No One Wants To Try Oculus Rift At Best Buy, 200 Demo Stations Shut Down

Facebook spent a lot of money and invested a huge amount of time in trying to make virtual reality take off via the Oculus Rift, but it would seem that people are just not interested. Best Buy has been hosting Rift pop-ups in its stores for a while, which basically functions as demo stations. Now, the retail chain is pulling a huge number of the demos because many of them have gone days without customers wanting to try them out.

The number of Oculus Rift demo stations that are going to get pulled out have reached about 200, Business Insider reports, out of the 500 that are currently available throughout the country. According to employees of the retail chain, it wasn’t uncommon for the demo stations to go several days without customers even going near them.

There seem to be conflicting stories as to why this is, with a memo obtained by BI from a third-party contractor saying that it was due to the performance of the stores themselves, while Oculus itself is blaming the changing of the seasons. According to Andrea Schubert, a spokesperson for the VR company, it’s basically a matter of prioritizing markets with bigger crowds.

“We’re making some seasonal changes and prioritizing demos at hundreds of Best Buy locations in larger markets. You can still request Rift demos at hundreds of Best Buy stores in the US and Canada,” Schubert said. “We still believe the best way to learn about VR is through a live demo. We’re going to find opportunities to do regular events and pop ups in retail locations and local communities throughout the year.”

While the demo stations are being pulled out in some Best Buy stores, the retail chain will still be selling Oculus Rift headsets, The Verge reports. So customers can still visit their nearest shop and buy their VR units from there.