The last 18 months have been an exciting time for the virtual reality (VR) industry, in which a headset predominates. Facebook’s Oculus Quest. The standalone headset promised what all VR enthusiasts had wanted for years, full wireless freedom, no cables or the hassle of external sensors to worry about. Well, it’s time to improve on that design with the Oculus Quest 2, a lighter, more powerful headset designed to cement Facebook to the top of VR Mountain.
First impressions
Oculus Quest 2 instantly wins points for the fact that it further lowers the cost of getting started with VR. The 64GB model costs £ 299 / $ 299, which is £ 100 cheaper than the original. And for those who want more storage, the 256GB version is £ 399 / $ 399, still not a bad price for a full-fledged VR with 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF).
What’s nice to see is the move away from the monolithic black plastic block to a far more eye-catching two-tone black and white design. This gives the Oculus Quest 2 a refreshing aesthetic, inviting and I dare say it looks trendier to appeal to a mainstream audience, not just the die-hard VR fans. The quality is visible throughout, from the presentation of the box to the assembly of the headset and the controller. Oculus Quest 2 feels like the premium product it should be.
The headphone
Oculus Quest 2 has received a major overhaul, both inside and out, but any improvements are merely improvements over the original, rather than trying to do something new or groundbreaking, much like the Oculus Rift S did. At its heart is the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 platform, which was actually designed for XR hardware rather than Quest’s original Snapdragon 835 processor in smartphones.
While this is already being used by developers rolling out improvements to previously released video games, much like consoles, I expect the best to come. Continuing to leverage the potential of Oculus Quest 2 will make the titles bigger and bigger, especially since the standalone headset will be Facebook’s only VR device after the Oculus Rift S is discontinued in 2021.
Weight
What you are getting for your buck is a smaller, lighter VR headset that, in turn, feels more comfortable as your face weighs less and drops from 571g to 503g. It’s still front-heavy, but this reduction is enough to keep longer gameplay sessions from feeling as stressful. That, in turn, meant it was fun to dig into big titles that offered great adventures. The only downside was the battery life. When it came to really active tracks like Beat Saber, keeping out of the rhythm was far less of a challenge if you weren’t moving all the weight up and down.
This weight saving doesn’t just affect the front as the Oculus Quest 2 now has a soft rather than a rigid strap. The overhead Velcro is still there, but the side adjustments in favor of a system on the back are gone. Personal preference as to whether this is an improvement, I found the new design comfortable and easy to customize, and it makes the headset far more portable and easier to store. The only real problem with the soft strap and off-white color is its cleanliness. The past few weeks with the device haven’t made it that dirty, but over time I’d imagine this to get dirty.
Not much has changed in terms of battery life. The battery spec has not yet been released, but just like the original Oculus Quest 2, it will give you anywhere from 2-3 hours of time depending on whether you’re watching videos of games. Most of the time, I had a little over 2 hours to play video games before charging.
Visuals
In addition to the Snapdragon XR2, one of the main features of Oculus Quest 2 is the new display, which Facebook calls “almost 4K display”. This comes from a quick toggle LCD that offers a resolution of 1832 × 1920 per eye and 50% more pixels to reduce the dreaded screen door effect. This improvement is immediately noticeable and completely eliminates the screen door effect, while enhancing video game graphics for both advanced and standard Quest titles. Not only has the visual quality been improved by the display, but the Fresnel lenses appear to have been tweaked to improve clarity – although God Rays usually appear on higher-contrast loading screens.
Like any LCD display, however, it cannot keep up with the black levels of the Oculus Quest OLED panel. The compromise isn’t particularly good for dark horror video games and makes for a comfortable experience with fewer digital effects if you keep moving your head.
One feature that has always been a hot topic in VR is the interpupillary distance (IPD). On the original Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest, this setting was done manually so you can easily adjust the setting. Oculus Rift S was digitized – to a great stir – while Oculus Quest 2 took a completely different method. The IPD is physically adjustable between three settings 58, 63 and 68 mm. With a numbered indicator between the lenses, you’ll have to grab and move them, which is a bit strange as it requires a little force. This will also prevent you from seeing the picture while you are making the adjustment and will have to take off the headset every time. It’s an unusual compromise, as if the first system worked really well.
Facebook has said that these three settings should cover the majority of users. With an IPD of around 67mm, the widest setting was sufficient, but there will likely be a few that won’t fit in this bracket.
Audio
And then there is the audio. Oculus Quest 2 continues to use the piping system on the strap arms to create a spatial sound that is very similar to the original. There’s certainly an improvement on the lower end, from gunfire to bass in the music, the drivers pack a bit more wallop. Still best using headphones when you can really immerse yourself in an experience. The headset now only has one 3.5mm headphone jack on the left, not two.
The controllers
Just as important as looking at a virtual world is the way you interact with it. Oculus Quest 2 may have hand tracking. For most titles, the Oculus Touch controllers are the main input source. Just like the headset, a notable redesign has been made here that goes back to the Oculus Rift CV1 controllers.
They’re bigger than before, have a sturdier grip, and feature a round faceplate with a nicer resting area for the thumb – ideal if you have larger hands. This has given Facebook more room to improve on the more powerful haptics. It’s a shame the crosshatch was removed with smooth plastic. The absence is most noticeable in really active video games, as the controllers have to be held a little tighter. On the other hand, the battery cover no longer uses magnets, so it stays tightly closed – an annoying bug compared to the previous version.
Most impressive, however, is the battery life. Facebook has said the single AA should last 4x as long and so far it seems to be correct. After several weeks of use, the battery indicator with the previously delivered battery had only dropped to 90%.
The content
With a whole new home, you have Oculus Quest’s ever-growing library of video games and apps to enjoy with lots of classics to enjoy.
The studios are leveraging both launch and hardware to deliver new and improved VR experiences. Titles like Red Matter, Arizona Sunshine, and Phantom: Covert Ops have been updated to improve their graphics, from texture details to particle effects. When it comes to new content, the Oculus platform gets The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Rez Infinite, Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing, and more on day one.
In the following weeks and months Population: One, The Climb 2, Star Wars: Tales from the Edge of the Galaxy, Myst, Jurassic World Aftermath and Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister will be released. So much remains to be done.
What is missing is content to really test the hand tracking functionality. It’s mainly used in Oculus Home and other first-party apps. Few titles like “The Strange Tale of Stolen Pets” and “Tsuro: The Game of the Path” actually use them to any degree.
And let’s not forget Oculus Link, which connects Oculus Quest 2 to a PC to play content from platforms like SteamVR. The feature opens up a whole new world of content, is still in beta, and generally works fine. It needs to be improved with the onset of Oculus Rift S. You’ll also need to buy a long USB-C cable as the one that came with it isn’t long enough to support the function.
Facebook login
Let’s address this controversial topic. All new customers to the Oculus platform or those upgrading to Oculus Quest 2 must now log in with their Facebook account. Oculus accounts are no longer offered. However, if you already have one, the merge process can be postponed until January 1st, 2023.
Designed to provide a social ecosystem. If you love VR but have resisted social media, this is where things get tough. When you buy an Oculus Quest 2, you have no choice but to set up a Facebook account as the two are now intertwined. It was long awaited and is now inevitable.
Because of this, VR users must adhere to Facebook’s guidelines when it comes to community behavior. If you ignore these, in the worst case scenario, your account will be banned and you will no longer be able to play all of the VR content that you have purchased, hence the great excitement. Well, this is unlikely to affect many owners, but the fact remains that it’s still there, which put off those who were previously interested in the platform.
judgment
Everything together results in a more powerful machine? It sure does. Oculus Quest 2 offers a better experience in every way at a cheaper price! May not be enough for current Oculus Quest owners to access an upgrade unless you’re genuinely interested, but certainly more enticing for newcomers or those coming from alternative hardware.
Note, however, that there is no expandable storage. While the 64GB is more than adequate now, the games are expected to get bigger. There are also all of the accessories to consider like the Elite Strap. VRFocus I didn’t have these to review, but the Elite Strap with battery pack that supposedly doubles game time is likely to be enticing to VR enthusiasts, and we’ll be reviewing that asap.
The login problem persists now. If it bothers you, a SteamVR headset is a great choice. If you have a Facebook account and want a good wireless VR headset, you can’t go wrong with the Oculus Quest 2.
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