Is VR the New Competition for Consoles? - Oculus Quest 2 Review

[WaggishOhio383]

For my entry into the world of VR, I decided to get an Oculus Quest 2 this Christmas. I was well aware at the time that I would need a Facebook account to use the headset, and I decided that the pros outweighed the cons of owning the device. After using the headset for about a week now, I can say for sure that I was right. I won't bore you with an unboxing in this review - you could look up any old unboxing video for that. What I want to focus on is my impressions of the device thus far, and why I think it's a very strong competitor against the newest consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

 

The first thing I noticed upon taking my Quest 2 out of the box is how ridiculously light it is. Compared to the HTC Vive, which I've tested at a friend's house, it feels like lifting a feather. When I'm playing VR, I don't even notice the added weight when looking around, and it makes for a much more immersive experience. The controllers are also well made, and fit nicely in the hand.

 

Another thing I was quick to notice is how well-polished the user interface is. Unlike some other VR headsets which are simply an extension of your computer, the Quest 2 really feels like its own standalone device. While you can connect it to your PC to get a full PCVR experience, I've honestly been surprised by how often I decide not to, and simply use the headset in standalone mode. In standalone mode, the experience rivals that of any game console. Not necessarily ghraphically - and I will admit that the graphics do suffer in standalone mode - but rather in how smooth and simple the interface is to navigate.

 

Another benefit of not needing a PC to power the Quest 2 is that it opens up the possibility of a legit VR experience to those who may not have the budget for a $1000 gaming PC to power it. And this is the true reason the Quest 2 rivals consoles in my mind. It's so accessible. For the same price as an Xbox Series S or a Nintendo Switch, you can get a VR device that comes with everything you need to experience all the latest VR games. Another thing helping the Quest 2 is that the new major consoles were sold out over the holidays, which made the Quest 2 a good backup option for parents wanting to gift their children with a shiny new gaming device. The only downside to using the Quest 2 solely in standalone mode like this is the short battery life. At just 2 hours, it does leave something to be desired. Especially if the device is going to be shared between multiple family members. However, I'm sure battery life in these headsets will improve over time, as standalone VR would seem to be here to stay.

 

The other thing I love about the Quest 2 is how everything is built into the headset. Rather than needing base stations to define your boundary system, the boundary tracking is entirely built into the headset, and managed via four cameras placed on the corners of the device. This means you don't need to pay extra money to set up base stations in your room. This also grants an increased flexibility to use the Quest 2 in different locations. If I decide that my room isn't giving me enough space to play a game, I can go out into the livingroom to play. You could even take the Quest 2 to someone else's house without worrying about your base stations - or your heavy PC - tagging along.

 

But I've spoken enough on the standalone experience. Now it's time to talk about how it performs in PCVR mode. And it does an absolutely amazing job. Oculus link works surprisingly well, and the fact that you only have to be tethered to your PC by a single USB C cable makes the tether less obtrusive. When linked to a PC you also have full access to the Oculus Rift and Steam VR library, so you can play the same games any other headset could. As far as the graphical quality in PCVR mode, I haven't noticed any issues whatsoever. The Quest 2 performs just as well any other headset when connected to a PC. You can even play PCVR without being tethered. For $20 (still less than buying an Oculus link cable - whether OEM or third-party) you can get the Virtual Desktop app, which will allow you to play PCVR games from your PC without even using a cable. The only downside to this is it requires considerable upload bandwidth to function, so if you connect your PC to the internet over WiFi rather than Ethernet, this might not be the best option.

 

Another thing to note about using the Quest 2 in PCVR mode is that the battery does still slowly drain while you are playing. However, at a mere 5% per hour (from my experience) this shouldn't cause issues for anyone. Unless you plan on playing VR for 20 hours straight, in which case, stop. Get some help.         /s

 

One last nice thing about the Quest 2 is Oculus Cross-buy. If you plan on buying VR games from the Oculus Store, rather than Steam, most of the games in their library support cross-buy. What this means is that if you buy a game on either the Quest or Rift store, you'll get access to the game on both platforms. So if you want to play a game untethered, you can run it natively on your Quest. But if you want to get more graphical power, or your headset battery is getting low, you can plug into your PC and continue your game from there without having to buy the game a second time. The only downside to this is that a few popular games such as Beat Saber and Superhot VR do not currently support this feature. However, there are still plenty of great games that do.

 

To summarize, here is a breakdown of the main pros and cons of the device:

 

Pros:

• $300 price tag
• Doesn't require a PC or base stations - makes it more accessible and affordable
• Performs great in both standalone and PCVR mode
• Only requires a single USB C cable to connect to your PC
• Extremely lightweight
• Oculus Cross-Buy games

 

Cons:

• Requires a Facebook account to use
• 2 hour battery life in standalone mode could be better
• Beat Saber doesn't support cross-buy

 

This pretty much wraps up my review. I'll make some edits if I think of anything else to add down the line, or if my thoughts on the device change as I use it longer. For now, if anyone has questions about the device that weren't addressed in the comments, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.