Oculus's Quest 2 VR Headset Is Lighter, Faster, and Cheaper Than the Original
Oculus Quest sucks. That's right, I said it. I know it seems hypocritical, as someone who’s publicly written about his one true love, the Oculus Quest, the quintessential virtual reality experience that "blew my expectations out of the water" when it released last year. You may be wondering, "Why is this breakup so nasty? Was the Oculus Quest nothing more than a technological gimmick?" No, this was a lovers' quarrel. I fell in love with another. When a piece of technology is so good in a first iteration, rarely can it get much better from there, but Oculus said, "Buckle up your heart, because we’ve got it beat." Oculus Quest 2, released today, is now the quintessential VR experience.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Quest VR headset line, here’s me getting on my gamer soapbox: The Quest from Oculus, which is a Facebook company, was designed to be the first truly accessible, fully functional, great-for-every-consumer VR headset. It was an all-in-one system that worked with two controllers and said headset. No computers, no extra cameras, no wires, no massive commitments. While $400 was no small cost, considering the alternatives (like the $1K-plus HTC Vive Pro, for example), the price point drastically undercut the market. And while not all VR games were functional on the Quest, a vast majority of the most popular titles from virtual reality lore showed up and played well.
Sounds pretty sweet, right? So why, in my opinion, has the Quest 2 blown the Quest 1 out of the water, to use that phrase again? Well, because the package has become something that even post-Quest me didn't think was possible.
The Oculus Quest 2 comes in a new, cybernetic-looking white, but that's far from the only difference. The guts are a massive improvement. The processor is faster, there’s more RAM, and load times are shorter, alongside other upgrades you'd expect from a second-generation machine. One of the most significant changes is the size; Oculus actually made the Quest 2 smaller, a bit lighter, and far less clunky than the previous model, which is saying a lot for technology that, at this time a year ago, I never would have chosen "clunky" as the first word to describe it. Some subtle changes to the build and and fastening straps allow the headset to rest on your face far more comfortably, too.
A decent number of games on Quest's system are getting "enhanced" for the new generation, including personal favorites Superhot, Arizona Sunshine, and Trover Saves the Universe. I’m sure we’ll see most games get enhanced in the future—primarily for the resolution. The Quest 2 expands upon the first gen's pixel count with a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution, and a 90 Hz refresh rate is coming down the pipeline (it's at 72 Hz upon release, awaiting an update). That's a significant improvement on the first Quest's 1,600 x 1,440 resolution and similarly, its 72 Hz refresh rate. While these numbers may seem small compared to the massive resolution jumps in TVs and computer monitors, trust me, with the in-your-face tendencies of VR, even the slightest resolution bump makes a difference.
Between the lighter-weight hardware and higher-end motion tracking, the VR games are more responsive. Add in the upgraded resolution and superior detailing, and the immersion that VR people like me always talk about is at a whole new level. The lightsaber dojo in Vader Immortal: Episode III feels even more like the Jedi experience we’ve always dreamed of, and Sports Scramble continues to be one of the best and wackiest sports titles since Wii Sports (which means a lot coming from me, the official #1 Wii Sports Fan; just check my Twitter bio). And even if you’re not a rad gamer, you can always watch some transcendent content on Netflix or YouTube.
Finally, on a parting note: Oculus also lowered the price. Not a little bit, but a lot. Twenty-five percent, to be exact. The Quest 2 has a $299 price tag, which is an unbelievable coup. Is Oculus pulling a PS3 and not making any profit on the hardware? Maybe? The only working theory I have entails extensive dark magic, spell casting, and probably blood rituals. I can’t overstate enough how, if you were looking to fall for casual VR a year ago, the Quest was the way to do it. Now, the Quest 2 is somehow even better.
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