How to Fix Oculus Sensor USB Error? – (Easy Solutions)

Encountering an Oculus sensor USB error can be pretty frustrating when you have no idea why this is happening and how to resolve it.

This is why we’ve prepared this guide with the top-tier and most straightforward solutions to help you fix the USB error independently.

When you receive the Oculus USB sensor error, verify that both your Oculus Rift sensors are securely plugged into a 3.0 USB port on your computer, the cables are intact, and the sensor drivers are up to date!

To unwrap how everything is done correctly, continue reading!

Oculus Rift Sensor USB Error – Why is This Happening?

The Rift Sensor USB error can be a real headache for VR enthusiasts.

This can be caused by different factors related to hardware or software problems, such as loose connections, faulty ports, outdated drivers, and old firmware.

However, this error often disappears when you disconnect and reconnect your sensor to the port, but sometimes, the situation is not that simple, and the USB error continues to persist.

Here is a list of all primary causes for the Rift sensor’s USB error:

Luckily, addressing all of these is straightforward. So, now that you know these potential causes, let’s dive straight into troubleshooting…

How to Fix the Oculus Sensor USB Error Easily?

Before moving on with the troubleshooting guide, try rebooting your Rift sensor and computer.

If a temporal bug/glitch is causing the communication issue between your sensor and the USB port, a simple reboot should resolve the problem.

If rebooting doesn’t help, try these troubleshooting steps!

1. Inspect the Wiring Connections!

Start by inspecting the physical connection of your sensors to your computer.

Sometimes, the problem is simply a loose connection between your sensor’s cable and USB port, which might restrict the sensor from effectively communicating with your computer and lead to a USB error.

Here are some basic steps to ensure a secure connection: 

• Check both ends of the sensor’s cable and ensure a secure connection.
• Disconnect your Oculus sensor from the computer, then reconnect tightly.
• Test the Oculus sensor by using different USB ports on your computer. 
• Ensure you use USB 3.0 ports on your PC, which are colored in BLUE.
• Remove any dust and debris accumulation within the computer USB port.

These steps will help you identify and resolve hardware connection issues with your Oculus sensor.

If the USB error persists, move on to the next step…

2. Unplug Unnecessary UBS Links

It’s essential to know that whenever multiple USB connection devices are hooked up to a single USB controller, they share and compete for the available bandwidth.

This can often cause data loss, latency, or even disconnect the devices. 

• Therefore, check if your multiple devices are connected to the same controller with USB 3.0 ports.

If so, we recommend disconnecting all of them except your Oculus sensors and test.

This will free up more bandwidth for the sensor and allow it to communicate effectively with your computer.

In addition, avoid using USB hubs or extension cables as they can cause power and data transfer issues.

Instead, connect your Oculus sensor directly to your PC’s USB ports.

Tip: Verify that your USB cable is functioning using a secondary device!

3. Stop USB Power Management

By default, computers with Windows OS are set to enable USB power management, which causes USB ports to enter a low-power state.

This will ultimately disrupt the Oculus sensor’s connection and cause the USB error to appear.

Therefore, turning off power management may help if you keep getting USB errors when you connect the sensor.

This is imperative because it keeps the USB ports active and stops data loss due to power management limitations. 

Here is how to disable USB power management on Windows:

1. First, right-click the Windows Start button.
2. Then, locate and click on “Device Manager.”
3. Locate “Universal Serial Bus Controllers.”
4. Expand the “Universal Bus Serial Controllers.”
5. Right-click on “USB Root Hub” > “Properties.”
6. Locate and tap on the “Power Management” tab.

When there, you only need to disable “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

Lastly, click the “OK” button to save the changes, and the USB limitation will be gone!

Repeat these steps to disable power management for each USB Root hub port and test the connection.

If the problem persists, you need to do more troubleshooting, so keep reading!

4. Update Your Oculus Sensor!

There is a chance that your Oculus sensor is running on outdated or corrupted software, which may be why your computer is having trouble communicating with it.

So, try updating your Oculus software to see if the USB error disappears.

Here is how you can do it:

1. Open the Meta Quest app.
2. Go to the “Settings” menu.
3. Choose your Oculus sensor.
4. Press on “More Settings.”
5. Go to “Advanced Settings.”
6. Check for available updates.

If there are any updates available, download and install them.

After that, restart your Oculus Rift setup, connect it to your PC, and test the USB connection for any potential errors!

Tip: Always keep your Oculus sensor up to date!

5. Reinstall Your Oculus Software

Sometimes, the Oculus software becomes corrupted, causing compatibility and performance issues.

In that case, reinstalling the Oculus software on your computer is an ideal approach to clear out all the hard-to-detect issues that might be causing USB errors.

Step #1 Uninstall the Rift Software 

1. Open the Meta Quest app and go to the Settings menu.
2. Choose your Oculus unit and click on “Remove Device.”
3. Then, hop on your PC and launch the “Control Panel.”
4. From there, enter the “Programs and Features” section.
5. Look for the Oculus software and Uninstall it from the PC.
6. Then, go to the Power Menu and restart your computer.

Step #2 Reinstall the Rift Software

1. First, launch any web browser on your PC.
2. Go to the Oculus Rift Software Downloads.
3. Download the .exe file of the Oculus software.
4. Start the “.exe” file to begin the installation.

Reminder: You must follow all the on-screen instructions during the installation!

6. Update USB Controller Drivers!

If you’ve tried each step and still have USB errors, it might be due to a problem with your computer.

So, start by updating your computer’s USB controller drivers to clear out all USB-related and tracking issues and ensure smooth communication with the Oculus sensor.

Here is how you can update your USB drivers:

1. Press the “Windows” and “X” keys simultaneously.
2. Locate and enter in the “Device Manager” section.
3. Expand the “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” tab.
4. Right-click on your unit and choose “Update driver.”
5. Choose the “Search automatically for drivers” tile.

Your Windows will automatically search for the available USB driver update and download it on your computer.

Once you are done, restart your computer, reconnect your Oculus sensor to the PC, and test the connection.

Note: If the USB connection between your sensor and PC is faulty, you will continue to receive the USB error!

7. Update Your Graphics Driver

If updating the USB drivers doesn’t resolve the USB error, you must also update the computer’s graphics drivers.

This effective workaround will help with any potential errors with an Oculus Rift sensor and help improve the graphics card communication with your PC.

Here is how you can update your graphics card driver:

Step #1 Inspect Your Graphics Driver Type

1. Press the “Windows” and “R” keys simultaneously.
2. Shortly, this will launch the command dialog box.
3. Input “dxdiag” in the box and click “OK” to open.
4. From the DirectX tool, click on the “Display” tab.
5. Check the name of the graphics card you have.

Step #2 Update Your Graphics Driver

• Open an online browser on the computer.
• Go to a download page at NVidia or AMD. 
• Download the latest GPU driver update file.

After that, patiently wait for the downloading process to complete.

When ready, reboot the PC, reconnect your Rift sensor, and test the connection. With some luck, the USB error will now be gone, and you can enjoy an interrupted experience.

Quick Recap:

Hence, when you get the Oculus Sensor USB error, check the hardware connection and ensure you use a USB 3.0 port.

In addition, you must ensure that your computer’s Oculus sensor and Rift software are up-to-date and cleanly install the Oculus desktop software.

For more help, contact Oculus Support!