Oculus stops blocking games from working on HTC Vive

Oculus has gone to great lengths to stop HTC Vive owners from playing games released exclusively for its Rift headset. Now the Facebook-owned company appears to be reversing course and opening up those titles to the competing hardware.

Specifically, Oculus is removing the hardware check previously included in its anti-piracy software. The change was spotted by the creators of Revive, special software that allows the HTC Vive to run games meant for the Rift. In response, Revive reverted to an earlier version of its system.

The update should put an end to an escalating battle between Revive and Oculus. Last month, Oculus tweaked its DRM software to block Revive from working. In response, Revive found a new workaround that bypassed the DRM entirely, making it possible to play pirated VR games. With its latest update. that’s no longer the case.

Oculus’s decision will also ease tensions between the company and the larger VR community, which has raised concerns over the Rift’s emphasis on exclusive titles. In a statement to The Verge, Oculus promised not to use hardware checks in the future but also hinted that it may find new ways to block HTC Vive owners from playing its games.

So, for now, you should be able to enjoy Oculus Rift games on the HTC Vive without too much trouble, though it’s unclear how long that will be the case.