San Francisco, Nov 29 (IANS) Meta (formerly Facebook) has temporarily stopped the shipments of its Elite Strap with Battery for Quest 3 amid widespread user reports of a charging fault that renders the battery useless.

Meta said it is now making new battery straps that fix the defect and is handling replacements on a case-by-case basis, reports Road to VR.

As reported by users, the $130 accessory, which provides about two hours of additional playtime and better ergonomics than the stock strap, simply refused to charge the Quest 3 after a certain point, effectively rendering it an expensive counterweight.

A Meta spokesperson has now confirmed that sales of the device have been temporarily halted while the company manufactures a new one without the fault, which it claims was related to the firmware, the report mentioned.

Moreover, the tech giant stated that it’s not recalling the device as such, but rather replacing impacted units on a case-by-case basis and that it’s working with retailer partners to stock new units "as soon as possible", the report added.

Meanwhile, Meta is reportedly going to sell a new, lower-priced virtual reality (VR) headset in China.

Chinese videogame maker Tencent has agreed to start selling a new headset from Meta, cheaper than Quest 3, late next year, reports The Wall Street Journal.

“The agreement with Tencent offers “the US technology giant a major new market as it looks to boost tepid global demand for its niche gear,” the report mentioned.

Tencent will start selling the headset beginning late 2024, with the two reaching a deal after about a year of negotiations.