22.5.2019

My Oculus Quest 64GB arrived today. I was sweating, bare chested dancing with an alien and boxing within 15 minutes, but I’ll start from the beginning and I’ll take about my BOUNDARY-SHIFT!-----------------UNBOXING / HEADSETThe box (pictured) is quite substantial. A very solid box inside the outer sleeve, contains all the gear with dense padding affixed inside giving a feel of assurance and quality.Taking out the headset first, I felt the fabric coating around the sides. This gave an extra feel of quality and it certainly felt different from the cheaper plastic of the Go. I wondered at this point if it were appropriate however since people *might sweat whilst using this and the fabric would absorb it.The padding around the headset which makes contact with the face appears to be the same foam as the Go. This too will definitely soak up sweat, though arguably necessary for comfort - and you’re going to want that playing for long periods of time.The front of the headset is a nice smooth, ‘premium’ plastic with the logo Oculus embossed at the bottom. Four cameras shine an aura of blue in each corner and it’s these things which marked the most interesting feature I wanted to see - augmented reality - awareness of the room!The colour is of the headset is black with the fabric taking on a more dark grey colour.Buttons / ports on the headset include: Volume + and -, focus slider and two headphone jacks at either side. The focus slider makes a literal mechanical horizontal adjustment to the two screens behind the lenses I believe.There’s a fixed shape rubber band at the back of the headset with side and upper velcro adjusters. I put the headset on, resisting powering up, and found I only had to adjust each side by 1cm or so. Once it’s secured to your face, there’s a ‘give’ in the elastic which allows you to pull it out a few centimetres from your face. I found this such more more comfortable than the Go which relies upon elastic to hold on the head. What’s more you can slide it back in to reduce the overall headset size when not in use and slide back out (to your preset head size) when you put it on.There’s a smaller box inside containing: USB cable, 15w USB AC adapter, a ‘frame friendly’ spacer (for those who wear spectacles), instructions and 2 AA batteries - one for each controller.All present nicely and very Mac like.—————————TOUCH CONTROLLERSThe controller also have two textures. Smooth plastic on top with a very pleasing rubber with plenty of grip on the underside which is very subtly ribbed.The buttons comprise; trigger, side trigger, shiny Y and X buttons reminiscent of an XBOX controller, a thumb-stick reminiscent of a Nintendo Switch controller and an Oculus button. The trigger and side trigger are used for various ‘hand’ functions such as grab and point, though this will differ according to the application. The Oculus button is used to reset alignment on screen. A double click of this button takes you back to the home screen. Each controller has what feel like a smooth suede wrist strap for safety so you don’t launch them by accident.The controller feel very similar to the Go, apart from the buttons and thumbtack are where the smooth touchpad is, and of course, there’s a big sensor ring at the end.Overall feel is very robust and they have a slight weight to them since they contain the all important….RUMBLE. Now we can feel the action. Fire a gun and we feel the kick. Get punched in the face, we feel the impact.———————————STARTING UP ***SPOILERS***It took me a good minute to find the power button since it blends against the side of the headset. Pressing it, nothing happened and I assumed it may need a charge, but holding it a little longer and more firmly it switched on.Racing to fit it in my head to eagerly admire the image quality difference between this and the Go, I put it on. The Oculus logo was there - a little bit closer than what I remember on the Go, much brighter, but blurred. It took the same level of physical up and down adjustment as it did with the Go. Once you do it, it’s easy to do it again, which is fortunate since it’s always necessary. On the Quest however, we have the focus slider at the button of the headset which slides the inner screens to give an even greater focus in accordance with ones own eye spacing. I was at the startup screen and though dull and monotone colours were present, the vividness was already showing.After pairing with the app on my iPad which I already has installed for the Go, I connected to WiFi (it failed to connect to my extender, but this doesn’t matter to me) and I was prompted that a download was taking place. This took around 15 mins.Once complete I wasn’t greeted with the typical home screen I’m used to.Instead, I was suddenly looking at my sitting room in a monochrome 3D. I was shocked.I was then prompted to set the floor level and draw a line around the safe areas of the floor to mark a boundary, which if I stepped close to or over, it would warn me. Quickly putting my cat in another room, I put the headset back on and drew my boundary. It set up a visible matrix in my sitting room. This was getting good!With that done, I was left standing in the middle of my sitting room in darkness (on the screen) before being whisked into a totally immersive, vibrant psychedelic intro. I said ‘wow’ and I meant it. The Go hasn’t managed to deliver this level of experience! Fractals flying everywhere, I eventually lay to rest standing in a room with objects and activities to learn how to use the controllers which act as hands to point and make fists. I set off rockets, played punchball and played a shooting game which was great in its own right and I felt the RUMBLE for the first time which was effective.The immersiveness is outstanding The colours are outstanding in comparison to the subtly washed out colours of the Go. I felt part of it and inside of the experience.I could physically walk around my living room inside of this cage / matrix which would only appear of I got close to its boundaries. The the REAL room would show. If I’m half in, half out, or if I stick my head throw the boundary, I can see half VR, half real room. Absolutely and utterly bizarre!Next I’m standing in a room and I have to physically walk over to an alien robot character to dance. I danced for 5 minutes sweating.At one point I braved an eloquent twirl. The twirl was a mistake. I witnessed what I called ‘BOUNDARY-SHIFT’ (You heard it here first). The boundary as I later found out, after hitting my knuckles full force on my door frame, had shifted about 15 cm to the read of my sitting room. The ‘safe zone’ was now over the doorframe, my standing acoustic guitar my fireplace. Not good. I did find however after testing, that it is very reliable. Just ensure that you don’t do an eloquent twirl or you’ll witness BOUNDARY-SHIFT.The overall recommended area to clear in the room is 2m x 2m, but I only have a narrow sitting room and adjoined bedroom in my apartment which gives me a 1.5m narrow strip of floor, which is adequate. Naturally, there’s also an option for being stationery too. A personal boundary is present with this option.———————IMAGE QUALITYColours are much more vibrant that the Go as mentioned. This no doubt will be due to the OLED technology in each of the two lenses. Although I assumed this would be nice, it’s more than that. It adds lot to the immersiveness. The resolution looks better. The Quest, has 400 more pixels per eye than the Go if I remember, but the pixel comparisons were deemed void due to sub pixels being a factor.Oculus Go: 1280 x 1440 per eye - 5.5-inch displayOculus Quest: 1,440 x 1,600 pixels per eye - 72Hz OLED display.Difference: 160 x 160 (for what it's worth).Most notably the ‘screen door effect’ (grinding) looks about 50% less and this does add a lot to the immersiveness. Everything is a lot more clear than the Go and you actually feel like you're in the VR location. It all feels a lot more real - almost like looking through binoculars without magnification.There seems to be less eye strain. Less effort to have to process the image with the brain. It’s just more relaxed and more easy to look at. It's like being there, whereas the Go had a constant feel of looking at a screen.The level of depth is so much more greater than the Go.Glare is actually very noticeable when there’s a bit of white on a black background - a splash screen for example with a logo, but thankfully this dissipates when an array off colours are presented simultaneously. The focus slider the the bottom of the headset can also help to reduce glare - or at least the most prominent position of the glare.Though this isn’t directly related to image, there was a slight bleed of light seeping through the nose bridge of the headset. This is noticeable too when there’s a black background or dark scene. It’s very slight (at least in the case of my nose).——————SOUNDThe sound appears to be pretty much the same as the Go with the speakers situated in the side straps.The lows, mids and highs seem around the same.The only difference which I think I noticed was that the max volume was a little lower which didn’t make any difference.I must admit, I’m sure why there are two headphone sockets at either side of the headset, so comments regarding this would be appreciated.*** I will be experimenting with a pair of Senheisser HD650s later.———————————APPS & GAMES / PERFORMANCEI was quite surprised at the very limited selection of games and apps available currently on launch.I do intend to take my time and appreciate each individual game before I buy the next, but the Store does seem very empty currently.I still have a lot more to discover, but at this point it looks like my Go games aren’t compatible since they aren’t on the store. it would appear there are two separate stores for Go and Quest. Understandably so from the standpoint of Go which has lesser hardware, but vice-versa, I’d expect to see all the existing Go games. Perhaps at this point, I’ve missed something.Regardless, those demo’s I’ve played from the small selection which appeared to have downloaded automatically during installation, they are phenomenal - ‘Rise to Glory’ (Boxing)in particular. At first, it really is overwhelming (in a good way) when there’s someone right infront of you throwing punches. It’s really something that has to be witnessed since words do it no justice.Next I played Sports Scramble - a tennis game in which you hit all kinds of sports balls / projectiles and use an array of different bats and objects. I played literally soaked with sweat against an online opponent. Thoroughly enjoyable. A great laugh and pick-me-up.Overall, the degree of accuracy, together with the responsiveness of the controllers to interact with the environment just makes this shine. It works and it works well!Head tracking appeared to be notably more responsive, so needless to say this gives a more true-to-life experience. There is no delay and no feel of ‘drag’. I will be testing this too when then hardware is pushed to close to the limit with a fast action game.** I’m due to buy Robo Recall since this looks like one that’s going to fully test and boast the hardware capabilities.The refresh rate of the Oculus Quest is 72Hz.———————FINAL THOUGHTSThis isn’t just slightly better than the Go. It’s another level entirely.It looks better and this time, it does feel like a virtual world, rather than simply looking at (and around) one.To walk in a virtual world after setting up the boundary matrix in your house / room is something else.Playing tennis, then walking off to poke your head through the grid to see your real room is amazing.Whilst I still have a lot more adventuring ahead of me, I know already that the general experience (with games aside) make this something to buy and experience.I’ve already given my family a Go for xmas, but I can’t wait for them to experience this at the weekend.Having the ability to WALK, and use two hands to handle objects and interact with the environment, just bring this completely to life.If you’re new to VR (and perhaps considering the Go too), Oculus Quest is the one to buy - no question.Everyone needs to experience this!Advantages* Room-scale freedom!* Mixed reality is amazing* Brilliant colour in contrast to the Go — OLED Lenses* Greater feeling of being elsewhere - in a room / place.* Sharper image with much greater feel of depth* More responsive head tracking* Headset fan (when it turns on) is near silent* Comfortable & easy to fit* Much less eye strain & post-disorientation* Quality, responsive controllers with rumble* Good battery life* Comfortable Weight* No PC required* Two controller / hand articulationDisadvantages* Launch titles are limited* Physical games cause the padding to literally soak in sweat* Fabric cover, though nice, is prone to sweat and grime too* Facebook is still required to furnish the home area and watch media* Glare with white on dark backgrounds* BOUNDARY-SHIFT from eloquent twirling

7.5.2020

THIS IS A FULL REVIEWFinding a review to explain exactly what the VR experience entails is a difficult oneMany simply state it being hard to explain and just buy one to find outThe problem with this is that it is a very expensive way of just jumping in blind to find out for yourselfI made the plunge after years of doubt, and having unsuccessfully found anywhere to trial oneWell, i wasnt disappointedTrying to describe the VR experience is in fact as hard as others have said, but i think the experience can be described in order to give a sense of what it offersVisuals - i can best describe my experience, using the Oculus Quest, as giving an immersive, 3D /holographic type of experience.Back in the 80's our school had a travelling science group who showed us holograms, looking through boxes or tubes, seeing the visual holograms of certain objects, animals etc.These images appeared 3 dimensional, and also appeared to be, in a sense, floating within this infinite 3 dimension space.This is the experience that VR, in general, offers.Take Robo Recall for example, my first outing in to VRIt immerses you in what feels (or the brain is tricked) like a real life city, albeit in an obvious computer game graphical visual. However, where it shines is that interactions while fighting/shooting the robots, in that they appear correctly, at various distances, scaled correctly, shadow details, etc and the rendered 'box' of the robots is incredibly accurate. 'Grabbing or shooting at the robot, gives a real sense that they are actually there, in front of you (or behind) and you find yourself reacting automatically to duck dodge or block them.VR is this ability to construct a 3 dimensional arena/world, and tricking the brain to immerse you as if it were real. The only thing that holds you on to actual reality is the obvious computer rendered images you see (and the occasional hitting your knuckles on a nearby desk or wallOculus Quest UnitHardwareThis unit is my first jump in to VR, so i have nothing to compare it to, however, I've bought many an item over the years, and can clearly judge that this item is of top rated build qualityThe plastics are hard, feel sturdy, have differing surface finishes depending on if its where you would normally hold or touch.The straps are adjustable, feel strong and hard wearing.The foam padding is comfy and soft, and does an excellent job of block out light.The lenses / screens have an adjustment facility for those with eye issues. I have on eye with long distance issues, however i can wear my oculus with out my glasses and have no issues with seeing clearly.It is possible to buy lense inserts from the Oculus approved company by giving them your prescriptionI havent opened up the unit to look at the internals (nor will I), but this unit uses OLED screens with a high resolution, a high brightness, and the blackest of blacks. The refresh rate doesnt cause any tearing or slowdowns when things get fast paced.The battery has a supposed life of around 2 hours, ive achieved slightly higher than this, but it will depend on the software, games etc that you are running.The touch controllers are superb, and i was blown away with how accurate the xyz position and displaying of these were on the unit. Being able to grab, move it and see corresponding actions on screen only immerses you more in the experience. For the controllers i would recommend grabbing a pack of 4 rechargable batteries and charger. The touch controllers use a single AA battery each and seem to last perhaps 20+ hours, but i cant be certain of this as i changed mine out when it informed me onscreen, but on checking were still about 40% fullSoftwareThis area was a surprise for me, id had a quick look and saw a few games ertc, but it wasnt until i installed the oculus app on my phone (this is required on initial first turn on of unit) and the oculus app on my pc (not required to play on oculus), that i saw the shear amount of additional software tools available.The Quest can be run as a standalone unit, using just the Quest store for software.However, plug in a cable and attach it to your VR capable PC opens up a whole 'rift' of possibilities.This software, Oculus Link' enables the quest to access the Rift store, hereby giving full access to the complete list of software available on the PC based Rift store, thus opening even more games and apps.From there you can also instal SteamVR, and access the VR content on the Steam store.This whole process is a simple case of buying the correct USB-C to C cable (must be capable of delivering power and data, normally advertised as 10GB cables) and allowing the oculus pc software detect your headset, install the Oculus Link software (in Beta, but its works well), then on the Quest home screen, you simply click on the beta link button and it transfers you to the Rift home screen and store. For steam it requires SteamVR (which is in your 'tools' folder not games)The oculus software enables you to map out your room, drawing around everything using the touch controllers, this gives you a safe area, and the system will bring up a grid on your eye screens when you get too close (this can be adjusted and changed very easily if you use the Quest in another room etc. As the quest version is primarily wire free, portability function is great on this)An app called Virtual Desktop adds another element, in that, if you hook up the headset to your pc via usb-c thunderbolt port, it will display your PC desktop, and full functionality to your Quest and controllers, hereby giving access to anything you have on your pc ie. Games, documents, files, videos and the full plethora of the internet.I havent tried watching films on the unit yet, Netflix, Amazon etc all have apps on the Quest store, not sure if 3D films played via a pc dvd drive would show in 3D tooI'll finish this review off nowIf you were like me, sat on the fence, pondering the costs, is it worth it, do i really need it, or does someone in my family really need it, then i would say YES. It really is a mind blowing experience.If cost is an issue, start your experience with a low end unit, as long as its a true VR headset, the likes of PS4 headsets or Oculus Go can give a relatively cheap way of getting in to it, or if your like me, a nice 2nd hand unit off e.bay is a good optionAll told, its a worthy investment, and resale values look goodHope this helps

26.5.2019

So I have been gaming since i was about 5 years old. First playing on a Atari back in its heyday then moving from console to console and PC gaming over the cause of 30 years. I have seen and tried most consoles. they have come and gone and some evolved. But I can honestly say that the future of gaming is here and this feels not only new but for once not a gimmick. I havent in a long time got actual goosebumps when playing a game and I think the other console creators need to pay attention and just admire the pure and fresh take on this gaming industry. Been playing on the console now for a few days and I am absolutely having a blast.I havent played any PC or console gaming since I openned the box.Packaging:First off we have to thank Apple for the benchmarking in packaging. The console is packaged perfectly and as a customer really appricate the effort that goes into something as simple as a box with a well packaged product. This shows pride in a product and I think they nailed this one.The Headset:I have not had a VR headset of my own until now, so I can't really compare it to other VR headsets. But for a first time user I think it fits well. The ways it fits your head is well designed, light and easy to adjust when someone else wants to have a turn. I have been putting in about 4 hour sessions at a time and I just get lost in the immersion. The headset tracking system is incredible and the gaurdian system works extemely well even in smaller rooms. You will, however, need a mobile phone to install the Oculus App to start your adventure.Controllers:This was a something new for me, the tutorial was excellent and blew my mind. It didn't take me long to get the hang of it, and the more you use it the better it gets. My daughter wanted to have a go, she didnt even need the tutorial. I passed her the headset and controllers and she figured it all out in about two beat saber songs. The controllers are very well built and super responsive, I have yet to see any latency in this area.Visuals:This is mind blowing for me. The colours pop out and are vibrant and really makes you feel like you actually in the game. I know there are better headsets out there but just being able to pull this headset out of the box and going into the virtual world is insane. When you start the tutorial (as a novice to this) you will see exactly what I mean. The colours are perfect and it met every expectation I had and so much more.Sound:The sound is in the head straps, is pretty cool. Something new to me again but can't fault it at all. I dont know how they do it but those little speakers are amazing and send a good polished clear sound to both ears. When I am playing on my own I just attach my astros to them and close myself off to the rest of the planet.Games:I have bought most of the games so far that are on the store. I have not had any issues playing any of them. Like I mentioned in the beginning this is the future and the games are fun to play solo or as a family or with friend in turns unless you have more than one console. The game prices are reasonable, but I think they should definetly add more content on a weekly basis. The more games there are, the more we can experience and there sure is a lot to do in there. There are the standard Apps if you into media like Youtube and Netflix and they also look great when you try them out on a cinema side screen.Streaming:You are able to stream your gameplay to Facebook and cast to mobile. It says it can cast to Chromecast but it not working for me so will do some more investigating on it. I have only used the casting fuction to my mobile and it worked for the most part. There wasnt any issues casting from the home inviroment but there was some games that disabled the casting functionality. Which was a bit of a let down but the game made up for it. I would say that in this area it really falls behind for me. On most consoles and PC you have option to stream where you like to Twitch, Youtube, Mixer and arent forced to use only Facebook this was very disappointing for me.Performance:In this department it works great, you get a great experience from the headset. The contollers compliment the gameplay and its all keeps up nicely, everything seems to work well together The headset makes almost no noise the fan built into the front of the headset I couldnt hear it at all while playing games. Where it falls down a bit, is with the battery I only get about 2 hours on a full charge. The headset doesnt take to long to change full again though its OK, but not great for me personally. So I ordered a 24800 mah power bank that I put in my pocket. works like a charm. I do wish that the headset lasted longer on its own change but there has to be a sacrifice somewhere.Pros:* PC/Console freedom* Well packaged* Great design* Visuals are amazing* Controllers are well built and very responsive.* Comfortable to wear for long periods* Easy to move from user to user* Sound is awesome with and without headphones* Games play well and are very fun* Games arent expensive* Overall performance is great* Light wieght* Fun factor* Social (If you want it to be)* Game quality is excellent* You not just sitting playing games all day* Active (You will break a sweat in some games)Cons:* Facebook Streaming ONLY* Not enough games in the store yet* Not enough Apps in the store yet.* Battery Life* Not striaght forward to install APKsConclusion:I am very happy I bought this VR headset, its new, its fresh and its blown my mind. If you enjoy gaming and want to move into the VR gaming world this is your ticket. No PC needed just unbox install the Oculus App and play. I will warn you that if you anything like me you will want more than one of these in the home. I would highly recommend this VR headset if you looking to try out VR gaming without any additions.

7.11.2019

I've been keen on the idea of VR for some time but have held off of buying until now. I've tried them from the original Oculus Alpha kit (that a fellow dev I worked with owned) to an Oculus launch unit, a Vive and PSVR. With all of them I've found various reasons not to take the plunge, whether that be cost, weight, tracking issues, or the sheer number of cables that are needed and the difficulty of setting up a space for it.Having read the reviews and watched videos of the Quest I was sure they had finally come up with a system that is ideal for me. This is a standalone unit that only needs it's included USB C cable for charging (though there is soon to be some new software called Oculus Linkthat will allow you to connect this to your PC via a USB 3.1 connection and play full PC VR games on it should you have a PC that's beefy enough (another thing that drew me into buying it).The only extra bit of kit you need for this is an iPhone or Android that can run the Oculus app. This app is used to configure the unit , connect it to home your home wifi and get started. You can also use it to make purchases, though you can also do this inside the Oculus.The unit comes with the VR Headset , USB Cable, Plug and 2 Touch Controllers.Set-up is very easy indeed, the app and then the Quest step you through the whole thing and then give you a very easy tutorial into how to use the touch controllers. It also as an outward facing camera, used for both tracking but also used to set-up your play space. You use the touch controller to draw out a safe "Guardian Zone" on the floor, this being a safe play space where you can't fall over or hit anything. From here the game draws a cage around you and then creates the game world. If you step outside of the bounds of this zone then the camera turns on and allows you to see the outside world.From there you download your software and get playing. Thus far I have downloaded a number of apps inc Netflix and Amazon (movies in VR, very cool), YouTube (which has some excellent 360 degree VR movies) , the very amusing VR chat and also a number of game demos including the marvellous Beat Sabre and Superhot.I have to say I am blown away by it. Considering it's power is equivalent to a Pixel Phone (until connected to a PC), it is extremely smooth and the games look great (though of course not high end PC VR great but thus far it seems like the most fun VR experiences are more about the experience than high end visual fidelity. Tracking is extremely smooth and accurate, making the games a joy to play and the touch controllers are extremely accurate. I feel like the tech has all come together here to finally deliver a full 6 degrees of freedom experience without the previous limitations. It's also so nice not to have a system where tracking keeps drifting and needing resetting. This one just works.Overall I'm delighted with this, for those who've been waiting to jump into VR I feel this really is the time. It's an excellent bit of kit.

13.6.2020

I was a it late to the party when it comes to the Quest and there have been may updates to the device since its initial release. The quest works brilliantly as a stand-alone VR device and the people I have shown it to have all had a smile brought to their face by how impressive this VR device can be.It has a brilliant Unboxing experience (if that is important to you) and screams premium product. The headset is of brilliant build quality and the fresnel lenses provides a great image once you accept the slight ghosting/glare that is produced by this technology. The headset is rather front heavy and there are a number of ways people have found online to allow for longer play sessions without the excess pressure on the face.I have attached some additional cushioning and headband from AMVR which work well for my needs. Unfortunately, you would need to factor the cost of these extras into the experience, on top of a carry case if you require one; it would have been nice to see this included given the cost of the device and its main marketing point being that it can be played anywhere. Battery life is decent and it charges fully very quickly.The controllers feel natural to hold and they make stepping into a new game feel quite intuitive. They require a AA battery each, so I reccomend carrying a spare set around if you are traveling with this (rechargable may be a good investment). One of the most recent updates allows for controlling the device with just your hands (without the controllers) which is even more immersive and makes the future of VR look even more interesting.The device can also be used with an appropriate cable, as a PC tethered headset in the place of something like an Oculus Rift or Valve index. This opens up its versatility even more, as some of the better/larger VR experiences were previously out of reach of the Quest due to hardware limitations. At the time of writing, this appears to be the better value headset on the market due to its ability to perform both tethered and mobile.The games can be purchased through the oculus Quest store, either in the headset itself or via the mobile app (if bought on the mobile app, remember to then find the game from inside the headset to download it). If you do tether to PC, games can also be purchased on the Rift store, but not all are 'cross buy' enabled. This means that you can buy a game on the Rift store and, unless it expressly says you can play on the Quest, will always be required to be attached to the PC to play (and the reverse is also true). This can get confusing as the same game can be on sale on the Quest store but full price on the Rift store, so make sure you check both. It also works fine with the likes of Steam VR, which opens up options for where you buy your gamesI was unaware of just how far VR has come at this point, and while by no means perfect at all times, I really do reccomend this device to anyone who has waited until now to try out VR for the first time.

7.9.2020

My previous experience of VR is: 20mins "Virtuality" back in the '80s; 10hrs various Google Cardboard; 30hrs Samsung GearVR; 50mins Oculus Rift; 15mins HTC Vive.The Quest blows Cardboard and GearVR away with its room-scale 6DoF, the controllers, the image quality; While it can't challenge the Rift or Vive image quality or their complexity of content, the lack of cables and having no need of a PC/Laptop is a real game-changer. Audio is built in; a mic, and stereo sound fed through the side bars of the harness; adequate in a quiet room, but you can connect other headphones anyway to match your needs.Facebook/Oculus have addressed some of the initial complaints with several firmware and software updates since release,and as far as I can tell it's all to the better. E.g., some apps for the Oculus Go and Samsung GearVR are now available to use on the Quest via an emulation. I already had "Lands End" for the GearVR, and just played it again on the Quest. Hoping for Esper and Esper2, fingers crossed...As it's become a very popular item in the last year the support and development for this platform will continue to increase, lots of nice new content, lots of nice new accessories, and an ever increasing user-base. All to the good for the Quest's ecosystem.Care instructions say to never use any liquids to clean the lenses at all. What are they made of, sugar?Probably best to keep them covered with something to keep off all dust, and maybe get a decent lens blower/brush as used for cleaning D/SLR cameras.Fit: I found it wasn't comfortable to wear; after almost an hour of adjusting the straps I was still feeling a lot of the weight on either my forehead or cheekbones. You may be luckier, no two faces/heads are the same, so I just accepted this as a problem I needed to address myself, so I did.I got an add-on battery pack that fits behind the head and doubles as a counterweight. And it improved things a lot; I went from tolerating the Quest on my head for 1hr maximum to almost forgetting it was there for 4hrs+. There's several 3rd-party ones to choose from, get one.Light leakage: I found some, through the sides ( I wear glasses, and wider ones can keep the padding slightly away from my face ), and through the nose area which I found to be large enough to see through. OK, I've a small nose, so the extra space is probably good news for those with a larger nose, the Quest won't mash it flat or pinch it closed.Glasses; my newest pair are very wide but they fit inside the Quest anyway, and the Quest comes with an additional part to increase the distance between the headset and your face to help accommodate larger pairs if needed.Pros: Portable; cable-free; built-in audio; no need for gaming PC/laptop; room-scale 6DoF; lively ecosystem.Cons: Heavy on the face; battery life is 2-3 hrs depending on what it's doing; really needs accessories to work to it's full potential so budget for those too.

23.5.2019

Very nice VR experience no need to tell pros as already explained vigorously. I know most of those who have experienced its high resolution with the cool sense it gives, with its great tracking and touch controllers, are too excited in their reviews.Cons with my headset,1- Battery finishes quickly in 1 to 2 hours and having to wear a bag with a charger (get a 1 meter USB to C cable) to enjoy fee movement or to keep it plugged with original charger as it is long enough and most games do not require fast turns.Eg, games like Apex, it doesn't last longer than 70mins2- Lens appears as if having some internal dirt. Ive cleaned it from the outside using the recommended tools,but the dirt keeps like a shadow or a blurred stain; however, i got used to it and kids havent noticed the same.3- Frame rate ranges 50 to 60 and not 70 as was advertised.Of course, this is an old version mobile PC with limited abilities thus don't expect good textures.4- The main con is its processor as it doesn't help to enjoy a real VR experience like with rift or playstation 4 pro. (textures are so simple with minimum shadow and glare)5- Games are very limited in number and very expensive if compared to their short lasting game play. Also, lack of available players in multiplayer games.6- Most applications have no demo version and refund can be done only if played less than 2 hours. Most of them you cant get back to earlier levels.7- The facial support of the headset is very rough causing marks of pressure over the face! why do we have to spend more money to get a spongy frame?8- Internal cooling is not very effective, it keeps heating up and requiring fan in the room.9- VR Chat texture is very poor compared to PCVR.I generally would advice to wait for software solutions to its inability to accept charging whilst playing, to improve its processor, to add more flexibility to connect to other steam games taking into account its low performance capacity. My android phone with VR headset whilst having a good controller gets me longer hours of wider variety of games but not to the same immersive effect of having a wider field of view with more pixels ( not too wide as you wont be able to see your hands all the time in Tai Chi)Waiting to see how it functions with VR or 3D movies for its high resolution.If the battery charging issue continues and I be sure this is not only me seeing a smeared lens from the inside I will be returning it. Also, will be waiting for another few days for a software update hoping it will resolve these issues.Advice: If you don't have patience then buy it, it's fun otherwise you can wait for a new version with faster CPUDont purchase games with short game play as you will waste money on something you wont play twice; instead, pay for the game and play less than 2 hours to test it and then request refund within 14 days from purchasing the app.

16.5.2020

Facebook are selling Quests as fast as they can make them for a good reason; this is the most accessible and immersive VR experience money can buy right now.Pros- The Oculus Insight tracking system works like magic. The four cameras on the front of the headset track your position in physical space and your Touch Controllers incredibly well.- The Oculus Store is booming right now with some truly fantastic games such as Beat Saber, Tetris Effect, The Climb, Arizona Sunshine, Vader Immortal and Gun Club VR. The future looks very bright with the developers of Boneworks and The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners working on Quest titles for later this year,not to mention Phantom: Covert Ops coming next month.- The Touch Controllers themselves are one of the best handheld controller systems I've ever used. The hardware almost disappears because they fit into your hand so well.- My Quest is a completely different device to the one I bought last year because of relentless improvements from Oculus which seem to be non-stop; it now supports (very impressive) hand tracking, can run PCVR games with Oculus Link and has had a home screen UI redesign which is far superior to the original (amongst other minor improvements such as Virtual Environments, experimental features and Insight tracking improvements)- The immersion you feel in 6 degree of freedom VR done well (as it is here) really is a completely new kind of digital experience and it is very compelling. I still stop in awe at times when picking up a virtual object or sharing (what feels like) a physical space with someone on the other side of the world in Oculus Venues.Cons- This is (understandably) a fairly heavy device. After about 30 minutes I often to feel some discomfort and usually limit my play sessions to 1-1.5 hours max, mainly due to the device pressing on my face. You can make your own "comfort mod" with a counterweight on the back of the device, however this hasn't increased the comfort for me so much so that the weight ceases to be an issue.- The controller low battery alert system is just totally broken for me; I use rechargeable batteries and simply do not get any notifications when they're running low on juice. In fact, they show that they are 2/3 bars charged until they suddenly die with no warning despite the software clearly detecting that they are on i.e. 10% because I can check this from the Oculus app.- The home UI can sometimes be buggy at times and throw menus around in a strange way. More care could be taken by Oculus to make a truly stable UI before they invest so much time into adding new software features as bugs and glitches in VR can be jarring and/or nauseating.

10.7.2019

TLDR: This headset feels like stepping into the future. Everything from the packaging to the operating software screams quality, and virtual reality is an experience straight out of science fiction.What is it?This is a virtual reality headset from Facebook which lets you walk around in virtual space, while tracking your motion, head movement, and hands (a "6 degrees of freedom" headset). Effectively, think the holodeck from Star Trek.It is primarily used for gaming, with games ranging from cyber ninja action titles where you triple jump and backflip off walls, to guided tai-chi relaxation apps. My personal favourite is Moss, where you guide a cute little mouse through platforming puzzles.

20.8.2020

First, lets get the bad out of the way. Oculus is owned by Facebook, as from October 2020 for new users (and end of 2023 for current users) you will be required to link a Facebook account to your Oculus to enjoy 'full functionality'.This is hugely discouraging news - firstly its largely come out of nowhere, one of the key appeals of social VR is that your VR self is whoever you want it to be - but now you're Facebook account is going to be permanently linked. Your game play, VR stats and more will turn the Oculus into a advertising pipeline and Facebook will always be watching and listening.Now - this may not matter to you, you might be quite happy to set up a fake account in the name of your pet and link this to it,

22.5.2019

We are absolutely in the future. I was lucky enough to get my Oculus Quest on release day (yesterday, May 21st) and I could not wait to try it. It took me a while to figure out how to put it on, because I wear quite big glasses and have a relatively big head. As it turns out, I was trying to put it on by expanding it over my head, but what you are supposed to do is put the headset up to your eyes FIRST then pull the strap down over the back of your head.Before you know it, it was powered up and I was in the virtual reality world. It looked incredible. The headset's pixel resolution is higher than the Oculus Rift, and so VR looked even better. As soon as you're in,

6.9.2020

I purchased my Oculus Quest to try the current VR technology, at a reasonable price point, encouraged by the hype surrounding the new Quest Link capabilities. To be clear, I am happy to award 5 stars for the Quest wireless device, but only 4 stars for the Oculus Link.The Quest wireless is easily set-up, using the Oculus mobile app on a device that supports both bluetooth and wireless. The app updates the software on the Quest, and acts as a portal for purchasing, downloading and installing Quest certified (wireless) apps from the Oculus Store. You only use the enclosed USB cable for charging the device.As a wireless device, the Quest works very well, for this price point. However,

2.10.2019

My boss had an original Rift and I have a Go - I liked the Go, it wasn't bad for the money, not as graphically amazing as the Rift but I could watch a 3D movie or I could play a game and it was fine. Wasn't the most comfortable thing you could have on your head, but it was what it was.So it was quite nice to see the devices getting a bit of an upgrade - the Rift S still had the cables, but better optics and the Quest was essentially the same, better optics than the Go, better hardware than the Go.What made me buy the Quest was the promise of the Link feature (coming in October apparently) which allows you to, via a USB-C cable, attach to a PC and experience Rift games without having to get a second headset.

21.5.2019

I own three VR headsets (Oculus dev1, Oculus rift cv1, PlayStation VR) and now the Quest.I was mainly using the PSVR, because its convenient to use.However, I will now sell the PSVR and switch to the Quest. After just playing the introduction games and tutorials, the new Rift and Quest is by far the most advanced VR experience to date.- Quest graphics, I’m surprised by the quality of the image clarity. The image seems better than a PSVR, possibly because the display uses a much higher resolution making the image seems sharper, and with just enough antialiasing to make the graphics look less jagged than the PSVR. The Quest’s mobile processor (Snapdragon), which is two generations old,

30.5.2019

Fantastic piece of kit with ground breaking (and standard setting )accessibility options. The guardian system takes about 10 secs to set up and the pass through option when you've left your marked area enables you to see a grainy black and white video of the outside world. Stepping back into the guardian area is one of those wow moments that never gets old, and you haven't even started any apps yet!The tracking on the 6dof controllers is nearly flawless assuming you stay away from bright sun light (draw the curtains!). I also noticed my ceiling fan seemed to interfere with tracking sometimes, an easy fix and its not particularly fun smashing your hands into such (giant) spinning (chopping )

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