Major ‘deal breaker’ of Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 VR headset

An “impressive” new gadget from Facebook lets you walk the streets of Paris without getting on a plane but there’s a catch if you want to use it.

REVIEW

Facebook has just launched their second ‘all-in-one’ virtual reality headset, the Oculus Quest 2. I’ve been playing around with the original Oculus Quest for almost a year now and I love using it.

The Quest is one of the coolest pieces of technology I have ever owned. Not only do I use it to play games, but I even use it to workout and travel virtually (ie. walk the streets of Paris in a 360 degree VR experience). So, I was incredibly excited to learn about the upgrades in the Quest 2.

If you’re new to VR, then I must say, delving into this tech is incredibly exciting. You can completely immerse yourself in worlds, games and experiences that feel surprisingly realistic.

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The Oculus Quest 2 is a virtual reality headset that lets you u walk the streets of Paris without leaving the lounge room. Picture: Supplied.

The Quest is usually the device I recommend to anyone new to VR, as it’s one of the more affordable headsets on the market and it’s pretty much ready to go out of the box. Unlike other VR headsets, it doesn’t need to be tethered to a gaming PC, console, or have any external tracking sensors set up around the room. This is what makes it an ‘all-in-one’ device. I do have to add though, to some people’s disappointment, this headset specifically requires a Facebook account to be used. So, if you’re dead set against having one, this would be the only major deal breaker to the Oculus range.

Unboxing the Quest 2, I immediately noticed decreases in the size and weight of the device. Although I found the original Quest fairly comfortable, these changes are definitely noticeable when playing and really improve how it feels when you wear the headset.

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The Oculus Quest 2 is lighter and cheaper than the original. Picture: Supplied.

The screen resolution is better, with more pixels per eye, refresh rates have been increased from 72Hz to 90Hz, the ram from 4GB to 6GB, the internal storage is now up to 256GB and the processor has been improved from an older Snapdragon 835 to a more powerful Snapdragon XR2 processor. All these solid spec increases mean the Quest 2 can now support more powerful games and apps. On top of all of this, surprisingly, the Quest 2 is cheaper than the original. The 64GB model is $479 and the 256GB model is $639.

I first tested the Quest 2 with one of the headset’s most popular titles, Beat Saber, a rhythm-action game. This is one of the games I use for working out when I haven’t been able to go to the gym or if I’m feeling lazy.

When you’re playing, you squat and flail your arms about and before you know it you’re working up a sweat and yet it’s super fun! It was great to see that the graphics definitely looked more crisp and smooth on the Quest 2.

Gaming and exercise can be transformed by using a VR headset. Picture: Supplied.

For a lot of gamers though, they’re excited about the Quest 2’s latest games such as Population: One, which is an online battle royal game that is kind of like Fortnite mixed with PubG. This game runs so well on the Oculus Quest 2 thanks to the upgraded specs in the device and I’m excited to play more of the launch titles.

At a first glance, I’m really impressed with the upgrades and I think hardcore gamers will appreciate the improvements to the device. The library of games, apps and experiences available on the Quest is constantly growing too and there’s something to suit everyone.

If you’ve been on the fence for a while on whether you should try VR, in my opinion, this is currently the best no-fuss headset.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawwesome | YouTube