Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying the Oculus Quest 2
VR is a fun way to escape into a new world, fight lifesize zombies, go fishing and actually catch things, and create musical jams with friends.
I’m sharing my particular unboxing experience to highlight a few user experience tips and snafus. As well, to plant a flag in writing/YouTube history of it because I believe this really is a monumental time in the VR space and consumer electronics. We’re entering a new phase, where accessibility is opening up, which means big things are ahead for consumers.
The Unboxing
Unboxing — Things You Should Know
- The headset and controllers have a battery charge straight out of the box, so you can get it up and running right away. There’s no need to charge it beforehand. So get work done so you can focus on this shiny object.
- The quality of materials on the headset itself isn’t epic—especially the burlap-like material around the edges. The controller buttons also feel and sound a bit wobbly. This isn’t a high-end VR product, so go in with the expectation that this is the Apple SE or an entry-level Android.
- The headset squeezed my noggin and was uncomfortable after a short period of time. This is compared to the VIVE headset, which folks usually complain about. So budget for the premium head-brace accessory.
- There is a very noticeable visual gap between your nose and the headset. You can see the floor, and room light WILL shine in. I don’t like it, and it’s hella distracting. The solution is TBD.
The Setup Process — Things You Should Know
- There is a software update as part of the onboarding experience, but it takes all of 10 minutes. It even dings when it was ready. That’s just too enchanting not to share.
- The actual setup process made me slightly nauseous and it lasted about an hour afterward. I’m a sensitive Sally for certain locomotions and things like rollercoaster games. So it may impact you, but know that you will get used to it over time. I’ve clocked over 1,000 hours in VR. It’s totally worth working through it!!
- You need quite a bit of play space. Otherwise, you’ll see a virtual safety net almost every time you move or lean. Yay, safety but boo immersion killing visuals. So go ahead and put that kitchen table in storage!
- Have a Quest account and think you can get away from linking your Facebook? Seriously, it’s a hard no. You really have NO choice.
- Broke after buying the Quest 2? There is free stuff you can download and play right away. This ain’t no Nintendo Switch!
The Future is VR
The benefits of VR go far beyond fun. The opportunities in education are so immense. Imagine learning while seeing things up-close and exploring hands-on how things work. More importantly, understanding history by experiencing it, so we don’t end up repeating stuff.
VR Perspective: “Wow, that part of history really sucked. Let’s not do that again.”
One of my first unboxing videos is the iPhone 4. I mention it because I had the same excitement as I did unboxing this Quest 2. Something special is brewing in tech. Oculus has set a new bar, which in this case is a reasonably priced VR headset, which will hopefully get more developer buy-in and more hardware companies stepping up to the plate. FOR THE LOVE OF PRIVACY, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PLATE.
There are few moments in time where technology advances to a degree where it proliferates and goes mainstream. This is just the beginning of VR for many more people, and that’s one of the most exciting things to happen in 2020.
