Best Extended Warranty for Your VR Headset

With VR headset prices now commonly above $1,000, extended warranties have never been more important. But how do you choose the best? Contrary to what some may believe, extended warranties sold by manufacturers and retailers are rarely ideal.

Because they often lack protection in crucial areas, it’s vital to shop around to get the best possible coverage. Here’s a closer look at three must-haves for any extended VR headset warranty.

VR headset warranties need to be affordable, readily available, and, above all else, comprehensive. With that, any extended warranty must include protection in the event of manufacturing defects and hardware failures. It should also have comprehensive accidental damage protection.

Manufacturing defects can affect any product, from smartphones and televisions to games consoles and VR headsets. The standard limited warranties provided with most products typically offer coverage against manufacturing defects for around 12 months. Once that period has ended, buyers must take out an extended warranty to receive continued protection against potential manufacturing defects in the future.

Manufacturers themselves are typically the go-to source of such coverage. Big-box retailers are another common provider of comparable policies, too. Yet, these solutions are invariably expensive. They also tend to be somewhat limited, covering buyers in just one or two areas.

Thankfully, third-party extended warranties that provide a combination of manufacturing defect coverage and various other perks are also available. By shopping around, it’s possible to save up to 70 percent on the cost of coverage as well.

Like manufacturing defects, possible hardware failures are another leading reason consumers regularly turn to extended warranties. However, often seen as a secondary consideration to manufacturing defect coverage, hardware failure protection is critical for VR headsets.

VR headsets rely on brand-new technology and are particularly prone to hardware failures simply by virtue of their cutting-edge nature. For example, VR headsets can suffer from flash memory failures — something that’s relatively uncommon with other products. Flash memory failures can result in serious malfunctions, including clicking, crashing, boot problems, program loading issues, and more.

Accordingly, when searching for the best VR headset warranty, it’s crucial to choose one that includes comprehensive hardware failure coverage. To ensure that this is the case, also check for protection against power failures and dreaded dead pixels in a VR headset’s display.

Dead pixels are a widespread issue with Facebook’s Oculus VR headsets. Unfortunately, the manufacturer doesn’t cover these issues, even when a headset is under warranty. So, it’s of the utmost importance to find an extended warranty provider that does. Quite aside from cost, it’s also another reason to steer clear of expensive extended warranties sold by manufacturers in many cases.

Just as with hardware failures, by their very nature, VR headsets, including the $4,800 XTAL 8K, are also at an increased risk of accidental damage. The way they’re used leaves them at constant risk of drops and cracks, as well as liquid spills and other mishaps.

Accident damage coverage is vital, even though warranty providers commonly omit it from even the most costly extended warranties. From small trips and stumbles causing minor damage to more severe drops that can irreparably wreck a VR headset’s display, fixing such problems can be wildly expensive.

With that in mind, when seeking out the best extended warranty for your VR headset, make sure that accidental damage coverage is a priority. Ideally, look for an agreement that offers a choice of repair and replacement options. That may include access to specialist local repairers as well as free round-trip shipping to be fixed at an extended warranty provider’s own facility.

Upsie offers comprehensive coverage for VR headsets. Coverage includes protection from manufacturing defects, hardware failure, and accidental damage for all VR headsets. In addition, customers can pair an Upsie warranty with best-selling models from Oculus, Sony, Valve, HP, and HTC.

Crucially, Upsie is affordable and costs up to 70 percent less than other warranty providers. With fantastic coverage at affordable prices, Upsie invites VR headset owners across the board to protect their gaming devices with an extended warranty. Eligibility is open to VR headsets and other gaming equipment purchased in the last 60 days, thanks to an ever-growing collection of video gaming warranty solutions available exclusively from Upsie.

With Upsie, customers gain unrivaled access to a choice of repair options. Best of all, VR headset warranty claims are unlimited up to a device’s purchase price.

For the best protection at the best price, choose Upsie.