Earlier this week, we wrote about Why the Oculus Quest Marks a New Era for VR. We wanted to follow up that piece with our own review of the Oculus Quest, broken down into three parts: what we love, what we wish was better, and what features need to be added for long-term mainstream adoption.

What We Love About The Oculus Quest

• The thing we love most about the Quest is the feature that sets it apart from everything that has come before it – accessibility. Quite literally, you slip the headset on, and you are in virtual reality. The Quest senses when it is in use and automatically boots up where you left off. We also own an HTC Vive, but because the Quest requires no setup vs. the Vive’s extensive process, most of our future use will likely shift to the Quest.
• The setup for the Quest is incredibly simple. The ease of use is one of the biggest differentiating factors compared to other HMDs. Users aren’t required to connect cords to their computer or set up base stations. The maintenance for tethered-HMDs, along with the launch of experiences is burdensome. Although there are more technically advanced HMDs, the balance of quality and ease of use makes the Quest more compelling to us.
• The Quest is an affordable 6DoF HMD priced at $399. This is a much lower entry point for a high-quality VR experience when compared to tethered-headsets that require powerful PCs (all-in ~$1,500).
• The hand tracking works great, and manually setting the boundaries of your play area is both useful and easy to do.
• The launch library has excellent, high replay value experiences. Here are some of our favorites:
  • First Steps (Free)
  • Vader Immortal ($10)
  • Beat Saber ($30)
  • Netflix VR (Free)
  • Tilt Brush ($20)
  • Fruit Ninja ($15)

What We Wish Was Better

• The battery only lasts ~2 hours per full charge. While many users aren’t spending more than 2 hours in a continuous VR session, this does impact the portability of the device and has an impact when multiple users are taking turns in VR.
• The Quest is heavy and can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, especially if not worn correctly. That said, the adjustment system is the most intuitive we have used.
• At launch, there are few multiplayer games. As gaming continues to become more social, users will want to see more multiplayer content if they are going to increase the utilization of VR.
• The ability to share a VR experience with onlookers through a smartphone or TV cast is important and possible but is not brought to the attention of users, which we think is a missed opportunity.

What Is Needed For Mainstream Adoption

• Long-term, VR headsets will need to have all-day comfort as more experiences become available and as users spend more time in VR.
• Battery life on standalone 6DoF HMDs needs to improve. Its current ~2hr length needs to be extended at least 3x.
• AAA gaming titles need to become available in VR. Users don’t want to play experiences that seem like game demos. Instead, they want to be immersed in the worlds of their favorite games.
• VR needs a killer app. We believe this will be the Metaverse.
• Network effects need to take hold so friends start playing with friends. Right now, most people play by themselves or with strangers. Though VR, strangers are surprisingly more friendly than any online community we’ve been a part of.
• VR needs the support of popular content creators on YouTube and Twitch.

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