Those who recently picked up a MetaQuest 3 may have been disappointed to hear that sales of the Elite Strap with Battery have been suspended. That means you won't be able to buy one for the foreseeable future. This is unfortunate, but there is a good reason for this.

According to Road to VR, the problem in question affects the version of the Elite Strap that comes with a battery. This comes after numerous reports of charging failures that rendered the battery completely unusable.

Reports indicate that the external battery begins to outright refuse to charge. The strap is supposed to add two hours of battery life to the Meta Quest 3, a very frustrating situation considering the $129 extra charge.

Meta has stated that the problem is due to a firmware issue with the Elite Strap and that simply replacing the affected units may not solve the problem. New units that are purportedly free of this problem are currently being manufactured and will be stocked by retailers "as soon as possible."

Each retailer appears to have removed the Elite Strap with Battery from their shelves, which is definitely a good start. In the unlikely event that the straps may be available before the new units are shipped to retailers, we recommend that you do not purchase them. Whatever the cause, it is always beneficial to be vigilant when electricity or batteries are involved.

Sadly, there is no indication of when this new inventory will actually be available, and Meta has stated that it will not be recalling Elite Strap batteries already in the hands of users. Instead, replacement units will be issued on a "case-by-case" basis.

Meta extended the warranty period on the Quest 2 Elite Strap when a design flaw was discovered that was causing the plastic posts to break. We hope that they will do the same this time around.

If you experience any problems with the Quest 3 Elite Strap with battery now or in the future, the company recommends contacting Meta support.