The update in Oculus software used to block Revive, a piece of software that allow users to support its games in others virtual reality headset, may have opened up a door for piracy.
The latest update for Revive, a response to the Oculus update, not only allowed users to port titles again, but to also bypass the Rift’s DRM in the process. The move makes piracy easier due to lack of security check for the games, as reported by Motherboard.
LibreVR, Revive developer, assured in a post on Reddit that they don’t support piracy. The intention was not to allow users to steal games but there was no other way, according to the developer.
“I really did not want to go down this path, but I feel there is no other way,” LibreVR said. “I still do not support piracy, do not use this library for pirated copies.”
The move was through Unreal Engine and the software is only supported by that option. However, the creator commented as well that the support will be extended to those using the Unity Engine in the next update.
At the time of Revive’s creation, people wondered whether Oculus will do something to stop its functioning. However, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey stated that it doesn’t matter where users play their games as long as they pay for them.
The comment appeared to have been contradicted when the company released on Friday the block intended to stop Revive-alike softwares. They allegedly did not do it because of Revive specifically, but to all uncredited softwares in general.
There is an unclear decision in Oculus side about games in other VR headset, but they appeared to have made their mind with the intentions on Friday’s update. Even though the company would sell more games if they were able to play in any VR headset, some purchase of the Oculus headset would be diminished by the competition.
Breaking the hacks
As Oculus commented that their intentions were not specifically to end Revive, they assured that people should not expect that hacked games will work indefinitely as regular updates to content and apps in the platform may break the hack, an Oculus spokesperson said after the Friday’s update was release.
The move created a response as well from Revive’s developer, who said that while the update prevents piracy from people who did not buy an Oculus Rift, it does not do anything to prevent piracy from those who actually buy the license.
According to LibreVR, this excluded anyone who bought the game but did not buy an Oculus Rift. Even if Revive was not specifically targeted, they were probably more than aware of the collateral damage, the developer added.
However, these allegations took place before the Revive update that could have now actually made the software a clear target to Oculus. It is unclear what measures will the company take to address the latest hack, which puts them even more at risk than they were before.
Source: Motherboard