Our Thoughts on the Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset

For my daughters 16th birthday, throughout 2021, we bought her the Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset. This is a wireless virtual reality headset that is all the rage these days. It was her main 16th birthday wish and we made it happen. With a price tag of £300, it does not come cheap however I am here to tell you what we think, do we find it fun and most importantly {the big question!} was it worth it?

I have had this post laying dormant in my drafts for months and months. I never got around to finishing and of course, sharing it with you guys. However, over that weird week between Christmas & New Year, on social media, I noticed so many people had received Oculus Quest 2 headsets as a Christmas gift. Being the gaming nerd that I am thought this was very cool. Thus my revival of this post to finally publish it!

What is the Oculus Quest?

The Oculus Quest 2 is an all-in-one battery-powered wireless Virtual Reality headset. It is perfect for both beginners and seasoned VR users. We were beginners when we bought this and our little minds were blown away by the quality of the visuals alone. I remember logging into the main screen and I had been transformed into a pod in goodness knows where. With hot air balloons in the distance, amazing structures dotted everywhere and my mind felt like it was right there. With 360 virtual reality visuals, it is hard to believe you are not right there. Even though I was standing in my living room. So my first impressions were amazing. However, it does come with a few downsides which I will get into later on in the post.

Oculus Quest 2 VR headset Design

As we know, the Oculus Quest Virtual Reality Headset is worn on the head, kind of like a mask. It has an adjustable fabric strap that goes around the back of the head and a velcro strap placed on top of the head. This is obviously adjustable to the needs of whoever is wearing the headset. Where the headset is placed on your head and over the top half of your face, you will have a padded area and inside that area are the lens. They look a lot like glasses or a pair of goggles.

Inside this headset are all kinds of fancy motion sensors too that allow you, while wearing the headset, to have full 360 visuals of the virtual reality world. Baring in mind, even the menu screen is breathtaking. With its sand dunes, temples, hot air balloons and more. So you can look around, up and down and you will see whatever is in your VR headset world. It can blow minds, believe me!

The Oculus Quest 2 has more of a plastic feel to its headset, which doesn’t bother me personally. However, I believe it is a bit of an upgrade from the original Oculus headset because that has a black fabric style headset. And my mind can only think of the dust that would gather! So I am all for the hardened plastic approach for the Oculus Quest 2.

Is it easy to set up?

I have to be honest, not really. It was a little fiddly with having to plug in cables between your laptop and headset. Setting it up alongside your Facebook account and having to sync everything together etc. It can be a little frustrating, but once it is done, it’s done. And, yes, I did say Facebook and this is because this headset cannot be used, at all, without a Facebook account.

However, once you are all set up and in, you will see a floating menu within your ‘Oculus Home’. This could be space or a desert and all of them are equally as breathtaking as the next. However, with the floating menu, you can operate what games you wish to play, Facebook friends, your game and video content as well as connecting with friends via Facebook.

Comparing the Original Oculus Quest to the Quest 2

In comparison to the original Oculus Quest headset, the Quest 2 VR headset comes with better RAM and chip specs. Giving you, the user, a much more responsive experience when playing games or delving into the huge range of apps available. It also comes with a higher resolution display which is 50% sharper than the OG Oculus headset.

Not forgetting to mention that the developers of the Quest 2 are now able to run their games at 90Hz, which allows more realism when playing the games. And speaking from experience? I sometimes have to take a minute to understand what I am seeing because it looks so incredibly real! So kudos to the developers who worked on this.

Is it lighter than the Original Oculus Quest headset?

We never played the original Oculus headset, so we cannot personally compare the weight of that to the Quest 2. However, we are led to believe the Quest 2 is lighter. The Quest 2 headset is overall, lightweight for what it is. However, it is a little front heavy and can weigh down on your face over time.

The straps can be fiddly, but in my opinion, once you know how to work them it’s easier to make the headset more comfortable {for a time}. However, I find after even 20 minutes of gameplay, my face is being squished by the weight of the headset. Regardless of how many adjustments I make. Overall though, this doesn’t deter us from playing, it’s just one of those things, I guess.

Will I get motion sick while playing?

I am a high-risk person when it comes to motion sickness, especially on some games that aren’t even on VR! For example, I cannot play World of Warcraft, League of Legends or Minecraft on a full PC screen purely for this reason. I would be green in minutes. So, my saving grace is playing all of my PC games in windowed mode and this helps massively. Now, do I get motion sick while playing the Quest 2? Yes & No. And I say that because it depends on the game I am playing.

If I play Beat Saber {which is a firm favourite in our house!}, I do not get motion sick. However, if I play AFFECTED – The Manor, I want to hurl within minutes. This is mainly because in some games you can move by using analogue sticks on the controllers. But moving in-game while you know you are standing still is very discombobulating. This means that sadly, there are some games I cannot play due to this built-in defectiveness that I clearly possess.

Rumours of a fancy Quest 2 upgrade?

There are whispers on the gaming vine that there might be a fancy-schmancy upgrade coming to the Oculus Quest 2 very soon. In the form of a potential 120Hz refresh {which is experimental!} so we can expect a smoother gaming experience as well as a potential reduction in VR induced motion sickness. As someone who suffers from many forms of gaming-related motion sickness, including VR-related motion sickness, this is very exciting news!

Do you want all of the techy guff for the device? Really?

I could go on and on about the inner workings of the device and what it offers and why. But is that what you are after? Most likely not if coming from a Parents curiosity on whether it is a good product or not and I get that.

What I can tell you, without boring you to tears with the techy fluff is that it has a 2-3 hour battery life. And I know what you are thinking, “that doesn’t sound like much playtime” but I am here to tell you that it is. Your face can feel irritated slightly from the foam around the mask after a long session, or it does on me at least!

The 2-3hr battery life for the Quest 2 VR headset is the same as the original Oculus Quest, however, the Quest 2 controllers offer double the battery life in comparison to the previous Oculus controllers. They also require batteries and they need a single AA battery per controller.

Games that we love on this Quest 2 VR headset

Straight up, Job Simulator. This game is so much fun and I am dying for it to have a new game release or an update for it or something! Purely because we get so much enjoyment out of the game. However, it can get a little ‘meh’ having only the same four or five jobs to choose from. But either way, check it out because it is still a very fun game to play!

My personal favourite? Beat Saber! On the Xbox 360, I am a huge lover of the game Guitar Hero. I have been obsessed with that game for a very long time and Beat Saber almost feels like a different version to that {obviously} but I am equally as obsessed with it. My youngest son is way better at it than me, pulling out his songs on expert {show-ff!} but it’s a firm favourite in our house. I also appreciate how we can buy new songs via the Oculus App {available on iOs and Android}.

Gorilla tag is another one of the kids favourite games. I cannot personally play this one because running around playing ‘tag’ with other monkeys. Having to leap and climb trees, swing from branches and run around like…a monkey? No. It turns me green within seconds. So if you are a person who gets motion sick, this game is not for you! But my son loves it! Especially because he can play with his friends, who also have Oculus headsets of their own. It’s also good exercise too because you have to flail your arms about to climb, swing and run!

Our newest purchase from the Oculus store has been Vacation Simulator, which is the sequel to Job Simulator and we absolutely love it. You can do so much more in this game than you can in Job Simulator, so that is an instant 5-star from me. You can play games within the game, which is very cool and you have objectives to complete before vacationing in other areas. I will do a more in-depth review on my blog after I have played it more. But for now? Absolutely love it.

Games we want to check out are:

• Super Hot VR
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Eleven: Table Tennis
• The Room VR: A Dark Matter
• Unplugged
• Supernatural {Fitness game}
• Wander

In our opinion, the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset is a must-have device. Especially if, like us, you prefer the hassle-free approach to gaming. Meaning, no wires that need to be plugged into your gaming PC or laptop. This was never going to be an in-depth review of the Oculus Quest 2. Because those tech-fueled reviews can be found elsewhere online. This was based on our thoughts and a light skimming over the pros and cons that we have found after many hours of usage on the headset. Shop using Currys voucher codes and get your very own Oculus Quest 2 at a great price.

If there is any other information you’d like to know about this headset, follow me over on my Super Busy Mum Instagram and follow my stories. I share a few Oculus related stories, depending on how much free time I have. But feel free to comment on here your question or DM me over on my Instagram. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you enjoyed this review, then feel free to check out my review on the Ring Fit for the Nintendo Switch on my blog.

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