware itself is also losing money and used as a kind of innovation-washing marketing strategy. That said I'd still recommend buying 2nd hand so that it's cheaper and doesn't register on their book as a sale. Also no purchase information shared with Meta.

[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 0 points 6 months ago

I should check if anyone's done this with the oculus rift..before they sold to that shit company. haven't used my VR headset since the popup showed to create some bullshit account

[-] utopiah@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Rift isn't standalone so "just" using OpenHMD should work, cf https://lvra.gitlab.io/docs/hardware/#xr-devices for more comparability checks.

this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2025
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