https://www.wired.com/review/oculus-quest/
9/10 review score
9/10 review score
On the Quest, Oculus' Insight system maps your environment by noticing edges and distinct features, aided by computer vision algorithms, while delivering the passthrough video that makes setup such a breeze. Using Insight, the Quest is able to remember five distinct environments that you've mapped, so when you walk into a room and put the headset on, it automatically reinstates the play space.
The Insight system also monitors the position of the twin hand controllers, which are redesigned versions of the Oculus Touch. The ring of infrared LEDs now passes over the top of your hand, rather than underneath; if you own a Rift, it may feel backward at first, but the grip in the hand is exactly the same. The wide-angle sensors did an admirable job of tracking the controllers, with two minor flubs: one in a room that had sunlight pouring in directly at me, possibly confounding the process, and the other when one controller momentarily "disappeared" during a fast-paced round of Beat Saber (a Guitar Hero–meets-katana game that may be the closest thing to a system-seller VR has enjoyed thus far.)
That two-hour gaming session, my longest, also left me with 34 percent battery remaining, far exceeding with Oculus' estimate of two hours for games, three for watching media. However, you can use the headset while charging, and USB-C's fast charging means you could connect the headset to a battery pack in your pocket for marathon sessions.
Oculus has said that the Quest will launch with more 50 games and apps, a mix of new titles and those that previously appeared on the Rift or elsewhere. Of new titles that I had a chance to play extensively, Zelda-style adventure Journey of the Gods and duck-and-dodge wave shooter Space Pirate Trainer were standouts, but even previously available titles feel new on the Quest—especially kinetic titles like Beat Saber and Superhot VR. This is a headset that makes everything somehow feel free. There's no more low-level worry that the cable is getting tangled around your legs, and no more USB port crapping out for no reason. Just VR.
This is a game console, and at $399 it's priced like one. But it's also a lot of other things. That's the joy of virtual reality: it can help you spend time alone, or it can bring you together with others. And by making the experience of VR much more like the concept of VR—something that's liberating both inside and outside of the headset—the Quest delivers something more than just a journey. It delivers a treasure.
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