The Quest 2 is the latest innovation in virtual reality technology that comes from the now Facebook-owned virtual reality company “Oculus”. The second iteration of the Quest series is designed to be the best beginner experience for gamers looking to dip their toes into the virtual reality scene. In addition to being a fantastic beginner’s experience, the Oculus Quest 2 is by far the most powerful and portable virtual reality headset on the market. However, should you buy it? What makes the Quest 2 so much better than the rest of the competition in the virtual reality market? Is the Oculus Quest 2 really the best option for virtual reality, or is it all bark and no bite? Find out what we think of Oculus Quest 2!
price
The biggest thing when it comes to getting into virtual reality is the price. There are many virtual reality options out there, but some cost more than $ 1000 and some can even get more expensive, like the Pimax 8K X VR headset, which retails for around $ 1300. Quite a high price for a headset. Fortunately, if you want to get into virtual reality, Oculus Quest 2 starts at just $ 299. This is a fantastic price for what you get, especially considering the original Oculus Rift was $ 399. It’s great to finally see a cost reduction with an increase in innovation instead of seeing inflated market price like most of us normally use. The $ 299 base model of the Oculus Quest 2 has 64GB of onboard storage. However, if you really have the need, you can upgrade the storage to 128GB for $ 399. Most virtual reality games are quite small, even the largest games are only in the 20-25GB range (I’m sure they’ll get bigger as of now). Unless you plan on stocking up on every game you can buy, you don’t necessarily have to spend the extra $ 100 on the extra storage, especially if you need to purchase a few accessories to enhance your Quest 2 experience to optimize.
performance
Now we need to talk about the Quest 2’s power output. This is a standalone headset. This means that a VR-capable PC is not required to use the Quest 2, as it is operated on its own. I’ve found that the headset’s tracking, as well as its output power, are actually pretty solid if you want to use it on its own with no strings attached. However, you can use it with a PC via a USB-C cable if you wanted to. I tend to use my Quest 2 with my PC as most of my virtual reality games run on Steam and I don’t want to buy them all new just to play them wirelessly. There is also the Virtual Desktop option which uses a Wi-Fi connection to stream your PC games directly to your Quest 2. This is another great option if you want to play your Steam VR games wirelessly, but you definitely need a strong internet connection, preferably a wired connection straight to your router, or your performance will suffer badly. In terms of audio performance, the Oculus Quest 2 has some pretty basic built-in speakers, as well as a few audio jacks on each side of the headset if you want to plug in your own headphones. In all fairness I didn’t have any issues with the headset speakers, but if you’re more of an audiophile you may not be happy and I would suggest using your own.
portability
Perhaps the biggest marketing highlight for the Oculus Quest 2 is the portability factor. While this headset is portable, that doesn’t mean it’s compact. If you’re looking to take this thing with you on a plane trip, you’ll likely find it difficult to put it in your carry-on bag (you might get some strange looks from TSA, too). If all you want to do is toss it in the car, you won’t have any problems. However, you may want to grab a tote bag to carry it around properly without potentially damaging it, and in all honesty, it’s just convenient to have.
Comfort
If you’re considering buying a virtual reality headset, or if you’ve just recently bought a headset, you will likely spend a lot of time using the headset, which means you want to get started and have a great experience. The Oculus Quest 2 comes immediately with a simple head strap and face cover. However, you should replace them immediately. I recommend the Oculus Elite harness to replace the standard head harness and any replacement padded face cover to replace the Quest 2 bearing cover. The Quest 2 face cover is simply the worst. I can’t spend more than 5 minutes in the headset before it irritates my face and becomes very warm and scratchy. If you are looking to invest in virtual reality, it is definitely worth making sure you have the most enjoyable experience you can.
Overall, the Oculus Quest 2 is a fantastic and portable headset that is well worth the investment. Just make sure you upgrade to the Elite Strap and get a new face covering.
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