We’ve had lithium based true wireless earbuds for nearly 10 years now according to my quick internet search, and the popularity of them has skyrocketed to millions of users. 10 years, millions of devices, and one finally catches fire? Genuinely I’m just confused by what you mean you’ve been waiting for a story like this.
I don't think VR headsets put the battery in front of your eyes, the weight would make them uncomfortable. They're probably somewhere on the side of the device, or in Apple's case, around your waist.
Samsung's statement said that it wasn't their fault and that external factors were solely responsible for this happening. What external factors would cause this?
Bad chargers, clearly damaged devices that are still used, you name it. Several exploding iPhone stories turned out to be the result of cheap, shitty chargers. Anything with a lithium battery can light on fire or even explode if you handle it wrong.
There's a good chance that Samsung should still be made to pay up for the damages and compensation, but I've seen people do very stupid things to portable electronics containing batteries.
Based on the pictures, the earphone looks like it was on fire on both sides. That's not a literal explosion at least (there'd be more than just hearing damage if it were). My guess is the lithium battery got damaged somehow and the escaping hydrogen gas caught fire One reason not to use earphones that have batteries inside your ear; had the batteries been hanging from the bottom like those Apple ones, the hearing damage probably wouldn't have been as bad.