- The Meta Quest 2 is unique, (energetic techno music)
not just because it's the only good standalone VR headset
that you can buy,
but because after almost a year and a half
since it's release, it's still getting better.
While most devices like phones, laptops
and TVs rarely get better after their initial release,
the Quest 2's list of features just keeps growing.
Meta continually releases major updates,
expanding the capabilities
of both its hardware and software.
The full list of improvements is too long to include here,
but compared to at launch,
the Quest 2 supports 120 Hertz refresh rate in some games,
delivering smoother visuals than before.
It can also natively connect to PC's wirelessly,
making it possible to play games like "Half-Life Alyx"
that aren't available on the Quest Store.
And if you're on iOS,
you'll soon be able to export your VR fitness stats
from the Oculus Move app over to the Apple Health app.
As an owner of one of these headsets,
all of that change makes me happy that I bought one,
and as someone who works for The Verge,
that long-lasting support makes it easier for me
to recommend to people,
except for the part where you still need a Facebook account
to set up one of these headsets.
Mark Zuckerberg said in late 2021
that there may be some changes
to that requirement at some point,
but it's still murky on when or if it will arrive.
The good news is that we don't expect this headset
to be replaced anytime soon,
so even though it's a year and a half old,
it's still a worthwhile purchase.
Whether you're interested in getting a Quest 2
or you already have one, but need a few pointers,
I'm gonna highlight some
of the headset's most useful features
and some accessories
that might make your VR experience a little better.
While the soft strap (energetic music)
that's included with the Quest 2 is fine
for some on again, off again VR,
it's a little flimsy
and it doesn't support the headset's weight all that well.
If you intend to invest a lot of time in VR,
I suggest grabbing the Oculus Elite Strap,
which costs $50 or sometimes less when there's a deal.
To me, it's easily worth the cost.
It distributes the weight of the headset more evenly,
even around my large noggin.
And I like that once it's secure,
I don't need to keep readjusting it during intense gameplay,
unlike the standard strap.
And even if you play games that don't require movement,
the elite Strap is just the more comfortable option.
But if you buy one,
just try to avoid yanking the headset off
without first making strap adjustments.
It's more fragile than it looks
and from my own experience, it can develop cracks over time
if you don't treat it nicely.
And if you wanna give yourself a project,
there's a way (upbeat music)
to get both comfort and far better sounding audio
from the Quest 2.
It involves a couple of extra purchases
and a little bit of disassembly,
but you won't void your warranty.
You can turn your Quest 2 into a FrankenQuest
with HTC's Deluxe Audio Strap that usually costs around $90,
but sometimes less.
You'll also need these adapters
that cost around $20 on Amazon.
These snap onto the end of HTC's strap,
allowing this Vive accessory to work with your Quest 2.
Just be careful as you unclip the old strap and install one.
Then, plug in the 3.5 millimeter cable
into the Quest 2's headphone jack
and you've got a completely transformed headset.
Despite its similarities to the elite strap,
I don't think the HTC strap is quite as comfortable.
I mean, it is technically a hack job after all,
but if good audio is slightly higher on your list
than achieving ideal comfort, the headphones built
into HTC's strap make it worth the purchase.
They offer much more base and depth
than those little speakers built into the side
of the Quest 2 straps.
They also offer a wide range of movement,
allowing you to put them right up to your ear
or let them hover a few inches away.
Recharging the Quest 2 is easy,
just plug in a USB C cable, (energetic music)
but if you're recharging your headset in a busy space,
it's somewhat likely that your headset might get yanked
off the table and meet a disastrous fate.
Or you may just forget to charge it,
which to me can also be a disaster.
Anker's charging cradle for the Quest 2
and it's two wireless controllers
might be just what you need.
It's kind of pricey at a hundred dollars,
but it offers a simple way
to secure your gear as it charges,
and instead of having to align the USB C plug with the port,
not that that's difficult,
the cradle includes a clever magnetic mechanism that slots
into the headsets charging.
This way, you only need to align it with the cradle
for it to secure and begin charging.
This kit also includes two rechargeable battery packs,
one for each controller, so they'll always be topped up.
One of my favorite built-in features
on the Quest 2 is its passthrough viewing mode,
which lets you see through its external cameras.
Their job is usually to make sure
that you don't bump into anything while you're, say,
doing the limbo to avoid being shot in "Super Hot VR".
Passthrough mode is really handy to turn on
when someone in the house is calling for you
and you wanna be able to see them
without having to take the headset off.
Though I'll admit, it's also a great tool
that makes it possible to see a drink or a snack
without taking the headset off.
Just note that what you'll see is a rather pixelated,
black and white view of reality, but it's still useful
if you need to quickly orient yourself in the real world.
The Quest 2 has a lot (bright music)
of great games like "Beat Saber",
"Resident Evil 4", "Tetris Effect Connected" and more
but it's true that there are some games
that you should play that are still exclusive to the PC.
But with the Oculus link feature built into the Quest,
simply plugging the headset
into your PC's USB 3 port will let experience them.
Those can be purchased in varying lengths
from Amazon for about $20.
I'd recommend getting one that's at least 10 feet long.
After you install the Oculus Desktop app for Windows,
connecting your Quest will essentially turn it
into a tethered Oculus Rift of sorts.
You'll then be able to buy and play games made
for tethered headsets that have better graphics
than Quest 2 games, like "Half-Life Alyx",
"BONEWORKS", "Budget Cuts" and more.
Oculus Link is a great option
for people who wanna remain seated while they play,
but there's another built-in option,
if you'd rather stand and have the freedom to move around.
It's called Oculus Air Link and it connects you to a PC
in a similar way, but without a cable holding you down.
While it grants you more freedom to move around,
both the visual fidelity and the latency can take a big hit
without the wired connection, and to get playable results,
you'll need to have a pretty capable wifi router
on a network that isn't too congested with other devices.
Even with its faults,
I prefer Air Link to being tethered,
but you should try both of them out
to see for yourself. (energetic music)
I love that both of those options are free
but if you wanna spend a lot of time connecting wirelessly
to a PC, I recommend buying the Virtual Desktop app
on the Quest Store.
It's $20, and while it's similar to Air Link
in that it helps you connect wirelessly to a PC,
it offers a much wider scope of customizable features
and settings that will likely make
for a better wireless experience.
It's basically worth the price of admission
to have your own virtual theater to watch movies in.
When you're in virtual worlds,
it's often so fun (upbeat music)
that you wish other people could enjoy
and observe it with you.
Thankfully, that's very easy to do with the Quest.
When you're in a game,
hitting the Oculus button will bring up
the quick actions menu
and one of the buttons on screen will turn on casting.
You'll then see a list of compatible devices,
which will include TVs and streaming devices
that support Google Cast,
as well as phones or tablets
that have the Oculus app running on them.
Casting what you see in the headset
onto another screen is a great way to make VR feel more
like a group activity.
So if you're having a party
or if it's just you and another person,
this is definitely a feature that you should try out.
This feature is also great
for showing VR newcomers the kind of fun
that they can have in virtual worlds
or helping to guide them
when they're getting stuck in a game.
The Oculus Store
and the Quest has many great games and experiences
but it might not have everything you're looking for.
In addition to Oculus Link, (upbeat music)
there's another avenue for checking out some interesting
and sometimes free VR content
but it's gonna require a little work on your end.
Sidequest is an app for Windows, Mac OS and Linux
that can help you sideload games and apps
onto your Quest or Quest 2 headset.
This is a great place to find interesting VR tech demos,
early indie projects
that could someday become big hits and more.
One of my favorites is a fan-made mod for "Doom III".
The team added good VR controls and movement to the PC game.
Perhaps my favorite part of that mod is
that it actually copies over the entire PC game
onto the Quest storage
and runs it off the headset's hardware, which is amazing.
To give you another example,
Sidequest is where you can find a mod
that lets you import custom songs
into the Quest version of "Beat Saber".
You can use your own music
or, like, use the audio from my voice
and make a level out of it, like I'm doing right now.
There are a couple ways to get started.
You can connect your quest headset
to a PC that has Sidequest on it,
or if you're an Android user
there's an official app that I recommend trying.
Depending on your knowhow
with sideloading apps and troubleshooting
the setup process could take anywhere
from five to 20 minutes.
If you wanna try it out,
visit the Sidequest's YouTube channel
for a tutorial on setting it up with a PC
and if you wanna go to Android route,
the Cas and Chary VR YouTube channel has an easy
to follow guide.
I bought my Quest 2 close to launch in 2020
and each of these tips have expanded my enjoyment with it
far beyond what I initially expected.
So if you're just now buying one,
hopefully these tips will help you out.
(static crackling)