Pretty scathing review on Ars:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/09/review-we-do-not-reco...
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/09/review-we-do-not-reco...
- Reduce or re-distributed weight (neck/upper back ache remains an issue)
Instead, what we got in the Q2 is the same weight but a head-strap that's a substantial downgrade. That decision just compounds the Q1's most glaring weakness.
Then throw in the mandatory Facebook account, downgraded eye adjustments, side-grade screen, downgrade battery life, and a bunch of cost-cutting all over: You just killed Quest.
I've gone from recommending Quest to outright recommending against Quest. They should have taken some weight out of the headset and put it in a box that goes in your pocket, not kept the weight and made a bad head-strap even worse.
Even with the $50 headstrap "upgrade" it is still worse than the HTC Vive Deluxe Audio Strap which many Q1 owners including myself own (via 3D printed adapter).
But these days you can buy the adapter on etsy for under $5 ($20 full kit), which will keep your stuff from needing to get tape residue on it.
Sony is launching the PS5 in November this year, and there hasn't been any word on a new VR headset to go with it, but I imagine they're developing something new.
The only serious downgrade here IMO is the IPD adjustment, but for the vast majority of people it's not an issue. In other ways it's a clear improvement. I won't be getting one as I have an Index, but this is going to sell more than any other headset. The tech and the price are both incredible.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x6lux6f_6g Tested's review is the one to trust. Norm knows his stuff.
Edit: Ah I see about the weight, you must have been talking about the weight combined with the upgraded headstrap, which does indeed make it heavier than Quest 1, by about 7%. I'll reserve judgement on comfort until I try it. Quest 1 wasn't exactly comfortable for me but it's about more than just the weight number.
I also think Facebook is kind of admitting they messed up the headstrap, if they have to sell a proper one separately.
All they've done is forced the consumer to pick between portability but a bad user experience or no-portability, $50 cost, and a basically acceptable one.
At least the Quest 1's headstrap was basically passable, this isn't.
I don’t agree that selling an improved headstrap is admitting “they messed up the headstrap”. They had to reduce costs to hit $300 to appeal to the mainstream casual market. I think it’s awesome they are finally offering a premium headstrap for those of us who want comfortable VR and are willing to pay a bit extra for it.
The Quest 2 itself is the same weight as the Quest 1. The "10%" you're quoting is entirely from the headstrap changes, if you put a Q1 headstrap on the Q2 they'd weight the same.
They made no improvements, and because of the downgraded headstrap it is actually in worse shape out of the box.
> If you want a better head strap then you can get the official upgraded one
And lose the 10% weight savings, and portability in a portable VR console.
> Tested also says the controller tracking is not worse
Wasn't a claim I made.
> all things considered the screen is a significant improvement
One screen instead of two, and downgrade from OLED to LED. If by "significant improvement" you mean cheaper and worse, but higher FPS then yes, otherwise no
Contrast matters a lot in VR, too.
What? It's still quite portable with an alternative strap. Somewhat bulkier for sure, but still easily small enough to put in a backpack.
https://www.theverge.com/21437674/oculus-quest-2-review-feat...
That kills this product for me. If I can't mod BeatSaber it's useless.
Quest 2 requires a Facebook account to function; without one, you cannot run the system's built-in fork of Android, nor can you toggle the system's "developer" mode and sideload VR-optimized Android apps of your choosing.
"But Facebook's policies make that "standalone VR" magic harder to recommend this time around. As we've previously reported, Quest 2 requires a Facebook account to function; without one, you cannot run the system's built-in fork of Android, nor can you toggle the system's "developer" mode and sideload VR-optimized Android apps of your choosing. (Speaking of: New rules coming to the Facebook VR developer portal will soon force anyone who wants to sideload apps to either supply a working phone number or a credit card. Yes, that is separate from the FB account requirement.)"
> Update, 3:30 p.m. ET: Since this article went live, we've seen infrared camera footage from Tested confirming an identical number of LED bulbs in both generations of Quest controllers
>"....which puts Facebook's original statement into question. The FB rep may have been describing a downgrade in frequency or power for those LED bulbs in Quest 2 controllers."
> I went back to compare tricky "expert" Beat Saber levels on both Quest 1 and Quest 2, and sure enough, the older controller is noticeably more accurate. It's hard to perfectly measure VR controller detection without access to verbose data logs (which I've used to diagnose issues with SteamVR in the past). But I can safely say that after an hour going back and forth between Quest 1 and 2, the number of lost swipes on the newer hardware was higher.
Regardless of whether the new controllers have fewer IR emitters or not, the tracking performance seems to be subjectively worse.