Oculus Quest 2 has everything you need to play a fantastic range of VR games. However, once you’ve owned it for a few weeks, you will likely begin to notice the headset’s inherent weaknesses that can be addressed with some major aftermarket products. Here we’ve rounded up some of the best basic accessories that you should consider as a long-term VR user.
Update your head harness
With integrated computers, sensors and batteries in the Oculus Quest 2, the device is extremely front-heavy. You may not notice it right away, but the more you play, the more comfort issues you will encounter. Your neck will thank you in the long run when you replace the standard fabric head strap with a rigid one.
The official replacement for Facebook’s head strap, the Elite Strap or the Elite Battery Strap, provides a good counterweight to center the headset’s bulk closer to the center of your head. The Elite battery band seems to be the best when it comes to balancing and offers around 2 to 3 hours of additional playtime thanks to the 4,676 mAh battery integrated on the back.
Elite battery strap | Photo from Road to VR
At $ 50 or $ 130 (the Elite battery strap comes with a travel case), these are expensive but effective solutions – provided you can find one that won’t break. Quality has been an issue with these official tapes in the past. Although Oculus appears to have fixed the issue by taking affected items off sale, support threads keep popping up.
For around $ 30 to $ 40, you can get a range of white label ribbons that are similar to the regular Elite strap on Amazon and do essentially the same job. If you are looking to save a few dollars, many of them are rated highly by users. You can also get variants with external battery boxes on the back that offer more or less the same functionality as the Elite battery strap for a fraction of the price.
VR cover or replacement facepad
After playing VR games regularly for the next several months, you may find that dirt and grease have built up on the face pad (also known as the “face surface”) of your Quest 2. The off-the-shelf face pad is basically a sponge to make a headset easy to disinfect. You should really invest in a VR cover or replacement pad that is easy to clean.
Silicone VR cover | Image courtesy of VR Cover
Fortunately, there are a number of solutions out there. VR Cover produces an official $ 30 replacement third-party face surface kit that replaces the original. It comes with anti-fog airflow channels, removable nose guards and two wipeable replacement PU leather-covered memory foam pads.
VR Cover also makes a $ 14 silicone case that goes over the stock face pad. It offers a hand washable medical silicone construction and a practical nasal light protection. If you’re looking for a cheaper solution, you can buy a similar silicone case on Amazon for $ 9, although it’s unclear whether the silicone used is the unoiled variant of the VR Cover version that is popular with users with sensitive skin May cause skin irritation. Whatever you buy, make sure it specifically fits Quest 2 as the headset has a unique face-pad design.
Long USB-C cables for wired PC playback
Whether you just want to conveniently charge while you play, or want to connect Quest 2 to your computer via Oculus Link to use it as a PC VR headset, you probably want a cable that is long enough to get the job done .
Official Oculus connection cable | Image courtesy of Oculus
Oculus has the official 16-foot patch cord for $ 80; It’s lightweight thanks to its fiber optic design, but that’s still a pretty high price tag for a cable. Fortunately, any 3.0 USB-C cable will work, and there are tons on Amazon that do the job. Just pick one and you’re good to go.
Oculus Link is the lowest latency method for playing PC VR games with Quest, although it’s not the most convenient method as you are tied to your PC. To cut these cables off, you may need to make some changes to your WiFi setup that will allow you to play over WiFi. Remember that in order to play PC VR games through Link, you will need a VR enabled PC.
WiFi router for wireless PC VR games
Cables are so 2020. Oculus Air Link lets you stream exclusive SteamVR and Rift games over WiFi and play them wirelessly like native Quest games.
If you don’t have a dual band router and are still using that old 2.4GHz box, an upgrade might be needed as Oculus recommends connecting to Wi-Fi over the 5GHz band (AC or AX) .
You can find dual-band WiFi routers on Amazon for just $ 40. In general, however, the more you pay, the better the range. Oculus recommends that you connect your PC to a router or access point with an Ethernet cable and be in the same room as the headset or within sight. The better the connection, the lower the latency.
Make charging easier
Ok, maybe you now have a nice and long charging cable, but that may not be enough to keep you from forgetting to charge all of your batteries. There are a few products that you can use to charge your headset and controllers at any time.
Anker is offering a fancy Quest 2 charging dock for $ 87, which not only serves as a useful place to rest your headset and touch controllers when not in use, but also ensures that the battery is always 100% charged is when you are ready to play. The only problem is that it often runs out of stock, although there are a few other things that can make life a little easier.
Image courtesy of Anker Innovations
A quick and easy solution is immediate delivery of rechargeable AA batteries and battery chargers. You can find them everywhere from your local grocery store to IKEA to Amazon. Many long-term VR users choose Panasonic Eneloop batteries, which offer a low rate of discharge when not in the user and high rechargeability. But here’s an insider tip: The Lada batteries from AmazonBasics and IKEA 2450 mAh are very similar and cost much less – battery price. You’ll want a lot – at least four, to make sure you always have a spare part ready when Quest gives you the dreaded low battery warning. Oculus suggests 1.5V batteries, but your regular 1.2V AAs will work just fine.
On the topic of batteries, there are also rechargeable USB batteries from Survival Frog that have a USB port built into the battery design. A pack of 4 is $ 15 and has a lower rating of 1450 mAh, but it certainly scores important points in reducing clutter.
Courtesy Survival Frog
Charging the headset can also be simplified without buying the special dock from Anker. A set of USB-C magnetic cables on Amazon for just $ 13 is enough, though you won’t be able to use it for Link gameplay, only charge it.
Tote bags
Perhaps you didn’t really have to leave your home, but at some point you’ll want to take over your quest to introduce friends and family to some of your favorite games and experiences. Quest 2 is pretty rough and crashing, but you probably want to protect your investment from bumps and scratches anyway.
Photo from Road to VR
Oculus has a stylish, if fairly cheap, $ 50 Quest 2 carrying case that you can use to get your job done. It fits everything you need including touch controllers and Elite Straps. It’s almost as thin as the headset itself, so it fits neatly in a backpack or carry-on luggage.
That said, Oculus Quest 2 isn’t particularly unique in its form factor, so you can choose from a wide variety of cases to get the job done. Note, however, that when purchasing a third-party head strap, you need to check that there is enough space, as the white label straps are a little bulkier than the official elite straps.
Image courtesy Esimen, Amazon
For $ 39, the Esimen Quest 2 case is a rigid case made from a high-density material that is suitable for anything. That includes the bulkier third-party head strap and lots of similar-looking white label straps.
Protect your glasses (and lenses too)
Eyeglass wearers already have the plastic offset included in the scope of delivery, which offers a little more space between the Quest 2 lenses and your precision specifications. This may work for most users, but if you are looking for a specialized kit, you’ve come to the right place.
Many longtime VR users and developers have completely opted for separate, low-profile glasses so that you can play in any VR headset, past, present, or future. For just $ 30 (depending on your prescription), Zenni Optical can get you affordable glasses that meet your needs. Including prescription glasses.
Frames Direct offers an official third-party solution for $ 80 for prescription-only inserts with an anti-reflective coating. There are several vendors offering more or less the same thing, however, and VR Optician is selling theirs for $ 70. Regardless of which company you work with, make sure you have a copy of your prescription as you cannot buy corrective lenses online in the US.
Image courtesy of Oculus
Even so, you can accidentally get scratches off your cheap specs, leading us to an expensive but great solution to the myopia among us. You can also purchase specialty inserts, which are available in both prescription and non-prescription versions.
The same basic design can be purchased from a number of companies without any over-the-counter inserts that not only protect against scratches, but also protect against blue light in some cases. These are much cheaper, with prices ranging from $ 20 to $ 30 for a pair.
What’s your favorite Quest accessory? Let us know in the comments below!
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