We know the Oculus Quest 2 comes with a refresh rate of 120Hz, which brings smoother gameplay for certain compatible VR titles – but it won’t arrive as early as planned.
We expected the update to come out sometime in late March, but Facebook has now updated its official Quest Platform Roadmap to put 120Hz support back somewhere in the Q2 2021 window.
The roadmap update does not include a comment attached to shed light on the reasons for the delay. Interestingly, however, it shows the “Trust” list associated with the 120Hz support for changing Quest 2 from “Medium” to “Low”. Further delays could be in sight.
We already know that providing a refresh rate of 120 Hz in VR is fraught with difficulties. Just last week, Facebook’s advisory CTO, John Carmack, determined the full scope of the update, stating: “Few existing games are optimized for 120 [Hz]However, some new titles will consider this an option in their drafting phase. “
As expected, a bumpy road
It’s worth remembering that Quest 2 originally started with a default refresh rate of 72 Hz, which was later updated to allow for a smoother 90 Hz experience should game developers hit that mark (which many haven’t done yet) .
It is therefore unrealistic to expect the Quest 2 and its game library to suddenly offer 120 Hz support if many of its tracks are still stuck at 72 Hz. The more logical expectation is that dedicated, 120Hz compatible games will be built from scratch while smaller experiences like the Oculus Browser enjoy the update in the near future.
Of course, those rocking a high-end gaming PC and Oculus Link connection would likely benefit from the increase in the refresh rate, along with the limited number of games Carmack references, but the bigger point remains that that Oculus Quest 2 was not designed to run at 120Hz.
In terms of when to expect 120Hz support for the Quest 2, a period between May and June now seems like a likely bet. When will you be able to enjoy an extensive library of VR games at 120Hz remains an overall bigger question.
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