This all translates to even more realistic, immersive VR. Paired with 6GB RAM and the Quest 2 has way more runway for larger and more and graphics-intensive VR games and experiences. Long story short: The Quest 2 has CPU and GPU power that’s three generations more powerful than the Quest’s Snapdragon 835 chip, which came out in 2016. The headset is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chip, which is based on the Snapdragon 865 chip that you find in flagship phones like the OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. And man, oh man is the Quest 2 great underneath its plastic shell. Look, VR will probably never look cool and that’s okay because it’s what’s on the inside that matters more. They’re slightly larger and imperceptibly weightier, but it’s nice that there’s more surface area for resting your thumbs (the controllers more resemble the original Rift’s) and the battery covers don’t come loose the way they always do with the Quest’s controllers during sweaty rounds of Superhot. That still doesn’t change the fact the Quest 2 feels cheaper.īut I digress, the Quest 2 does get one design feature right: the two Touch controllers are way better than the Quest’s. From a business perspective, I get why all of these changes were made (smaller, lighter, $100 cheaper, yada yada). I probably should have seen this coming since the original Rift was a harmonic blend of technology and fabric material and the Rift S is a forgettable bland hunk of plastic. It sounds like I don’t like anything about the Quest 2 design, but that’s only because the Quest set such a high standard for fit and finish. It just sucks that it’s an additional $49, though. Fortunately, Oculus is selling a travel case separately. You’ll definitely want to keep a microfiber handy whether you’re playing at home or transporting the Quest 2. Not to mention, the lenses collected dust and dirt during transit. On one trip to my sister’s house, the headset and controllers got lightly scratched. An Oculus designer told me the new strap allows for easier packing in a backpack (just tuck the strap into the headset), but I disagree. I’m also salty the really nice hardshell case that the Quest came with, which is awesome for storing the headset, controller, cables, and spare batteries, is not included. The Quest 2's IPD is now adjusted by moving the lenses closer and farther apart. But I can’t help but feel Oculus cheapened the hardware in some places to slash the price down. None of them are enough to stop me from highly recommending the Quest 2. Oculus made many correct decisions with the Quest 2 - I’m sure it’s going to sell like crazy when it launches on October 13 - but at the same time, there are some small steps back. My Switch and PS4, once my daily late-night indulgences, have never been so dusty. I’ve been using the Quest 2 for several weeks now. The Quest 2 is an incredible value when I think back on how a headset that provides VR experiences with this level of visual and 3D-tracking fidelity used to cost over $1,000 (with a gaming PC) only a few years ago. This competitive pricing pits it squarely against gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch. Starting at $299 ($100 less than the first-gen Quest), it’s obvious Oculus set out to make the Quest 2 more appealing to people who aren’t VR enthusiasts. From here on out, the Quest is Facebook’s one and only VR headset. From here on out - at least until VR glasses happen - the Quest is Facebook’s one and only VR headset. In fact, Oculus is so confident in the upgrades that it’s going to stop selling its high-end PC-based VR headset, the Rift S, because the Quest 2 offers superior standalone and PC (with Oculus Link) VR experiences. The people at Oculus, a Facebook-owned company, must have read my mind because they made all of those changes in the Quest 2. The hundreds of hours I’ve spent with the Quest strapped to my face reconfirmed areas I felt could be improved: it needs to be smaller and lighter for hours of extended use the screen could be sharper the hand-tracking more responsive and it should be priced lower. It was one of my favorite gadgets of 2019 and I have spent many hours this year falling in love again with games like Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, and Vader: Immortal, and watching random movies with strangers in a virtual movie theater. I’ve been a huge fan of the Quest VR headset. If ever there was a need for an easier way to slip into VR worlds - even for a few minutes - for distraction, entertainment, or communication, it’s this moment, this year, 2020. The world is still gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic and people are still seeking escape from the hellscape happening all around us. The Oculus Quest 2 comes at a precarious time.
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