Oculus Quest review: wireless virtual reality is (almost) here

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The march of technology is rarely at the same pace. Sometimes it's a fast forward sprint, with a dramatic change in the times: smartphones are becoming widespread, for example. Other times, it's more random, where a product is clearly heading for something bigger, but not there. just again. The second Oculus wireless virtual reality headset, the Oculus Quest, is the last case.

Make no mistake: Last year's improvements to Oculus Go give the impression that Quest is one of those changes of the times. It's such an improvement: Oculus now relocates the Go as an entry-level VR experience better suited to video or simple games, while Quest pursues the dream of wireless with a more powerful processor (system on a chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 835). , 1440 x 1600-pixel enhanced per-eye resolution and, most importantly, two dedicated Oculus Touch controllers to enable a full range of global interactions – a quantum leap from the simple and unique Go pointer.

The Quest, available for pre-order now and shipped on May 21, also contains some of the best elements of the Go. A glasses spacer allows you to add an extra centimeter of depth into the headset, under the padding , thus allowing users enjoying glasses to enjoy a comfortable fit without sacrificing their vision. It also retains spatial audio, directing reasonable sound quality to the wearer's ears, while providing a headphone jack for dedicated audio.

In terms of comfort, the weight of 571 grams of the Quest provides a remarkable weight on the head, but not a heavy weight. Adjustable straps on the top and sides, coupled with a fixed bracket around the crown of the head, ensure a custom fit, while retractable "arms" with pivot points allow the main wearer to wear and to remove the helmet without having to readjust permanently it. This, coupled with the Quest's automatic idle after 15 seconds of inactivity, greatly facilitates the activation and deactivation of virtual reality.

The initial configuration is quite simple and requires no prior knowledge of virtual reality. The Quest doing all the work internally, unlike Oculus Rift linked to the desktop, all you need to get started is a smartphone with the Oculus application installed. A short lens guide asking you to adjust the sliders to focus – like an optician's appointment – also shows some of the physical characteristics of the helmet, such as as a manual focus spacer, before the tutorial presents some of the most awesome features of Quest.

One is his Guardian system. The Quest is equipped with four out-of-the-way, wide-angle sensors that eliminate the need for secondary sensors to track your positioning.

These onboard sensors remarkably detect depth and the environment, thus marking the level of the ground without flaws. Rather than using any warning system if you move too close to a library or office, you will create a custom space for an independent play space, creating a walled garden. virtual. Go over the limits and a grid will warn you that you are too close to your limits. cross the line and whatever you do will suspend and trigger another awesome ride – "Passthrough +".

This is the way Oculus lets you see the real world beyond the visor. The grayscale view is blurry and creates a strange sensation when the stream of images is slightly slower than what your brain expects to perceive from the environment, but it is useful to see what surrounds you or to find the controllers you have installed, without having to remove the headset completely.

And it is likely that you will not want to remove the helmet very often. The fidelity of the experience is up there with PC-related virtual reality, the incredibly charming First steps software tutorial (dance with a cute robot!) to the rhythm-action masterpiece Beat Saber, temporarily malleable shooter Very hot, or fear Face your fears II, Quest excels at training you in incredible worlds.

Even simpler experiments such as Wander – A 360 ° Street View navigable collection that allows you to browse the world of your living room – incredibly captivating, allowing you to revisit your favorite vacation spots or get an idea of the places you have chosen. not yet traveled.

New controllers

Touch controllers are the main benefit here, slightly revised and improved over the original versions compatible with Rift. The design of the signature ring is now above the buttons of each handle controller, while the triggers and side handles correspond accordingly to the left and right hands. This allows incredible dexterity, even allowing you to move objects from one hand to another and expand the way you interact with the objects and worlds of the game.

RPG Nordic adventure Journey of the gods use this with a crossbow that you reload manually, or a sword and shield with different hands that perfectly follow your movements. The triggers also seem to be capacitive, the slightest pinch protecting them by closing the fist or pointing the finger. This finesse is very useful in games such as Dance Central, where you can browse a smartphone in the game almost as accurately as using it in the real world. After a while, you can even forget that you use the controllers rather than your own hands, they are also good.

The relationship between the headset sensors and the touch controllers was also perfect. Not once did either of the two controllers get out of sync, and their positioning remained appropriately in relation to the physical positioning in software. Tracking and positioning is better than Go, which often requires you to reset the perspective.

However, when you use the Quest for an extended period, you begin to notice some of its disadvantages – and perhaps even the inconveniences of wireless virtual reality as a whole. Despite the increased resolution of the OLED panel housed in the headset, you will be able to detect pixels with relative ease. The art direction depends on the game can help here, with more caricature efforts less likely to distract with rogue pixels, but the more realistic a title is, the more pixels away from it.

Then there is the battery life, which is a mixed bag. Quest offers an improved usage / charge ratio compared to Go – around two to three hours of use, as well as a two-hour recharge period. It's impressive, considering all that Quest does, and you'll get enough of it to engage in longer gaming sessions.

It's even shorter than we would like, though, and you'll probably have nagging ideas about how much time you have left. Fortunately, this is somewhat mitigated by the generous two meter USB-C power cord – perfect for sitting games, and long enough so you can still play virtual reality titles, if you add a risk traveling for anything that requires taking concrete action.

The Quest is equipped with four out-of-the-way, wide-angle sensors that eliminate the need for secondary sensors to track your positioning.

Which brings us potentially to the biggest problem. Oculus does not really use the term "wireless" when it refers to Quest (or Go, by the way) preferring "roomcale", which means an area in which you can actually get walk when your head is in virtual reality. When you set your Guardian limits for Quest, you need at least two square meters of free space. Anyone with smaller limits may even have trouble using the scale features of the room (however, you can ignore the warning about the recommended space. You will always have the lines of the room. keeper).

If you are able to meet the 2 square meters of space required, you will soon realize that it is suitable for games with arms, it is less suitable for exploratory titles. Take two steps and you are at the limit. Turn around, take two more and you're on the limit again. Even after reorganizing the furniture to create a decadent space of 3 square meters, it has become easier to simply use the touch controller controllers to move into the game worlds and stay in the real world. This sounds like a problem with the very concept of wireless virtual reality, which currently lacks a satisfactory solution.

However, even if a carefree ride around virtual reality is an illusory dream hampered by the painful reality, the fact that Quest cut the cord is commendable. It allows the material to create immersive worlds and fully interactive experiences, while eliminating the security issues associated with tripping or snagging attached cables when playing more active games – see above. Beat Saber.

Verdict

Oculus Quest offers one of the best VR options to date, which PlayStation VR may have only matched for the cost / quality of the experience. Even there, Quest has little chance of winning with its freedom of movement and the versatility offered by Oculus Touch controllers.

However, once glare fades after your first dizzying hours, the ever-remarkable pixels, the poor battery life and the real limitations of room-scale virtual reality remind you that Quest decisive moment that defines an era – at least not yet.

New controllers

Verdict

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