Oculus Quest 2 – Advanced All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset – 128 GB
Positive Reviews
Positive Review – 1
Pretty Epic Way to Disassociate With Life
I have wanted one of these bad boys for a while. Finally, they’re back in stock, so I bought one. So far I like it and can tell I’ll be using it a lot for games and… Other things.
It came in simple minimalist corporate packaging like everything does these days, mostly paper (Yay Earth). It came undamaged, but I’m guessing whoever tested it slammed into a wall with wet paint because there’s a blue scratch on one of the corners.
Pros:
Relatively Affordable
Great Tracking
Can go Mobile if you want
Cons:
-Headstrap Sucks
-3 Lens Settings, Couldn’t get it quite right
-Facebook now has a live 3D view of my disgusting room.
It’s pretty much good enough if you’re like me and just want access to VR. I will update after further testing if anything important happens.
Positive Review – 2
Fantastic, and no fuss.
Honestly, the best thing about this sort of VR is that there are no wires to deal with. Turn on, sign in with Facebook, and be done. Also, Beat Saber is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Just…yeah… Beat Saber is life.
I know there’s something to be said for phones!, – Facebook has more data! Honestly, if they want to see me flail around in Beat Saber, knock yourself out, Facebook.
I did pick up the Elite headband/battery/case, and that finishes off the package, but it’s by no means necessary – just nice to have. Overall, loving this thing. Yes, the resolution could still be (a lot) better, but for convenience and fun – this is where it’s at. We’ve come a long way from the PSVR days and the crazy setup process and cabling.
Positive Review – 3
This has the best enjoyment/dollar value of just about any purchase ever.
This is my first and only VR experience. With that said, in just the first few minutes, during the setup and updating process, my mouth was agape. The tutorial had me smiling in wonder at the feeling of immersion. The apps available natively to the Quest 2 are varied and fun, if not cheap, but there are demos and free games out there. We like it so much, we are probably buying a second in the near future.
However, my favorite piece of this requires the use of a decent PC and fast Wi-Fi: Oculus AirLink, currently in Beta, is a cable-free connection to the Oculus program on your computer that allows the use of Oculus Rift and Steam VR games. These are generally games that need the extra processing power of a real GPU and offer better graphics and more complex environments than the Quest alone can provide. Google Earth VR, a free app that isn’t on the Quest natively is, for me, worth the price of admission on its own. Being able to walk among the skyscrapers of NYC, or play Gojira in Tokyo is awe-inspiring.
A couple of minor cons: Battery life is poor. During our first days, when we were using it especially heavily, I had a battery pack and USB-C cable connected to the Quest that we’d swap into pockets to add playtime. They make improved head-strap setups that include provisions for holding a battery.
About that strap, some in my family complained about it, so we may be shopping for an upgrade. I can live with it, however.
In low light, the guardian, the virtual barrier that is set to keep you from running into walls, can flake out, dropping you out of the game.
And lastly, a big con for some folks: This requires an active, real, Facebook account. Deactivating your account deactivates your Quest. Deleting your account deletes, permanently, all of your purchased apps, with no refund. There are lots of reports regarding problems with folks using fake names, secondary accounts, other folk’s accounts, etc. When there are problems, Facebook will delete or lock accounts, and render your Quest a brick. Customer service is reportedly horrendous when trying to fix these problems. My advice would be to use your real account, don’t fudge around, and you should be fine. Yes, they are tracking you, Yes they are subsidizing the prices of this thing by commodifying your data. However, unless you are already a complete social media hermit, getting in bed a little deeper isn’t going to alter your data footprint in any significant way. If you are here shopping on Amazon with a cellphone in your hand or pocket, worrying about Facebook is sort of pointless.
TL;DR – GET ONE. It’s a great value within the reach of many people. You can have a ton of fun without a PC, and even more with one.
Positive Review – 4
Such a crazy experience
Got mine delivered really fast. I was able to set up everything with no problem and with ease. Truly a crazy experience to be in a virtual world–you actually forget that what you see isn’t actually real. I found myself oftentimes carefully not bumping into the i.e. furniture in the virtual world when it was just space and nothingness outside of it. One of the coolest features I am stumped about is that if you leave a certain area that you have previously marked, the headset has a grayscale camera that reveals what’s in front of you. This is extremely useful for safety measures as it alerts you if you stray too far from your marked territory. Absolutely love it! Also, the headset lasts for about ~2 hours before you need to recharge if you’re playing games nonstop.
Edit: For those who wear glasses, I highly recommend buying VR Wave prescription lenses with the headset. For me personally, it’s been a huge inconvenience trying to remove the headset and put it back on until I made the investment and bought the lenses. It’ll definitely help with having fun in VR without having to adjust your headset frequently.
Positive Review – 5
The battery doesn’t charge when using Oculus Link
Very pleased with the Quest 2 as a replacement for my Rift S. I primarily play DCS and MSFS and this headset works great. I purchased the Oculus link cable and with some tweaking, I’m seeing excellent results. The clarity is significantly better than the Rift S although not as clear as the HP Reverb G2. But the ability to use a single cable for PC gaming and then go completely wireless for other games is awesome. The head strap is sufficient and I didn’t feel like the headset was going to fly off my head. But I opted for the Elite head strap for added comfort. This thing is incredibly comfortable for extended use. The adjustable IPD is fantastic and there seems to be a pretty large sweet spot.
I have only two complaints. One is that there is a slight gap around your nose so you can see light. This is actually beneficial in DCS where you still need keyboard commands but it can be annoying. Secondly is that even while using the Link cable, your battery will die after about 1.5-2 hours. I have mine hooked up to the motherboard of my PC (Asus Rog Strix x570-e) and it doesn’t charge while gaming. That’s a bummer but you’re pushing a lot of data through that cable anyways.
Overall I’m happy with the Quest 2. Going from a display port cable to a single USB-C was a big concern for me. But I still get excellent FPS. I can actually read cockpit instruments and labels without putting my face 2” from them like with the Rift S. This isn’t the best VR out there but for the price, it’s hard to beat.
Negative Reviews
Negative Review – 1
Absolutely poorly thought out IPD fitting
Due to all the extremely positive tests and reviews on YouTube, I ordered my very first VR glasses.
The operation is extremely good, especially Air Link via WLAN, no latency, everything responds directly.
Now for the big problem, the IPD (interpupillary distance).
I see everything blurry, why? Because the maximum IPD is 68mm.
So I measured my IPD, it is almost 74mm.
I did not know that you have to pay attention to this, you assume that the developers have thought about it and calculated everything, especially such a banality. Only 5-6 millimeters more!
Why do you do that?
I found on Reddit and other forums, very many users who have the same problem.
What were the developers thinking, please?
Measure your interpupillary distance beforehand, if it is greater than 68mm, the VR is completely unusable for you.
I hope with the Quest 3, the problem will be fixed.
Now I have to send the VR expensive back from Germany.
Thanks for nothing.
Negative Review – 2
A month later, quest 2 is now just an annoying brick
I think Facebook did a great thing with this “new” release of quest 2. The headset itself feels quite nice, although the strap is definitely something to work on, it’s way too front-heavy. It’s also extremely uncomfortable using glasses, unfortunately. Even with that said, the Oculus link feature was the only reason I bought this headset, and it’s everything I could have asked for. My internet isn’t even that good, all it needed was my laptop to be connected by ethernet for a smooth, high-quality PCVR experience that I could take ANYWHERE IN THE HOUSE! I only had slight lags and stutters, but that’s likely just my mediocre hardware. I’m a bit bummed by the comparably smaller control scheme compared to something like the vibe.
If you really want to have the best experience with this headset though, then don’t put away that wallet just yet. At the very least, a new strap would be optimal, and I’d stay away from the first party elite strap. A new face cover might be good for you as well, as the default foam cover isn’t the best for everyone.
Overall, this headset is a great step in the right direction for VR tech. Although out of the box, it should be subject to some modifications; which some could call a feature.
One more thing, don’t worry about the whole Facebook account thing. If you’re fine with using WhatsApp or Instagram, this shouldn’t be a problem either. It’s not like Facebook with Oculus is a new thing either, as Facebook has owned Oculus for 7 years now.
Edit: after about a month of use, this headset has now become the most annoying piece of tech I own. The one feature I bought this for (Airlink) is straight garbage over half the time, I’m spending more time trying to fix this failure than I am actually using it. Connection hilariously unstable over ethernet with completely random performance drops. So both an unstable and sometimes unplayable experience that I paid 300 dollars for.
Negative Review – 3
Has to be one of the worst experiences ever
The Quest 2 requires you to use your real name and photos via a Facebook account to use essentially a video game system. This is beyond ridiculous. I do not want to use Facebook. I tried to create a dummy Facebook account and it suspended my account making me upload pictures of my face. What the hell!!! I just want to play some games. Shame on Facebook. Shame on Oculus. Shame on the employees working there. Shame shame shame. I’ll be returning this. This is why Facebook is a garbage company.
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Negative Review – 4
Facebook has ruined Oculus
After owning a Rift S that stopped working due to a bad cable, I was looking forward to not having to worry about a faulty cable getting in the way. I was looking forward to playing my favorite games, such as Space Engine, Half-Life Alyx, Pavlov, etc, in a wireless package.
Unfortunately, Zuckerberg and his minions don’t want you to have fun and be happy. They want you to only buy approved, selected, overpriced “games” from their Oculus app store. The least they could do is let me have google earth, like with my last Oculus, but no, not even that is available. It would be really great if we could simply install the VR games we want onto this standalone device from our Steam library, but Facebook doesn’t want you to independently choose what you do with the Oculus Quest 2, they want a monopoly (what the f*** is the 256GB for then??). There is no option for open-source gaming unless you plug the headset into your PC (so why the f*** did I bother buying a headset that is advertised as “wireless” and “without limits?”).
I don’t know if the relevant powers that be will actually see this review, but just in case, I kindly ask the Lizard Clan to unf*** this device that is, as of now, a waste of money. After seeing the latest testimony from the Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, asserting that Facebook doesn’t care about their users, I have very little confidence that they will give any consideration to complaints such as mine.
Facebook has ruined Oculus, just like Disney has ruined Star Wars. Save your money for a Valve Index instead. Also, I hate the antichrist.
Negative Review – 5
User Experience Testing? Don’t think so.
VR has finally started coming of age. I am very much enjoying this device but I’m also very annoyed at having to have a Facebook account. I’m also not very fond of the way the device daisy-chains to connect to Steam, and I’ve had problems across the two VR systems. There is a learning curve here for sure. That said, this is a whole lot of fun.
UPDATE: lots of usages later I have discovered that this device is perfect for running a real-life emulation of what gaming was like in the early 90s.
Conflicts and drivers and incompatibilities and half-ready features and buggy, homebuilt games. Oh my. I am not sure what the time played to time fixing ratio might be with this thing, but I have to admit that my ‘fun’ threshold has been crossed.
Here are some of the things you will learn about when you get one of these, to save you some time on Google: Oculus native VR, Oculus Link VR, Steam VR (always crashes eventually), Sidequest, Oculus developer account, VorpX, Virtual Desktop, games that support 90hz and games that do not, trying to reclaim your Steam titles from the Oculus, accidentally buying the native, link, AND steam versions of an app. The list goes on and on. Also, to me, anything that makes me take the headset off and go back to my pc is a strike against. Oculus link will fail at least 30% of the time.
Also, if you want to attempt a wireless connection to the device you have to have a very specific network setup for it to even almost work. You must have your PC connected to the router by CABLE so that the only wireless connection is from the mask to the router.
*** I accomplished this by hanging an extra access point from my Ethernet connection, bridged to my WiFi. Connecting directly to the private AP worked better in Link, almost perfectly in Virtual Desktop, but, Sidequest stopped working because you can’t change the IP in there– anyway, nothing is easy on this thing.
I’m going to file this under “really cool and almost works novelty” and go back to gaming on my 3080/240hz modern setup. I’ll strap the two ancient low-resolution, low-performance monitors to my face with the snorkeling mask as an experiment but I’ve given up on any notion of actually playing any of these titles. Most of the time you end up taking your mask on and off to troubleshoot things and never progress in the games, unless you like jaggies and blurriness, freezes, and skipped frames.
Also, if you plan on getting the most out of this VR thing you need to have a VERY large, empty space to play in-you can choose to play seated and stationary in some games, but you still may end up knocking stuff off of your desk. Be careful.
This brings me to the METAVERSE. OK, I understand what Zuck is going for. Here are some problems that will put that idea on the ground: * Headaches and nausea for everyone thanks to the low-quality graphics, if you wear glasses you will have problems. *ALL of the “meta” apps are creepy and featureless works in progress. I’ve never had any desire to either float around as a noseless cartoon head with three-fingered hands or play a hyper-realistic sex robot. *The user community is, by definition, very very young and very very spoiled. This is a rich kid’s toy (or a toy for a retiree with too much time on his hands.) It takes a beefy computer to make this work. Not cheap. *Mandatory Facebook integration: I don’t expect this to last. (BTW, anyone who thinks that Zuck didn’t know that “Meta” means “Death” really needs some critical-thinking skill training.) There is something creepy going on here.
So the “metaverse” will be populated solely by people with money and time and huge empty play spaces who enjoy playing ping-pong with strangers on the death network. This is not an idea destined for popular acceptance. Don’t invest in it. This is not ready for prime time yet, and it appears that Facebook is intent on developing the technology solely to enslave people with it. This thing COULD be fun, but it ain’t there yet.
