There is currently no better VR headset than the Oculus Quest 2, thanks to its wireless and wired flexibility, catalog of virtual reality games and experiences, solid specs, and affordable price.
But with two wireless controllers and the headset itself, each of which must be charged with power, keeping the headset ready to use at all times can take some management. The Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 makes recording and playing the Oculus VR headset stress-free at all times thanks to its intelligent charging system and carefully managed power supply. You never have to worry about batteries or charging cables for the headset again and are therefore highly recommended.
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Price and availability
Although it was scarce at first, the Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 can now be picked up from most Oculus Quest 2 dealers, including directly from Anker in the USA. It costs $ 98.99 / £ 98.99.
When it comes to rivals, the Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 is the only one out there. Sure, you can buy rechargeable batteries for the controllers or a battery pack for the headset, but such a complete solution isn’t available anywhere else.
The Oculus Quest 2 Elite Strap with Battery, an official Facebook accessory, is also recommended. Its strap contains an extra large battery and its construction better compensates for the weight of the VR headset. However, as we’ll explain in a moment, it doesn’t do well for this dock because of the way a particular battery strap charges.
Two minute review
It’s hard to find fault with the Anker Charging Station for Oculus Quest 2, so efficient and elegant is its approach to keeping all of your Oculus Quest 2 gear charged and safe. It takes little time to set up, but once everything is put together you never have to worry about how to get your devices powered up again.
(Photo credit: future)
The Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 contains several components. Let’s start with the controllers. The kit comes with a special set of rechargeable AA batteries located in your Oculus Touch controllers and a pair of battery covers for the controllers that contain wireless charging points. You line up the connection points on the batteries with the places the cover slides open and that piece of the puzzle is done.
(Photo credit: future)
On top of the headset, and Anker supplies you with a tiny USB-C dongle that is barely larger than the head of the plug itself, which plugs into the Oculus Quest 2’s charging port. It has a magnetic component on its outer edge. Plug that into the headset and that’s sorted too.
It is then only a question of placing the controller and the headset in the cylindrical charging station itself, which is connected to the mains via a USB-C cable connection. Each controller has a clearly marked cutout into which the touch sticks can be inserted, with connecting pins to align the charging points of the battery cover. As for the headset, this magnetic puck hangs on a small magnetic charging tag in the dock that clicks into place when you put the headset down and slides away when you lift the headset for use. Each component sits securely in the dock, and the pins are easy to align with minimal effort.
(Photo credit: future)
The headset charging times are slightly slower than what you’d get with the Quest 2 wrapped in the charger and cord, and goes from empty to fully charged in about 180 minutes. In addition, the capacity of the controller batteries seems to be a little less than normal AA batteries as they lose their charge a little faster. In practice, however, this is hardly noticeable as it is so easy to simply place each element in the dock for quick charging when it is not needed – LEDs on the base change from yellow to green when each component is fully charged, flashing yellow if the connectors are not properly aligned for any reason.
If there’s a small area where the dock isn’t enough, it’s for those who use a variety of different covers, handles, and strap accessories for the Oculus Quest 2. Anything covering the charging ports renders the dock’s power methods useless and having to unplug the controllers and headsets from any protective cases to turn them on quickly becomes a chore. That’s not Anker’s problem, though – it works wonderfully alongside Oculus’ own headset design without the interference of third-party add-ons. You can see why it is an official partner for the VR headset.
(Photo credit: future)
A little more frustrating, however, is that the dock doesn’t support charging any other official accessory – Oculus’ own Oculus Quest 2 Elite Strap with battery. The strap, which we love too, is much more comfortable than the included cloth strap that comes standard with the headset, and not only does it offer extra battery power in a rear case area, but it also provides stiffer support that greatly offsets the weight of the Oculus Quest 2 effectively. Since the strap’s additional battery needs to be plugged into the Quest 2’s main power connector, there is no way to integrate the Elite Strap battery and the anchor charging dock’s magnetic power method at the same time. While we don’t have the engineering skills to figure out how to make the two better bedfellows, it’s a shame Facebook and Anker haven’t shared options on how to better fix this problem for power VR gamers.
Should I buy the Anker charging dock for Oculus Quest 2?
Buy it when …
Tired of chasing charging cables and batteries
Anker’s Oculus Quest 2 charging dock is super smart as it contains all of the charging ports and batteries you need to power your VR adventures.
You want to keep your headset somewhere and display it
It’s great to be able to grab the Oculus Quest 2 in a snap, and this color-coordinated dock looks as good as it is useful.
Don’t buy it if …
You really need the Oculus Quest 2 Elite Strap with the extra capacity of the battery
While the official battery strap solution for Oculus Quest 2 fits into this dock, it is not possible to charge the additional rear-mounted battery with Anker’s solution.
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