Meta Quest 2 - Advanced All-In-One VR Headset - 256 GB

Product Information

Virtual reality can be seen as an ‘empathy’ platform, letting you experience not only other worlds, but other lives and cultures. There are great apps from National Geographic and other organizations that let you visit locations around the world for a spot of virtual tourism, while also opening up the very real dangers of climate change. With fitness studios and meditation spots also available in app form, if you can visit it in the real world, there’s a good chance there’s a VR alternative being developed, or already in existence. What's more, where the Quest 2 is concerned developers now have the option to make their games run at 90Hz and even 120Hz (this is important for increased comfort and even more realism while playing), and the headset itself is noticeably lighter than before, with double the battery life in the controllers.

The Quest 2 does all of this while still offering the same 2-3 hour battery life as the first Quest, depending on the application you’re using. That may not sound like much, but longer play sessions than that are unlikely to be comfortable anyway. Offering access to both these play scenarios through one headset line is a wise move by Facebook, reducing the amount of hardware it supports. However, as mobile VR now becomes the default for Oculus (not everyone has a gaming PC, after all), we hope that that doesn’t dull the ambitions of developers. We wouldn't want to see apps focus solely on the lower-powered mobile headset and give a cold shoulder to the more powerful made-for-PC experiences that can be achieved. Oculus Quest 2: Accessories Note though that there's a change to the Interpupillary distance (IPD, the gap between your pupils) slider on the Quest 2. Previously, you could make fine adjustments with a slider on the underside of the original Quest. Now you have to physically shift the goggles themselves over three pre-set distances, 58mm, 63mm, and 68mm. While most won't notice any difference (the three settings cover the most common IPD ranges), it's a shame that more delicate control has been lost. It’s a wondrous experience losing yourself in the Quest 2, letting you really live within and feel connected to the games that you play. But the crucial question is… can you stomach it?It’s not just about cost, however – the Quest 3 offers significantly better graphics, more power, and vastly improved mixed-reality capabilities. By paying extra you will get a better gadget, but is the added cost worth it? See child safety guidance online at meta.com/quest/parent-info; Meta accounts for 10+. Terms apply. With the greater power of a PC at hand, the Quest is capable of taking advantage of some really impressive adventures, such as the god-stomping Asgard’s Wrath and mind-blowing Lone Echo 2. These are high-end VR adventures with graphical fidelity leagues ahead of the majority of Quest 2’s mobile apps and should be taken advantage of if possible. With a bit of tinkering, you can get the Quest 2 to play VR apps from other stores too, such as Steam VR’s highlight Half Life: Alyx.

The first Oculus Quest made use of dual 1440 x 1600 resolution OLED displays (one for each eye), but the Quest 2 opts for a single LCD panel, split so as to display an 1832 x 1920 pixel resolution per eye. That’s about 50 percent sharper than the original, and while we’d usually prefer the richness of an OLED display, we hardly missed it here. LCD also opens up an improved refresh rate of 90Hz to developers, compared to the original Quest’s 72Hz - with an experimental feature bumping it up to 120Hz. Where supported, it will be a notably smoother experience.Oculus Quest 2 has access to some of the best virtual reality games that have been made. The range of inventive ideas on display is delightful, and with events like the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase becoming a yearly event we're seeing a healthy cadence of big titles appearing on the system. Meta Quest: *Parents:* Important guidance and safety warnings for children's use here. Meta accounts for ages 10+ on Meta Quest 2 and 3; all other Meta Quest headsets for ages 13+. Certain apps, games and experiences may be suitable for a more mature audience. Meta quest features, functionality and content notice: Features, functionality and content are subject to change or withdrawal at any time, may not be available in all areas or languages or may be restricted; may require enabled software or service activation, and additional terms, conditions and/or charges may apply. Using the headset’s external cameras, you’ll be shown a grayscale view of your surrounding environment on screen, in real-time. You’ll then use the controllers like a spray paint can, painting around the edges of your room to show the headset the safe play space you can freely walk about in without bumping into, say, your TV or sofa.

What's more, getting a good, tight fit to ensure the screen appears as clear as possible can be claustrophobic and a little uncomfortable. These base-level issues remain unsolved; for a new generation of hardware, we’d have liked to have seen a wider array of brand-new software to go with it, too. A microphone is built in too, again clear enough for communicating in multiplayer games and doing some voice searches in the various UI elements of apps that support it. Speech recognition is surprisingly accurate, too. Oculus Quest 2: using it There are hundreds of separately-sold Oculus Quest games– and some free ones too – available to play with the headset, including everything from shooters to puzzle games, fitness titles to meditation apps, there truly is something for everyone, even if levels of quality – and comfort – can vary depending on what you're watching and playing.

The Oculus Quest 2 is worn on the head, quite a bit like a scuba mask. Where a scuba mask’s window would be, you’ve instead got a padded cavity that houses a pair of goggle-like lenses that sit in front of a screen, giving you stereoscopic 3D visuals. Paired with motion sensors and accelerometers in the headset, you can move your head and see the motions reflected in real-time on the digital screen in front of you as if you were looking out and moving around in the real world.