It is indeed a risk AND you must pin your current OS version, so no new update including no new feature (not sure which one one would need for now though) but more importantly no security updates.
That being said… if you do not actively try to mess it up, i.e. doing precisely what has been warned against NOT doing, it should be safe.
In doubt, if you can’t afford another headset, have no actual need for rooting and have never done that before, definitely safer to wait.
Good point, based on how much Meta spends on their XR department I wouldn’t be shocked if the hardware itself is also losing money and used as a kind of innovation-washing marketing strategy. That said I’d still recommend buying 2nd hand so that it’s cheaper and doesn’t register on their book as a sale. Also no purchase information shared with Meta.
Recommendations
There are others, e.g. https://simulavr.com/ which is standalone and Linux proper (not Android), but I haven’t tried so I can’t vouch for them.
according to https://github.com/zhuowei/cheese/tree/main?tab=readme-ov-file#supported-versions
Well I would ask you to reconsider reconsidering. It’s a very neat technical fear, arguably even an important one… but you would be giving money to Meta. So unless you really have to, because you work in the domain, maybe try to recycle a 2nd hand headset for a cheaper price and tinker with it as much as you want? Maybe even contribute to the rooting process by finding ways to remove the Meta account requirement altogether?
TL:DR: nobody needs a XR headset but if you do and you want to get a Meta one, get it 2nd hand.
Rational economical actor hypothesis? Nope we’re just back 4 centuries at least https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania
Rift isn’t standalone so “just” using OpenHMD should work, cf https://lvra.gitlab.io/docs/hardware/#xr-devices for more comparability checks.
Because of physics.
Pfff, physics, pesky detail! Clearly you are not a true visionary like Musk! /s
puts on evil hat CloudFlare should DRM their protection then DMCA Perplexity and other US based “AI” companies to oblivion. Side effect, might break the Internet.
Because it’s not powerful enough to play a video. /s (sorry, just teasing)