Review Oculus Quest 2 Review: Lighter, Faster, Better

jakjawagon

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Aug 28, 2010
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Needs information on subpixel layout and FOV.
A quick google suggests it's proper RGB. The Pentile RGBG layout and the upcoming mandatory Facebook integration are my biggest problems with my original Quest, though neither is a dealbreaker.
 

Talwyn Wize

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Oct 29, 2016
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One incorrect part in your review - the Quest 2 has, unfortunately, the non-5G version of the XR2 chip. I suspect there'll either be a future accessory later, or "Pro" version coming along.

It really would've been awesome to play Rift-style games (AAA-titles) without a cable, though, but there are no doubt still some issues to work out.
 

Shadowclash10

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See, the funny thing is that if you look at the Pros and Cons, there are just as many Cons as Pros. And TH gave a 4.5 star review, and an Editor's Choice Award (PS. I am not criticizing TH here). I'm pretty sure that if this were any other product category, that many cons, and major ones too, wouldn't fly. But there are such few VR headsets, especially affordable ones, that basically as long as it isn't trash that's unusable , it's fine. Do you see what I mean?
 
IPD Setting: 3 mechanical pre-sets (58mm, 633mm, 68mm)
That middle setting should prove useful if you are a hammerhead shark!

Having a mechanical IPD adjustment is good, but there are some rather large gaps between those settings, that will be less than ideal for many. Overall, aside from the improvements to performance and resolution, they made a lot of cuts compared to the original.

Facebook phasing out standalone models is also far from ideal. For someone wanting a PC-connected headset, they will be paying for standalone hardware they might not want, in addition to an expensive $80 link cable.

Plus, Facebook is moving to require users to login to a Facebook account to use any Oculus headset soon. As was expected back when Facebook bought the company, their main goal seems be tracking users in VR, and probably using that data for targeted advertising and selling to third parties down the line.
 

Myrmidonas

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Mar 13, 2013
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Question from someone who has no experience with VR headsets at all : Suppose I want to play a random non VR first person view game i.e. Conan Exiles, ARK, Elite:Dangerous etc and I want to view the world though the player's eyes with a VR headset, sitting on my desk and still using keyboard and mouse to move and interact. Does this VR headset is enough or is there something else missing?

Any answer is much appreciated. Please point me to the right direction. Thank you.
 
Plus, Facebook is moving to require users to login to a Facebook account to use any Oculus headset soon

When that happens you can kiss the new headset goodbye. Forcing a customer to create a Facebook account just to use the headset is a non-starter. Facebook better rethink that strategy.
 
Sep 17, 2020
1
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10
That middle setting should prove useful if you are a hammerhead shark!

Having a mechanical IPD adjustment is good, but there are some rather large gaps between those settings, that will be less than ideal for many. Overall, aside from the improvements to performance and resolution, they made a lot of cuts compared to the original.

Facebook phasing out standalone models is also far from ideal. For someone wanting a PC-connected headset, they will be paying for standalone hardware they might not want, in addition to an expensive $80 link cable.

Plus, Facebook is moving to require users to login to a Facebook account to use any Oculus headset soon. As was expected back when Facebook bought the company, their main goal seems be tracking users in VR, and probably using that data for targeted advertising and selling to third parties down the line.

I feel like the IPD, controller downgrade, and the forced FB login are deal breakers. I could probably forgive the controllers as I haven't tested them myself but IPD and FB are no go.
 

Makaveli

Splendid
Plus, Facebook is moving to require users to login to a Facebook account to use any Oculus headset soon

When that happens you can kiss the new headset goodbye. Forcing a customer to create a Facebook account just to use the headset is a non-starter. Facebook better rethink that strategy.

They won't this integration was always coming, its why Oculus was purchased.
 
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husker

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If Facebook (Oculus) is telling the world that this is their idea of the future of VR, and they are foregoing a VR headset that requires a PC, then it is fair game to compare this headset to any tethered headset. Yes, it is in a different price category, but gamers deserve to get a sense of what they are missing out on if they go with Facebook's vision and become invested into their VR ecosystem.
 
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Jim90

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Untethered VR is, obviously, something all headset wearers want, however, and currently :-

A desktop RTX 3080 (or any high end GPU) + any recent desktop CPU - versus - untethered

--> Think about the above and think about the available CPU+GPU horsepower (eye candy, fps, etc) you MUST BE losing going untethered compared to tethered.
 

bit_user

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The specs and price of this device shows how much Phone makers are stealing from us lol
I think Facebook is not making money off the hardware. They are probably focused on growing the VR ecosystem and using it to add value to their online platform. I also assume they have a way of taking a cut of the sofware sales for it.

You don't have to pay so much for a flagship-class phone, as long as you're willing to go with a second-tier brand and wait like 6 months after a generation launches. My current phone has a Snapdragon 845 - the best at the time - and I paid only $350 for it.
 

bit_user

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Such VR with built in CPU should be Upgradable , the SOC + RAM should be on a card that can be plugged in and out.
That adds cost, bulk, weight, points of failure, and does nothing to address potential improvements in the cameras, screen, etc.

Like it or not, a product like this benefits most from being completely throw-away. I mean upgradability didn't even work out for phones, and that's arguably a much easier problem, technically speaking.

BTW, I hate throwing away stuff, so it annoys me that it's a necessary evil, in this case.
 

nofanneeded

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That adds cost, bulk, weight, points of failure, and does nothing to address potential improvements in the cameras, screen, etc.

Like it or not, a product like this benefits most from being completely throw-away. I mean upgradability didn't even work out for phones, and that's arguably a much easier problem, technically speaking.

BTW, I hate throwing away stuff, so it annoys me that it's a necessary evil, in this case.

what bulck and weight ? we are talking about very tiny cartridge ... you missed the point totally.

as for Camera and screen improvement , well no one said this should stay for 10 years .. but the fact that each CPU generatin in ARM is 50% fast in gaming each years and the fact that games on ARM are still low fps , a CPU cartridge for $50-$100 each one or two year is a cool solution for this.
 

nofanneeded

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I think Facebook is not making money off the hardware. They are probably focused on growing the VR ecosystem and using it to add value to their online platform. I also assume they have a way of taking a cut of the sofware sales for it.

You don't have to pay so much for a flagship-class phone, as long as you're willing to go with a second-tier brand and wait like 6 months after a generation launches. My current phone has a Snapdragon 845 - the best at the time - and I paid only $350 for it.

845 phones are cheaper class , the snapdragon 865 jumped in price , it is double the price of 845 at release time for both.

It is impossible to get any chinese phone with 865 chip below $500
 
It is impossible to get any chinese phone with 865 chip below $500
A quick search on Amazon for "snapdragon 865" turned up the Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro for around $400 as the very first result. : P

I agree that it would be great if standalone headsets included upgradable modules though. Sure, an upgraded headset might lack the newer display and tracking hardware found on the latest models, but those are unlikely to be nearly as much of a limitation to running newer VR software as the chipset is. And unlike with phones, the device should have a lot more room available to make such a module upgrade work. Also, there's no reason why storage shouldn't be easily upgradable on such a device, aside from product segmentation. Something like a MicroSD reader would add practically nothing to the device's size or weight.
 
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nofanneeded

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A quick search on Amazon for "snapdragon 865" turned up the Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro for around $400 as the very first result. : P

I agree that it would be great if standalone headsets included upgradable modules though. Sure, an upgraded headset might lack the newer display and tracking hardware found on the latest models, but those are unlikely to be nearly as much of a limitation to running newer VR software as the chipset is. And unlike with phones, the device should have a lot more room available to make such a module upgrade work. Also, there's no reason why storage shouldn't be easily upgradable on such a device, aside from product segmentation. Something like a MicroSD reader would add practically nothing to the device's size or weight.

well it is first and only result , ... I was talking about majority of phone makers stealing us ...

and I really want to see the SOC upgrade option on ARM standalone VR sets.
 

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