Oculus Quest 2 The best virtual reality option

Oculus has been at the forefront of VR for years, and the Oculus Quest 2 takes everything great about VR and crams it neatly into a standalone headset, combines it with two controllers, and sells it for under $400.

That attractive price tag makes it one of the most popular headsets out there, and while it includes a full VR ecosystem of games, apps, and experiences, its potential is perhaps greater than it first appears. This is due to an impressive PC connection option that works wirelessly or via a wired connection, as well as its compatibility with SteamVR, which helps avoid the frustration of an app store that's quite expensive and lacking in features. cross-buy options.

One of the main drawbacks of the Oculus Quest 2 is that you need a Facebook account to operate it; those who avoid sharing their most intimate details may scoff at logging in and making purchases through a Facebook account. Currently, if you lose or delete that account, there seems to be no way to get your purchases back, which is a bummer.

Editor's note: The Oculus Quest 2 has been officially renamed Meta Quest 2 in accordance with Facebook's rebranding. We're leaving our review title alone for now as everyone knows the device like the Oculus Quest 2.

Setup and usability

When you open the Oculus Quest 2 box, you'll be presented with the headset, two controllers, the charger, and a goggle spacer to fit the headset over your existing goggles.

Each controller requires an AA battery that slides into a compartment in each handle, while the headphones charge via a USB-C charger in the box. It's possible to play while the headphones are charging, as long as you're not waiting to throw your head around.

The first thing you need to do is download the Oculus app on your smartphone and sign in with your Facebook account or create one to get started.

Once you're ready, slip on the earbuds the fabric strap is adjustable but can be a bit tricky to get right, and tap the power button on the right side to get started. The volume buttons can be found on the bottom of the earphones.

The rest of the setup process is completed by a combination of the headset and your app, and you'll also be able to set up your "safe area" using the Oculus "Guardian." every time you turn on the headset.

Oculus Quest 2: Design and Display Review

The Oculus Quest 2 is a very compact package and it's also impressively powerful. The area that touches your face is padded with soft-touch material, but as you can imagine with any VE headset, its comfort will take a hit after long gaming sessions.

The built-in speakers work fine, but there's an option for headphones via a 3.5mm headphone jack next to the charger port which could be great for rhythm games like Beat Saber.

The device's interface is somewhat nondescript outside of a series of infrared circuits that aid the Guardian system and track drivers in all directions.

The controllers offer two face buttons each, as well as a menu button on the left and an Oculus button on the right. There are triggers on the back of each controller, as well as a button on the grip of each. They're lightweight, and thankfully they come with wrist straps to keep them from being tossed around the room early Wii-style.

When it comes to the screen, each lens has a resolution of 1832 x 1920. That's a considerable jump coming from PSVR's 960 x 1080 and higher than the Valve Index's 1600 x 1440. Sadly, there's only a 90-degree field of view, just shy of PSVR, but the Oculus Quest 2 can hit a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Oculus Quest 2's screen is LCD, but thanks to a vibrant series of menus, it never feels flat or lacks contrast.

Oculus Quest 2 review: Features, games, and apps

Oculus Quest 2 starts strong, with a floating menu floating in your view with smart cursor controls, a peek at what your friends are up to on the deck, and access to the store.

Shopping is easy to do, but we have some problems. Many games cost more on Oculus Quest 2 than on more open storefronts such as SteamVR, and the cross-buy feature is restricted to some games but is not implemented store-wide. As a result, your Oculus Rift purchases may not show up in your Oculus Quest 2 library, which means you'll have to spend money again.

Still, the Oculus Quest 2 will play Oculus Quest 1 titles and works just as well sitting down as it does standing up; this may help alleviate some nausea and help some gain their "virtual reality legs". Play games like Beat Saber and Superhot VR.

If gaming isn't your thing, there are also plenty of interactive experiences, virtual tours, and science recreations to check out in the Oculus store. There are also mindfulness and fitness apps to help you take care of yourself, your body, and your soul, so to speak.

The real power of the Oculus Quest 2, though, is that it's two headsets in one. If you have a gaming-compatible PC we tested it with a GTX 2070 Super you can connect to the headset via the Windows Oculus app you will need a long USB-C cable or you can go wireless and play Oculus Rift and Rift S games via Oculus Quest 2.

The lack of the universal cross-buy we mentioned earlier can make it confusing to remember which platform you bought things on, but it does mean you'll have access to more demanding VR games like Asgard's Wrath, a mythical Norse adventure.

And that's not all, because Oculus Quest 2 will also work well with SteamVR. That means if you have any games with VR modes, either in your Steam library or externally, you'll be able to enjoy them in VR We tested the headset with the VR version of Elite Dangerous and the Xbox Game Pass version of Star Wars: Squadrons and had a lot of fun, least before the VR motion sickness started. So yes, that means Half-Life: Alyx is a great option.

Performance

While the first Oculus Quest was no slouch, the Oculus Quest 2's increased 6GB of RAM and new Snapdragon XR2 processor keep things very smooth. Playing the game, opening the Oculus menu, and jumping straight to something else is a simple process, and while there are understandable load times, they're usually short.

A firmware update has also unlocked the 120Hz refresh rate on the Oculus Quest 2, making the likes of Superhot VR smoother. However, the developers also need to update to the new update rate but expect to see more of them do so as time goes on.

We're also pretty impressed with the headphone audio. While you'll get a lot more bass by adding your headphones, the internal speakers aren't a hindrance in games that rely on clear audio. You can also broadcast your point of view through a Chromecast.

Finally, a few words about storage. Oculus phased out the 64GB version, so your options are now 128GB or 256GB, with a $100 difference between the two. While more storage is never a bad thing, if you want to play most of your games from your PC, the 128GB version might be just fine.

Should you buy the Oculus Quest 2?

Oculus Quest 2 is an attractive package...if you're okay with sharing your data on Facebook. It's an all-in-one system that lets you jump into any number of games in VR, while also allowing anyone with a gaming PC to play more demanding games that may already be in their game libraries.

The current ecosystem could use some tweaking, but other than that, it's a great way to jump into VR and explore all that emerging media has to offer.