For years now, virtual reality ( also known as VR ) has made
its entry into the world of consumer video games and since then numerous and
different approaches to this type of game have filled a market area that was
previously bare of options.
At present, except for a single viewer dedicated to
PlayStation 4 , the entire market has found its development ground in the PC
world or in stand-alone solutions, providing choices of viewers for all
budgets.
Oculus , one of the pioneering brands of VR, has recently
introduced Oculus Quest 2 on the market , a device that it intends to combine
in a single solution with a rather affordable priceboth gaming on PC and direct
from the viewer thus resulting in an important step forward compared to other
viewers on the market.
We have tried this viewer for a long time, ever since we
were able to put our hands on it ( given the initial difficulty in finding one
), fully tensing its capabilities both connected to the PC ( as a sort of
equivalent of the Oculus Rift S ) and its capabilities playful if you want to
use it alone without necessarily having a dedicated gaming PC.
The following review therefore derives from the direct
experience we have obtained with a product we purchased and from software also
present on our private game libraries.
Packaging
Essential and rather basic , the outer packaging of Oculus
Quest 2 is nothing " eye catching " and comes in a very inconspicuous
and relatively sober choice of colors that turns to white and rather delicate
purple shades.
The package looks like a rectangular cardboard box that
shows a clear image of the product on the front side and on the back some of
the key elements that characterize the capabilities and recommended methods of
use of the viewer together with images taken from some available games for VR.
The inside of the package is rather convincing , the box
consists of some plastic shaped compartments in which the various parts of the
viewer set are housed.
In addition to this there is a small box inside which the
remaining accessories supplied in the package are contained.
Although it is in fact a sufficiently functional solution,
we believe that the use of a shaped foam would still have been a better
solution to provide greater protection to the various components of the viewer.
We understand that this is a device that in its field is
positioned in the sector at a low cost but a little more “ bells & wistles
” in the packaging would certainly have been an appreciable plus that would
certainly have increased the WOW effect upon opening .
Inside the package we obviously find the viewer together
with its two Oculus Touch V3 controllers while on the accessories side there is
a quick charger with USB-C cable , two straps to secure the controllers to the
wrist, two AA batteries and an adapter for the mask. of the viewer for those
who wear glasses.
We would have appreciated the presence of extra accessories
such as a pair of earphones, a lens cover to protect the inside of the visor or
a replacement for the helmet elastic band but unfortunately ( also to keep
costs down ) these are not present and will be a choice. of the buyerproceed
with their eventual purchase .
Hardware
Oculus Quest 2, similar to its predecessor, is presented as
a compact stand-alone device that abandons the canvas coating and the black
color in favor of a snow-white plastic and minimal contrasting black elements .
The overall dimensions of the viewer are really small equal
to 19x13x9 cm considering the main body is a weight ( including support strap )
equal to 503g .
While it's not exactly a featherweight, the value still
places it among the lightest VR devices in its classand once worn, the
perception of the viewer is not such as to make the experience uncomfortable or
tiring in the long term.
The two controllers included in the package also change,
which compared to their predecessors adopt a more ergonomic design , slightly
revisited and a white color with black elements coordinated with the viewer
itself .
On a qualitative level, the work done by the two input
methods is excellent , with buttons with a decisive feed, responsive levers and
high-quality integrated gyroscopes that make in-game tracking very precise .
Unlike other viewers, the two controllers are not equipped
with a system of LED lights to improve their performance ( except for a small
white LED that indicates that it is switched on ) but thisit does not appear to
adversely affect the system's tracking capabilities.
Inside this small viewer , as in the past version, we find a
proprietary operating system that is nothing more than a very customized distro
of an Android system ( we look forward to a possible possibility of
modification and integration with Android applications for more users. advanced
) powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 dedicated processor flanked by 6GB
of fast RAM memory .
Change the integrated display inside the two lenses which,
although abandoning the excellent OLED panel of the original Quest , remains an
excellent LCD screen with a resolution of 1832 × 1920 pixels per eye anda
refresh rate of 90Hz ( specifications well above the Rift S which stops at an
LCD panel with a resolution of 1440 × 2560 overall and a refresh rate of 80Hz
).
The two lenses also allow adjustment on three different
levels for the interpupillary distance thus offering a good margin of
correction to adapt the viewer to the different faces of the people who use it
.
No problem even if you wear glasses as by using the spacer
present in the package it will be possible to increase the distance from the
lenses of the viewer thus avoiding accidental damage due to contact with the
glasses themselves .
On the inside of the two attachment points of the helmet
there are two integrated speakers that really do a great job in bringing back a
3D sound that is not only very precise but also surprisingly powerful and
without distortion .
It will still be possible to connect ( via a normal 3.5mm
jack ) a pair of external headphones directly to the viewer and in both cases
the convenient volume rocker positioned on the lower part of the viewer will
make the volume adjustment immediate and precise.
The storage varies two choices that a 64GB version and a
256GBwhich keep the rest of the hardware unchanged and therefore vary only in
terms of free space and its cost .
Data sheet
• Qualcomm
Snapdragon XR2 processor
• 6GB RAM
• 64GB/256GB
storage
• Display
LCD 1832×3800 con refresh rate a 90Hz
• Weight 503g
• Controller
Oculus Touch V3
• Average
battery life 2-3 hours
• Oculus
Quest Store and Oculus Rift Store available
How to use
Using a viewer from
outside appears somewhat "strange"
In order to play with Oculus you will basically need two
things: a good internet connection and a decent game space within which you can
move safely without the risk of accidentally hitting a piece of furniture or
your grandmother watching TV.
Fortunately, the viewer arrives equipped with its own
security system called "Guardian", which is a handy colored reticle
that will warn you when you are getting too close to one of the boundaries that
you have selected when starting the viewer .
First of all, Oculus will ask you every time to draw a game
area around youwhich he will then use as a reference to keep you safe from
furniture.
By playing in the same area often, the viewer will learn to
memorize it so you don't need to draw it again.
With the next system update ( expected shortly ) the system
will be enriched with the "intruder" function that will allow the
viewer to visually warn you ( through a fairly faithful visual representation )
if someone or something ( like your cat ) should accidentally enter the inside
your play area .
Oculus Store and Game Availability
Oculus adopts an ecosystem with multiple possibilities to
replenish its library of games by being able to choose different stores
according to your needs .
For those who want to enrich their stand-alone experience ,
taking advantage of the XR2 processor on board this viewer, there is a rich
store of games and mobile programs ( simply called Quest Store ) that ranges
from lighter titles to more complex and complex video games. able to offer a
wide variety of entertainment .
This is accessible from both the viewer and the companion
app ( which we'll talk about shortly ) and will handle it easilyinstallations
and updates of the various apps .
Provided you can compromise with some hardware limitations
due to the use of a mobile processor , the choice of being able to access a
rich playground from wherever you are ( even in the absence of internet if you
want ) offers a huge advantage. to Oculus Quest 2 over the competition .
• Rift
Store
•
SideQuest
• Steam VR
When you abandon the mere stand-alone aspect and connect the
viewer to the PC with a link cable ( or virtual desktop ), the choices become
wider and you do not only have access to the official Oculus store ( which is
basically that of the oldest Rift S ) but also to wider platforms such as Steam
( which pushes a lot on its Steam VR platform ) and open source resources such
as SideQuest on which to experience more artisanal and innovative VR
experiences.
We believe it is above all important to take into
consideration the fact that numerous titles are present on several stores at
the same time, so for many the discriminating factor to choose where to buy
will be a simple matter of cost .
App Companion “Oculus”
Oculus Quest 2, similar to Rift S and the previous Oculus
Quest, comes with its related application available for Android and iOS
necessary for the first start of the headset system ( for creating an Oculus
account and registering the device ) and for the remote management of your
account and your device .
The app consists of different tabs dedicated to the various
aspects of the Oculus ecosystem.
For example, we find a summary Home of recent news and
activities, a panel dedicated to the Store ( from which you can access both the
Quest Store and the Rift Store ),one dedicated to friends and social networks
and one dedicated to viewer and user profile settings .
The interface of the entire application is very simple and
intuitive giving quick access to all the functions related to your Oculus
account, games and chats with friends.
We also believe it is important to underline that in order
to use Oculus, a Facebook profile is mandatory ( since Facebook Inc. is the
actual owner of the brand ) with which to create a user profile and then manage
Oculus contacts and social sharing of videos and photos. .
For some it could be a reason for doubt having to log in (
or create one if you do not have one ) with their Facebook account but if you
consider the idea behind creatingan ecosystem interconnected with friends and
acquaintances in the end this aspect does not appear so senseless ( although we
do not believe it is entirely correct to impose it in a binding way ).
In our test we installed the app on both a Mi10T Pro (
Android 11 ) and an iPad Pro 12.9 ”2020 ( iOS 14.4 ), obtaining in both cases
similarly excellent experiences for the usability and overall use of the app.
The size in the storage and the requirements to be able to
use the app are really minimal so you should not encounter problems even on
older devices.
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