Oculus has a long and prestigious history with virtual reality as one of the progenitors of the modern wave of headsets and software, and it's no wonder that the arrival of the Oculus Quest 2 has seen a swift resurgence in excitement for virtual reality once again. Interest in VR seemingly ebbs and flows like the tide with each new major hardware or software release—year in, year out.

I, too, find my excitement for virtual reality reaches ecstatic peaks and dips into deep troughs as new technology is flung my way. The first wave of headsets got me hooked, then I could've gone without its dizzying wonders for a while. The second wave of headsets, such as the Vive Pro and Rift S failed to impress, and then came along the Valve Index and I'm enamoured more so than ever with the tech's possibilities.

The Quest 2, however, wasn't something that initially whipped me up into such a fervour. Standalone VR felt like a backwards step for someone so swept up in the $999 Valve Index. Yet clearly it is the greater value proposition, and the only option that even comes close to encroaching on the 'affordable' tag. It offers a specs list that first-gen VR could only dream of at its $299 (£299) price point.

The Quest 2 sports a 1832 x 1920 resolution per eye, and that's across an LCD panel, not an OLED as with the original Oculus Quest. It also results in 50% more pixels than the original Quest's panel, which helps improve clarity and reduce that pesky screen door effect. In practice, it seems to work a treat too.

So long as you keep the headset at a decent level with your eyes in the centre, the image comes through crisp and clear. The OLED of the previous model is sure to offer greater contrast, but improved resolution and clarity for slightly worse blacks levels is a deal I would make for VR every single time.

The improvements between the two go beyond panel and resolution too. The newer model comes equipped with the Snapdragon XR2 System-on-Chip (SoC) from Qualcomm, which is a marked improvement over the Snapdragon 835 SoC from before. That also now comes with 6GB of RAM, a step-up from the 4GB on the original model.

The storage capacity on the larger of the two available models has also been increased to 256GB, up from the 128GB max capacity of the previous generation, while the cheapest model remains at 64GB. The less capacious unit is what I've been testing, but even with significantly less space you'll have no issue keeping a half-decent catalogue of VR games, experiences, and apps installed.

The system files take up 11.31GB, and games can take up anything from under 1GB to 3-4GB. I'm using just 21.56GB of the Quest's capacity, and I have 19 apps installed, most of which are games.


I'd say the storage size actually matters less for PC Gamer's usual clientele too, since we're far more likely to take advantage of the Quest's PC tethered mode than those users looking for an all-in-one standalone device. Oculus Link is what takes this mild-mannered standalone headset and puts it front and centre even for us PC folk.


Before you're able to beam your PC desktop to the Quest, you have to follow the on-screen setup. These are delivered through a mix of in-headset and in-app prompts, which is a little tiresome at times, and fundamentally inaccessible for others. That all depends on whether you're a Facebook user or you're not.

For various work reasons, I have a Facebook account, so this wasn't an issue for my setup process. I just needed to log on to the Oculus app, which is available across a variety of devices, sign in, and link up my Oculus account to my profile. From there, it was just a case of following the prompts to setup a new device.

This process will have you removing your headset, memorising Wi-Fi passwords, putting the headset back on again, and then waiting around for a couple of updates. For a first time setup, it's a little fiddly, but you need only do it once and it's relatively quick to complete.

If you don't have a Facebook account, you either need to make one or find a different headset. There's no alternative right now if you intend to use this headset. That's sure to put off at least some potential customers, and I'll admit the prerequisite Oculus to Facebook account link seems excessive when the meat of the Oculus app remains completely independent from Facebook functionality.

The only time I've seen my Facebook profile appear is when attempting to retrieve an image capture I've taken with the headset's built-in function. It's seemingly only possible to share these snaps onto your Facebook timeline, and that's why you'll find none in this review today.

It's the price you must pay for this headset, and Facebook holds the keys to the platform, so either make your peace or spend a little more on another one of the best VR headsets—there are, after all, plenty of options.

Once you're logged in and the initial setup is complete, you're ready to actually setup your VR area. This is where the intuitive and rather brilliant tracking system of the Quest 2 comes into play.

While setting up your play area—the space you've designated safe for VR shenanigans—you will see a live feed of the world in greyscale from the exterior Quest 2 cameras. You're free to make your play area as wobbly and irregular-shaped as you please (unlike Steam VR), and you only need touch the ground with a controller to set your floor height correctly.