When Facebook-owned Oculus released the Quest back in 2019, it responded to the virtual reality (VR) market that was already in love with its high-quality products.
Their first product, the Oculus Rift, was a pioneer in the revolutionary field of VR, which put users right inside virtual environments. So, when the Oculus Quest first came out, some reviewers hailed it as the best VR set on the market at that time.
It improved significantly on the Oculus Go, which had come to the market a year earlier in 2018. Compared to the "orientation only" movement system on the Go, the Quest provides 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) tracking.
That's mainly because of the two motion controllers, which are very similar to those on the Oculus Touch and sensor on the headset's left and right.
The Oculus Quest is among the first VR headsets to connect wirelessly, ensuring you can move around without getting restrained by a wire. With every step you make, the headset converts your movements into virtual reality.
Thus, you can walk around, bend, crouch, and move without worrying about getting entangled or tripping over wires. It precedes the Oculus Quest II with refined controllers and a higher resolution screen.
Therefore, the Quest is the ideal VR headsets for those who want to experience the best of VR on a budget using an older technology.
What's In the Box?
As soon as you open the box, you will see the Oculus Quest VR headset, a power adapter, touch controllers, a charging cable, batteries, and a glass spacer.
The package also includes comprehensive instructions on what you should do when using the VR headset.
The glass spacer ensures the proper positioning on your head to give you the perfect VR experience of the various components.
The two controllers have an underneath trigger button, two top buttons, and a side grip button. They derive their power from the AA batteries that come inside the box.
Oculus Quest Design
When it comes to design, the Oculus Quest is one of the industry's leading products. Its design seeks to improve on that of the previous Oculus products, including the Rift and Go.
We shall break down the various design aspects into the following:
Compactness
Right from the box, the VR headset feels and looks like a solid, well-designed product. However, it measures 120 x 110 x 90 meters, making it a little too compact and tight to the head.
It is hard to understand why the compact design, given the features included in the device.
Outer and Inner Design
The front matte black exterior has Oculus printed on its top. On the sides, the VR headset has a tough fabric like that on the Go. Once you turn it inside, the first thing you notice is a memory foam lining on the goggles.
That makes it the softest, most comfortable VR headset in its generation. Because of that, you can wear it for long without feeling pressure around your eyes.
Velcro Straps
It comes with a Velcro strap on the top and two sides for holding it to your head. The good thing with the straps is that they are adjustable before and after wearing them.
That's important in ensuring you have the right fit every time you wear the VR headset. Furthermore, the Velcro straps have rubberized headbands covering the back of your head.
With that, it is easier to secure the VR headset on your head even as you try moving around.
Snug Fit
The Oculus Quest has a relatively snug fit with a slight allowance around the nose area.
However, the gap isn't as bad as that of the Oculus Go or similar VR headsets, mainly because of the Quest's small size. You won't notice the leakage if you have genuinely immersive gaming.
Weight
Like other VR headsets, the Oculus concentrates most of its weight around the eyes. However, it doesn't feel as heavy as the larger Oculus Rift, which is massive.
Therefore, you can use the headset to move, turn, look up, and down a lot without feeling a lot of pressure.
The headset only produces minimal pressure from the contact points between the straps and the back of your head. You may also feel only a little pressure on your cheekbones. Once you remove the headset, the pressure will go away.
Jacks and Controls
The headset has two buttons – power on/off, volume up/down – and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Thus you can turn the power on or off simply by reaching out to the side of the headset.
The same is true whenever you need to increase or reduce the headphone sound volume.
Focal Slider
The VR headset also comes with a focal slider just under its front. You can use this feature to either reduce or increase the focal distance between the two lenses.
It improves a good VR experience by making it more straightforward and comfortable for you to enjoy yourself.
Controllers
As we discussed earlier, the box includes two controllers, which are smaller than those before.
Apart from their smaller size, the controllers are different because each has a tracking ring on top and not below.
They have an ergonomic design that helps you to learn how to manipulate objects while making fists quickly.
Moreover, you get an opportunity to test the controllers through the Oculus Quest tutorial lesson. You will learn each button's purpose by moving back and forth between the main menu and the actions.
Overall Design
Generally, the Oculus Quest has an excellent design with a compact VR headset that provides untethered freedom when interacting in virtual reality.
You've got no reason to operate within restrictions of wired connections to your headset. It is, therefore, one of the most excellent VR headsets ever released by Oculus.
Oculus Quest VR Headset Performance
For a VR headset, performance doesn't refer to only one aspect of the device. Instead, it includes a collection of various functions working together to produce the final virtual reality. Let's break it down for you:
Screen Resolution
The Oculus Quest stands out from a large crowd of low-end VR headsets that most of you might have tried. It comes with a 1440 x 1600 per-eye screen resolution on an OLED display panel.
Therefore, it produces colorful, clearer, and believable on-screen images. The closest PC-powered headset is the PSVR, with a 960 x 1080 screen resolution.
When you compare the two head-to-head, the Oculus Quest has a more realistic display overall.
Processing Power
At first sight, you might be disappointed upon learning that the Oculus Quest VR headset uses the Snapdragon 835 processor from Qualcomm.
Apart from Qualcomm's latest processor, the Snapdragon 835 is only a step ahead of the Snapdragon 821 in the Go. By comparison, the Quest is less powerful than the Rift because it doesn't have PC powering.
Is that a bad thing? Maybe and maybe not! First, the Quest isn't anything like the other VR headsets that require additional equipment.
Oculus Mobile App
With a full battery, you can strap it on your head and set it up quickly using the Oculus Mobile App.
Pairing the headset is extremely easy using the app on your mobile phone. After pairing the headset to the app, you need to connect it to Wi-Fi and start operating the different controllers.
You may also need to work through several safety notices to get it up and to run.
Oculus Insight Technology
The Oculus Insight Technology is the driving force behind this VR headset's ability to track movements exceptionally well.
It uses ultra-wide-angle sensors on the headsets, sides, and a computerized video algorithm to translate every move into virtual reality.
Oculus has christened those actions as "inside-out tracking."Right from the Quest tutorial, you learn how to handle things and pick up blocks & balls.
The controller buttons and triggers work with different gestures and fingers, moving to track exceptionally accurately.
Oculus "Guardian" System
In addition to accurate movement tracking, the Oculus Quest works in a room of virtually any size. That's because it doesn't require hooking up to a PC and external sensors.
No matter how small or large the room is, the VR headset has a pretty effective "guardian" system. You can draw boundaries to avoid objects like furniture, TVs while playing within the designated area.
As you approach the edge, an inward and outward-facing grid reminds you of its existence. Not only is that a great VR experience but also one that's highly safe for you.
Gameplay Area
The minimum gameplay area for this VR headset is 2 meters (6.5 feet) by 2 meters (6.5 feet), but it can be less than that. All that you need is to draw out the area that's available to you.
In a tiny home, it is possible to play while sitting or standing in the same place. However, you cannot play some games in a stationary position.
Positional In-Game Audio
The Oculus Quest comes with built-in positional audio that delivers sound as you participate in the video game.
Alternatively, you can plug in a gaming headset via the 3.5mm auxiliary jack to get the same positional audio. Since they expose your ears, listening to in-game sounds via positional speakers means you are also taking in all the ambient noise.
Thus, you are less likely to bump into things or miss the doorbell. It also ensures the headset stays true to its wireless nature, helping you avoid getting entangled in cables.
Apps and Games
Upon its launching, Oculus Quest offered more than 50 apps and games like Angry Birds, Dead, and Buried II, and some are renewed versions of those used with the Rift II.
Moreover, these games came with self-explanatory tutorials to help you learn the basics.
A case in point is First Steps and Beat Saber, a fun, high-energy dancing game that teaches you how to interact with the virtual environment.
Two other games, Creed II and Dead and Buried II, also came as part of the trial phase. They require ample space within which you should move.
If you are playing these games on Oculus Quest for the first time, you may experience motion sickness because of the sensory conflict. However, that gets resolved soon enough when you finally learn how to use the VR headset.
Moreover, other games like Vader Immortal were released much later in three parts. Its production was a collaboration between Oculus, LucasFilm, and ILMxLAB.
The later releases are video games such as Stormlands, The Unspoken, Face Your Fears, The Climb, and Superhot VR.
Battery Life
The Oculus Quest has a battery life straddling anywhere between two to three hours on a full charge. It can be lower or higher depending on whether you are playing video games or watching media.
A lot of gameplay tends to make the battery last anywhere between two to two-and-a-third hours. That might not be enough for the avid gamers but still makes it possible for the VR headset to keep standing alone.
However, you can prolong the gameplay time by plugging in the 6-meter cable to recharge the battery. With that, the Oculus quest loses its "untethered" reputation, at least until the battery is on a full charge.
You can check your phone's battery status via the Oculus App or in VR using the Oculus Home Menu. Recharging takes only two hours, an improvement from the three hours for the Go.
Pros:
Cons:
Final Verdict
The Oculus Quest is an entry-level VR headset for those looking to venture into virtual reality for the first time. It ticks all the right boxes concerning image quality, untethered action, and impressive screen resolution.
Besides, the Quest is lightweight and doesn't require additional equipment to use. That makes it a disruptive piece of equipment bound to give you a better VR experience.
It is excellent for playing video games or watching movies and videos without moving around the house.