Nobody is arguing that the Index isn't better (except for wireless-ness) but at 1/3 of the price, the Quest 2 is incredibly affordable and very, very nice.
And since you can play all the same PC VR games as the Index, plus Oculus-specific games, plus standalone Quest games... It's very versatile.
I have an OG Vive and just "upgraded" to the Quest 2 and it's hands-down better IMO.
I've upgraded my Quest 2 with some hand straps and the elite head strap, so that brings the price closer to 2/3 of the Index, and I still prefer it thanks to the standalone games and the wireless PC link. Not listening to the whine of the lighthouses is another small bonus.
Indeed. Because Valve values openness while Oculus (Facebook) values money. That's why Valve lets you play SteamVR games on Oculus, but Oculus does not let you play them on SteamVR (community solutions exist, of course).
This is pure evil.
It actually is one of the complaints I have about how Oculus does things, but since they basically ushered in this new era of VR, they pretty much had to have their own store and SDK. I can't fault them for not closing it, and nothing is stopping the developers from publishing on both.
Nothing except for the exclusivity contracts that Oculus pushes...
Do you also expect me to buy a Disney TV to watch Disney movies and a Marvel TV to watch Marvel movies? Or do you expect that all games, or movies, use the hardware you already own?
Personally, if it weren't for the Facebook account requirement I'd probably opt for a Quest 2. As it is, I don't think VR is worth the investment of an Index to me so I'll stick with my second hand not-updated-since-before-Oct-2020 Rift because it is perfectly adequate for Beat Saber.
If you actually want decent VR you need a beefy PC for both platforms. So that is a non-argument.