Oculus Quest 2 review

The Oculus Quest was a game-changer when it was launched in 2019, however like with any first-generation product, it had its flaws. Oculus appears to deal with these points within the Oculus Quest 2, providing a refined design, extremely detailed show, spectacular processor and flexibility frankly unmatched by another VR headset in the marketplace proper now, and it’s even cheaper this time round too.

In the event you’ve been ready for the VR market to mature earlier than shopping for a headset, that wait could very properly be over.  

Design

The Oculus Quest 2 doesn’t symbolize a reimagining of the standalone headset, as an alternative providing a refined design that addresses many complaints concerning the authentic.

The Quest 2 is paying homage to the unique, full with the identical minimal aesthetic, however Oculus opted for a light-weight gray end this time round in comparison with the black of the unique. It definitely makes for a pleasant modified in comparison with the darkish color scheme of most VR headsets out there proper now, however how clear the white cloth of the headstrap will keep over time is but to be seen.

Extra importantly, the Quest 2 is smaller than the unique, and somewhat lighter too. The majority of the unique was one of many greatest complaints, weighing in at 571g, however the Quest 2 has shaved off 68g, now weighing in at 503g. It might not sound like rather a lot, however it’s noticeable over longer intervals of play, with much less of a stress build-up across the eyes and head the place the headset comes into contact along with your face. It’s additionally usually smaller – round 10 % smaller than the unique actually, measuring in at 191.5 mm x 102 mm x 142.5 mm.

In addition to being extra comfy to put on, it makes the Quest 2 extra moveable than its predecessor, and changing the unique rubber strap for a material one makes it much more compact. Nevertheless, a variety of Quest 2 customers skilled pores and skin irritation with the froth system, so Oculus now bundles a silicone cowl within the field that matches over the froth interface. 

One of many greatest attracts of standalone VR headsets is that you just don’t have to be tethered to a PC, so a smaller type issue encourages you to take the Quest 2 out and about in your travels.

That new strap system is designed to be less complicated and extra comfy, making it simpler for first-time VR customers to get one of the best match potential. 

As seasoned VR customers know, an important match is essential for an in depth visible expertise – even a barely unfastened headset will probably make visuals look blurred and endure from chromatic aberration.

So as to simplify the expertise, Oculus ditched the aspect strap changes in favour of two plastic sliders that sit on the rear of the headset. Bringing the sliders nearer collectively or additional aside will loosen and tighten the headset, and that does make issues rather a lot simpler. There’s nonetheless a typical Velcro strap on the highest of the headset, however adjusting one is far less complicated than adjusting three.

Oculus additionally boasts that the brand new strap system is extra versatile than the unique, accommodating all types of hairstyles and head shapes, however with comparatively quick hair, that’s probably not an issue I’ve ever had with the Quest.

Like the unique, the Quest 2 sports activities invisible audio system constructed into the perimeters of the headset, they usually work simply as properly this time round. The truth is, there appears to be a slight enchancment to total audio high quality and quantity, and spatial audio results are noticeable too. Don’t get me incorrect, it’s not the identical as carrying headphones, but it surely’s a a lot less complicated resolution and lets you talk with these round you for those who’re in a social setting – so long as you don’t have the quantity up too excessive, anyway.

In any other case, the Oculus Quest 2 is much like its predecessor; it encompasses a USB-C port and headphone jack, though the latter has been moved to the aspect of the headset, and there are 4 front-mounted cameras to assist with positional monitoring too, albeit barely smaller this time round.

Show

Refined design apart, the most important change to the Oculus Quest 2 is undoubtedly the show. It’s a fast-switch LCD show like its predecessor, however that’s the place the similarities finish; the Quest 2 has upped the decision of the show, now equating to 1832 x 1920 per eye in comparison with 1440 x 1600 of the unique Quest, and there’s additionally a 90Hz refresh charge on provide this time round too.

That’s a critical improve in comparison with the unique Quest, and it’s instantly noticeable while you put the headset on. All the pieces, from textual content to textures and shapes look extra detailed and outlined, and that basically helps enhance immersion and that ‘forgot the place I’m’ feeling that digital actuality gives. Critically – it’s a night-and-day comparability, and also you gained’t have a look at the unique Quest, or another VR headset, in the identical approach once more.

That decision is an enchancment not solely on the Quest, however the Oculus Rift S (1280 x 1440 per eye), HTC Vive Cosmos (1440 x 1700 per eye) and even the Valve Index (1440 x 1600 per eye), making the Oculus Quest 2 one of the crucial succesful mainstream VR headsets in the marketplace generally, not simply in relation to standalone headsets.

The one draw back is that it’s a single 3664 x 1920 panel this time round, against the 2 shows of the unique, and that presents an issue or two. The extra eagle-eyed of you would possibly’ve seen I didn’t point out the IPD adjustment slider when discussing the assorted elements of the headset earlier, and that wasn’t an accident – it isn’t there anymore.

As an alternative, Oculus carried out a brand new system within the Quest 2 that makes you progress the lenses your self to regulate the IPD, and there are solely three presets to select from – 58mm, 63mm and 68mm. It’s a a lot much less elegant possibility than the unique, now requiring you to take the headset off to regulate the IPD then put it again on to see the way it appears, however Oculus claims it simplifies a historically advanced system, citing the truth that most customers don’t know their IPD.

This manner, Oculus claims, you’ll be able to merely choose the setting that gives one of the best visible expertise and never have to fret about numbers. I perceive the logic, however like I say, it’s a ache to regulate while you’re first utilizing the headset, and it additionally means in case your IPD is exterior of the 58-68mm vary, your VR expertise will probably be negatively impacted.

Controllers and hand-tracking

Simply as vital because the headset are the controllers, and Oculus is aware of it. Following a radical redesign from the unique Rift controllers to those who shipped with the up to date Rift S and first-gen Quest, Oculus has once more determined to alter the shape issue of the controllers with the Quest 2 – however this time, the adjustments are welcome.

Oculus basically eliminated the thumbrest from the controllers when updating them for the unique Quest, and that was a giant criticism from VR followers – particularly people who had the unique Rift and knew what they have been lacking out on. Oculus heard the complaints, this time providing a bigger thumb relaxation space subsequent to the analogue sticks, and the controllers are usually somewhat bigger than the originals too.

Design apart, there are different advantages to the up to date controller, arguably most vital being a lift to battery life. The unique Quest controllers died somewhat too rapidly, and that rapidly grew to become inconvenient – particularly for those who used disposable AA batteries to energy the controllers. Oculus has carried out lots of work behind the scenes and carried out a variety of adjustments, like decreasing the variety of infrared LEDs within the rings, to supply a claimed 4x improved battery life.

That’s exhausting to confirm in fact, however after utilizing the Quest 2 for just a few weeks, I’m but to switch the AA batteries within the controllers, and I definitely couldn’t say that of the unique controllers.

There are additionally a bunch of minor enhancements, like improved haptic suggestions and the controllers robotically switching on while you put the headset on, that enhance the general VR expertise.

You’ve additionally acquired the choice of ditching the controllers fully and utilizing your fingers to navigate the digital house, due to the return of hand-tracking. Launched after the discharge of the Oculus Quest in 2019, the headset makes use of built-in cameras to detect and monitor your fingers in real-time, permitting you to make use of your fingers to navigate the Oculus UI and even play video games that assist hand-tracking. The issue is, it wasn’t that nice on the Quest, shedding monitoring and usually being somewhat awkward.

Although the format of cameras hasn’t modified on the Quest 2, there does appear to be a noticeable enchancment to hand-tracking – presumably as a result of improved processing energy out there.

It’s way more secure this time round, and I don’t appear to have to be so apparent with my gestures when enjoying video games like Waltz of the Wizard. It’s nonetheless greatest carried out in well-lit environments, with efficiency rapidly deteriorating with out there mild, however I’d definitely class it as a viable different in case your controllers are lifeless and also you wish to watch a little bit of Netflix in VR.

Efficiency

With the elevated decision and refresh charge on provide from the Quest 2, it’s apparent that Oculus needed to embody a extra highly effective processor. In any case, in contrast to PC VR headsets, all of the processing is finished on the headset itself. Fortunately, Oculus has delivered, opting to characteristic the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 platform, with comparable efficiency to flagship smartphones in 2022. It could deal with the improved show with ease, with no noticeable stuttering or lag at any level throughout my time with the headset, even throughout probably the most intense Beat Saber periods, however the XR2 is way more vital than that.

You see, Oculus is so assured of the XR2’s capabilities that it claims the VR video games and experiences out there on the Quest 2 will probably broaden in new methods to reap the benefits of the additional energy on provide. The corporate didn’t give any specifics in questioning, but it surely’s probably that we’ll see longer, extra detailed VR video games seem on the headset over the approaching months and years.

Alongside the Snapdragon XR2 you’ll discover an elevated 6GB of RAM and both 128- (changing the 64GB mannequin) or a whopping 256GB of inside reminiscence, relying on the variant you go for. It’s value noting that cupboard space is the one distinction between the 2 variations of the Quest 2, with equivalent {hardware} in each different respect.

One space that hasn’t modified is battery life, providing round two to a few hours per cost relying on what you’re enjoying. For me, that’s greater than sufficient, however there will probably be folks on the market that wish to stay and breathe VR all day, day-after-day. The excellent news is that Oculus is launching the Quest 2 Elite Strap with Battery and Carrying Case with the goal of doubling the battery lifetime of the headset.

Let’s take a minute to speak about monitoring: like its predecessor, the Quest 2 makes use of the Oculus Perception system to intelligently calculate the place of the headset and controllers in real-time. It’s a formidable feat, however as present Quest house owners can attest, it’s not all the time excellent.

You’ll have to be in a well-lit setting for the 4 on-board cameras to accurately calculate its place, however extra importantly than that, your fingers gained’t be tracked in the event that they’re out of view of the cameras – behind your again, for instance. Which will appear area of interest, however there’s a swathe of VR titles on the Quest that require you to succeed in behind your shoulder to entry weapons and different devices, so it’s one thing you’ll probably expertise typically.

It does use the built-in sensors to estimate its place within the bodily house, but it surely takes a break up second to regain full monitoring upon redetecting the controllers, and that may make all of the distinction in a gritty aggressive shooter like Onward.

It’s not an issue unique to the Quest – it’s additionally an issue with the Oculus Rift S and the HTC Vive Cosmos – however until you wish to arrange a devoted play house with trackers positioned across the room to fully seize motion, à la the
Vive Cosmos Elite, it’s a compromise you’ll should put up with.

Don’t get me incorrect, it provides spectacular 1:1 monitoring and works flawlessly more often than not, however there are events the place it would get somewhat confused.

Content material & Oculus Hyperlink

Again when the Oculus Quest first launched, there wasn’t an amazing quantity of content material out there. However nonetheless, that didn’t deter customers, and the rising fanbase has resulted in a rising variety of video games and experiences being tailor-made to the standalone headset. Quick ahead to in the present day and there are over 200 apps and video games out there to obtain through the Oculus Retailer, together with ports of in style PC titles like Beat Saber, Arizona Sunshine and most just lately, Holopoint.

Oculus claims that builders have discovered the Quest platform to be extra worthwhile than different VR platforms, suggesting that there might be a swathe of apps and video games actively in growth for the platform. Couple that with the improved efficiency on provide from the XR2 chipset and it’s probably that the content material out there on the Oculus Quest will proceed to develop over the approaching months and years.

Basically, you’ll by no means run out of issues to play and expertise on the Oculus Quest 2.

With that being stated, there are nonetheless loads of VR titles – just like the vastly in style Half Life: Alyx – which are just too advanced to port to the standalone headset, as an alternative requiring a high-end gaming PC to energy the expertise. Oculus’ reply to that is Oculus Hyperlink, a characteristic launched to the Quest in beta type post-launch. Oculus if formally taking the software program out of beta with the discharge of the Quest 2, assured of its capabilities.

For these unaware, Oculus Hyperlink lets you hook the Oculus Quest headset as much as your gaming PC through USB-C and luxuriate in PC VR video games. It’s a killer characteristic of the Quest, basically providing one of the best of each worlds; the power to make use of the headset wherever unencumbered by wires whereas additionally having the choice of turning it right into a PC VR headset while you need. The flexibility of the Quest 2 is just unmatched proper now.

It’s not a sub-par VR expertise both – actually, with the improved decision and refresh charge on provide from the Quest 2, it has the potential to offer the next high quality VR expertise than most PC-powered VR headsets out there proper now, and at a fraction of the fee too.

Value

The unique Oculus Quest had an RRP of $399/£399 for the 64GB variant and $499/£499 for a mannequin with a boosted 128GB of storage, coming in on the identical value because the Oculus Rift S and undercutting rivals just like the HTC Vive Cosmos whereas providing standalone performance. That’s a aggressive value for what’s on provide, which makes the worth of the Oculus Quest 2 much more stunning.

Meta, the corporate behind the Quest 2, shocked customers by decreasing the price of the headset by $100/£100, bringing the Oculus Quest 2 right down to $299/£299 for 64GB and $399/£399 for a whopping 256GB of storage. 

Then, in 2021, Oculus determined to bump the bottom storage as much as 128GB with out growing the $299/£299 price ticket. 

Nevertheless, it wasn’t to final perpetually. Amidst rising manufacturing and delivery prices, Meta confirmed in July 2022 that the headset would go up in value by $100/£100, 33% of its RRP, basically making it the identical value because the first-gen headset. Which means, as of the time of writing, the 128GB mannequin will set you again $399/£399 whereas the 256GB variant prices $499/£499.

Although a value hike isn’t welcome, even at its new value, the Quest 2 nonetheless represents nice worth for cash in comparison with the £699/$699 HTC Vive Cosmos and £919/$999 Valve Index. It’s somewhat dearer than Sony’s PSVR admittedly, but it surely’s way more succesful in just about each approach.

The Oculus Quest 2 is that can be purchased proper now from Oculus and key third-party retailers like Amazon, John Lewis and Currys within the UK and US.

When you’ve picked one up, check out our decide of one of the best Oculus Quest equipment. 

Verdict

The Oculus Quest 2, frankly put, is the headset to purchase for those who’ve been ready to go all-in on VR. The headset is smaller and lighter than its predecessor with tweaks to the design to make it extra comfy over longer intervals of play, and the controllers should not solely extra ergonomically formed however final 4x longer than the originals too.

The high-resolution, excessive refresh charge show of the headset not solely places the unique Quest to disgrace, however just about each different mainstream VR headset out there proper now, and regardless of all these further pixels to energy, there’s not a touch of stutter due to the highly effective Snapdragon XR2 chipset.

The Quest 2 is a succesful standalone VR gaming headset, but it surely’s greater than that. Due to Oculus Hyperlink, you’ll be able to hook the Quest 2 as much as a gaming PC to expertise PC-exclusive VR video games and experiences like Half-Life Alyx, and with the detailed show, it’ll present a greater expertise than many PC-tailored VR headsets out there proper now.

It’s probably the most versatile VR headset out there proper now, and with an reasonably priced $399/£399 price ticket, it’s not exhausting to think about how in style this headset goes to be.

Specs

• Dimensions: 191.5 mm x 102 mm x 142.5 mm (strap folded in), 191.5 mm x102 mm x 295.5 mm (strap totally opened up)
• Weight: 503g
• Monitoring: 6DOF head and hand monitoring through Oculus Perception
• Storage: 64GB or 256GB
• Show: Quick-switch LCD show, 3664 x 1920 panel (1832 x 1920 per eye), 90Hz refresh charge
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform
• RAM: 6GB
• Audio: Built-in audio system and microphone, 3.5mm headphone jack
• Battery life: 2-3 hours
• Cost Time: Round 2.5 hours
• IPD: Three settings (58mm, 63mm and 68mm)