The Oculus Quest 2 VR headset came out on Oct. 13, 2020. It is the successor of the Oculus Rift VR headset. The Quest 2 offers some of the best graphics in the game and an access to a huge library of games, all for one of the lowest prices in the VR headset market, starting at $299 for the 64GB storage and $399 for the 256GB option. I am a newcomer to the virtual reality arena, just purchasing the headset in January, but this device has truly immersed me in a new world and has shown me a whole new way of how video games can be played. 

Starting about two years ago I’ve been interested in purchasing a VR headset, but all the options at the time were extremely expensive, running at about $500 to $800, and on top of these hefty cost I would have had to purchase a gaming PC to connect to the headset which can be thousands of dollars and my macbook was not compatible so there wasn’t really anything out there for me. The only equipment required to use the Quest 2 is the headset and included hand controllers, the standalone device allows games to be downloaded right onto it. My mind and many others’ minds were completely changed, by eliminating the annoying wires that hookup to an expensive PC and offering a much wider range of motion. This has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for VR gaming. 

I was blown away when I first put on the headset. It was a little hard to get used to at first, handling the controllers that allow you to interact with the virtual world and being essentially blindfolded from the room I was in. The set up was quick and simple, signing into facebook and connecting to the wifi. After trying out a few games, I was obsessed. Purchasing and downloading games right to the headset was a breeze, and I have found that all of the games available to purchase range in price from $10-$30, offering much cheaper options compared to the Xbox and Ps systems, which usually average around $50-$60. The gameplay is crazy fun, with games like beat saber, where one can slash cubes to the beat of music having sort of a dance dance revolution vibe, other games have a more simpler approach like job simulator, offering an ironic representation of the average office job, allowing the player to interact with the cubicle environment, and high stakes action games like Super Hot, where human like red silhouetted figures chase and attack you with guns and knives, with your only option to fight back being the weapon the game provides you. 

When showing my friends and family, they were at first apprehensive but once they put the headset on they were just as interested as I was. Some of them dismissed the idea at first, but were shocked when put into the fully virtual environment. While it may seem like it would be boring to be the other person in the room while one is playing, the system allows you to “cast” whatever the user is seeing onto a phone, ipad, or tv, so anyone who is in the room can see what the player sees, it makes the experience fun for everyone. There are also options to hook up with other players that I have just started exploring.

While there are plenty of pros, there are also a couple cons about the device, it only comes with the controllers and headset when bought, forcing the user to buy costly upgrades that make using the headset more convenient. Upgrades include an elite strap/battery package that offers a more comfortable head strap and gives the user the freedom to play for an unlimited amount of time, only having to recharge the battery pack occasionally and specially made noise cancelling headphones that are specialized for use with the VR, among other things. 

Overall, I highly recommend the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to anyone who is even remotely interested, including beginners like me to experts in the field. It is a great purchase and brings hours and hours of fun.