PRODUCT REVIEW: Oculus Quest 2

(Tax Man - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)

Anyone even remotely connected to the world of technology will know what the Oculus Quest 2 is, as well as what it represents.  It needs no great preamble, and so it shall have none here.

As a piece of technology, it's been reviewed to the Nth degree.  No sooner than Facebook Connect 2020 had launched, there were watch parties and unboxings for early access Quest 2 users happening everywhere on YouTube.  With one glaring exception -- I'm looking at you, Ars -- the headset has been universally hailed as another massive success for a variety of reasons.  And why not?  It's lighter, more powerful, arguably more attractive, and best of all, cheaper.  Significantly cheaper.  A full $100 cheaper here in the USA.

That is bonkers.  It's bonkers on a mammoth scale.

That said, there are a few things that I think the reviews almost universally got wrong, and I'd like to address those here and now.  Most of this is going to be subjective, but let's be real here. If you came here for objectivity, you've never been here before. 

In no particular order, let's talk about: 

- The IPD Problem.  The original Quest headset had a manual adjustment for setting interpupilary distance, which it was hailed loudly for.  Properly dialed-in IPD is the difference between a clear display and easy-to-read font and...well, none of that.  The Quest 2 ditches that completely in exchange for three manual settings for IDP: Close, medium, and wide.  It's been lambasted for that on almost every front, but I have to say, I put that headset on and it just...worked. Perfectly.  I could see things without any issue whatsoever, which is kind of a neat trick for someone with my eye problems.  Might this be an issue for some people? Yeah, but as a guy who had to fiddle with the IPD on the Quest 1 to find his sweet spot...I have nothing to complain about.

- Program Loading.  Everyone is going nuts for how much faster programs load.  To that, I would suggest that it's entirely dependent on the program.  Apps like Beat Saber loaded no faster for me at all.  Same story with Arizona Sunshine, an app with legendarily start-up time.  Vader Immortal Ep. 1 has a two-stage start-up sequence. The first part is the load BEFORE the logos.  That happened FAST.  The second part...almost felt like it took even longer.  I have no idea what folks are on about with regards to these incredible loads times, because I'm afraid I just don't see them.  That's sort of shocking because of how much more powerful the hardware platform is than the old Quest.

- Graphics.  First, let me say that I can tell the difference in resolution between the twin displays in the first Quest and the single display in the Q2.  Holy LORD, can I tell a difference.  The native UI looks incredible, and some games like Arizona Sunshine and Beat Saber run so much more smoothly that you can forgive the headset for not supporting 90hz at launch.  If it looks this good now, what in the WORLD will it look like when they turn that monster on?  All of that said...everyone is foaming at the mouth about how much better the graphics in game look.  Textures are smoother, yes, but the graphics don't really seem that much better to me.  The improvements are all small.  Someone mentioned that the graphics in Arizona Sunshine were much closer to those found on the PC.  Uh...I think not.  Things look a bit smoother and a bit more clear, but the picture itself hasn't changed.  This is extra disappointing because some titles like the afore-mentioned Arizona Sunshine are running different versions of the software for Quest 2.  Missed opportunity, much?

(Update, 2020-10-15: Yes. I'm aware of the fact that future titles could better leverage the hardware.)

- Audio.  Some people have said the Quest 2 is a huge leap forward with audio.  I'll be honest, I don't hear it, no pun intended.  Then again, I didn't mind the way the first gen Quest sounded, so what do I know?

- The Strap.  Yes, Facebook clearly cut some corners here, but y'know what?  I actually like it more than the Gen 1 strap.  It's fine.  Anyone bitching loudly about the strap is the kind of power user that should have gone the PC route in the first place.  I think the standard strap works as it should, and I notice no discomfort at all.  My only gripe is that it's just a smidge harder to put on because it's floppy.  Small gripe in exchange for big savings.

- The Visual Interface.  Which, can we all agree is a stupid name for the face pad?  Can we all get together on that, please?  It's silly name aside, this thing is just begging to be replaced.  It's plenty comfortable, but you just know this thing is going to soak up BIBLICAL amounts of sweat when things get serious.  My original Quest interface was wonderful.  Yeah, it let a fair amount of light in near the nose, and yeah the Quest 2's interface doesn't...but man alive, has this just turned into the very first thing I'm going to upgrade.

- Facebook.  This is really important, so pay attention:

GET. OVER. IT.

Seriously, people.  Is this the hill you're going to die on?  This is where the line of data privacy is in your world?  Get over it.  If this is what you have problems with, you've not just missed the point, but the entire conversation.

- The Controllers.  OH MY GOD, the controllers.  What in the nine hells were Facebook thinking with the controllers?  They. Are. HORRIBLE.  The surface texture of the handles has changed, which makes them significantly more slippery when you're doing hard work with them.  As if that weren't enough, the main control surface has been hugely extended in order to accommodate some kind of touch sensor.  The end result is a controller that can't be held comfortable for games where you need to swing a sword or shoot a gun, which...represents a significant portion of their popular game catalogue.  The Gen 1 Quest controllers were basically perfect.  I cannot fathom who at Oculus Labs thought this new design was an improvement.  The controllers alone almost make me regret this purchase, and I haven't even had a reason to play around with the new, if inconveniently located, touch sensors.

My bitching now done, I must still conclude that the Quest 2 is still an incredible technical achievement, and takes what the original Quest was trying to do and catapults it up into space.  It makes good, powerful VR affordable and easy to use.  If you've been looking for a reason to get into VR and you don't want to break the bank, you have absolutely no reason, NONE, to not consider a Quest 2.

In this respect, it is a very nearly perfect piece of technology.  Just...you know, maybe try someone else's controllers out before you buy it, because goddamn.