Facebook did something positive 😲 Oculus Go headsets can now be fully unlocked/rooted

[Master Disaster]

A year after the device was officially discontinued Oculus will now allow anyone with a Go headset to fully unlock the device granting them full and unconditional root access, the ability to run unsigned code on the device and the removal of FB integration from the device.

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As John Carmack shared last month, we are making an unlocked OS build for the Oculus Go headset available, allowing full root access. This opens up the ability to repurpose the hardware for more things today. The guide below describes how to use the software contained in the download to gain low-level access to the Oculus OS on the Oculus Go device

They do stress that doing so is irreversible and the device will stop getting OTA updates but considering the device has been EOL for a year I doubt most people will care.

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Please note that unlocking your device is not reversible and you will no longer receive OTA updates. This process will not work on any other device or OS.

They even provide a pretty nice guide with instructions

Spoiler

Oculus Go Software Unlock Guide

What can I do with an unlocked Oculus Go?

This process puts the device in a state where the bootloader does not signature check the boot.img, and does not enforce dm-verity verification via the kernel command line. This allows you to safely replace the boot.img with your own version, which in turn allows you to replace the system.img.

How do I unlock the device?

1. Connect the Oculus Go to a computer by USB cable.

2. Allow ADB on the headset by enabling developer mode.

3. Reboot into adb sideload mode using one of the following methods:

   • Issue the command adb reboot sideload.

   • Issue the command adb reboot bootloader, or hold down Volume Up button when booting from the powered off state to get to bootloader, select the Sideload menu option, and press the Power button.

4. From your computer, issue the command adb sideload unlocked_build.zip.

5. Wait for completion and for the device to reboot.

6. Reboot to bootloader using one of the following methods:

   • Issue the command adb reboot bootloader.

   • Hold down the Volume Up button when booting from off to get to the bootloader

   • Issue the command fastboot oem unlock. This step WILL factory reset your device, erasing all data.

7. The device is now unlocked and commands like fastboot flash and adb root will now be accepted.

How do I know when my device is unlocked?

The device will show a warning screen during the boot process if the boot.img does not contain an Oculus signature. This is a warning that the device has been unlocked and may be running modified software.

Can I lock my device again?

The device may be put into a locked state again by issuing the `fastboot oem lock` command. This command will also wipe your user data upon execution to prevent persistent rootkits or other malicious software. When in a locked state, the device will check the boot.img to see if it contains an Oculus signature. If it does not, the device will not boot. Only official Oculus-signed images may be run when the device is in a locked state.

We hope access to the OS build helps you repurpose Oculus Go for more things today.

Source - https://developer.oculus.com/blog/unlocking-oculus-go/

 

I'm actually impressed tbh. This saves a lot of eWaste down the road and allows amateur programmers a cheap and easy entry point into developing VR apps.

[Mnky313]

Damn, I'm impressed. A company actually letting people do what they want with the product they buy. (I mean it's still only after they discontinued it but it's still cool).

Now if only Samsung would let you unlock your own damn phone... Even if they only allowed it after the phone stops receiving updates...
(Through to be fair some of this is due to US carriers being the scum of the earth because Samsung actually does allow people to unlock bootloaders in other countries. However with the Fold3 they do disable cameras which is kinda cringe so it's not all carriers fault.)

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Root after EOL is a great idea.

Can every company do this?

[HarryNyquist]

Whoa, that's pretty neat. Though it's John Carmack, I shouldn't really be surprised that he wants people to do what they want with their stuff. He did after all release most of the id Tech engines as FOSS.

 

That being said, I wonder how long it will be before Zuck forces him out now.

[Qub3d]

I imagine the secondary market for Oculus Go headsets is about to get really hot...

[Forbidden Wafer]

AKA scaling up production would help drive costs down but sales are crap because it's currently locked.

[TOMPPIX]

Fuck Facebook, they are still a disgusting company even if you do good things sometimes.

[zeknife]

13 hours ago, Forbidden Wafer said:

AKA scaling up production would help drive costs down but sales are crap because it's currently locked.

The Go is discontinued, they're not making any more of them.

 

This probably only went through thanks to Carmack's initiative, I wouldn't expect it to be an indication of any future action by the company.

[suicidalfranco]

yay, big awful corparation letting you do whatever you want with your purchased product after they decided they no longer want to support it. how magnanimous of them

[Guest willies leg]

Just thinking out loud here, isn't a lot of the stuff they use open source?

Where's their source code for everything?