I bowed to the pressure from my own brain and got an Oculus Quest. I have an Oculus Rift but it is an older one.
Wow!
First, let me talk hardware. This is an impressive system. It’s all in one. There are no cables because the whole computer is in the headset. It’s not as powerful as the equivalent Oculus S (?) but I don’t know how it compares to my older Rift. Probably just a bit behind? It comes with two touch controllers. I assume the visor has all of the tracking stuff.
You need a smart phone and the app to set it up, configured to WiFi, and then you can buy games from it, or in the VR itself. Pretty standard. Then you have to setup the guardian system. That’s when you map out the area you have that is free to move around.
WOW!
On the Rift, you have two sensors that look like microphones for the desk that you point in the general direction of your play area. Then, with the helm off, you watch the computer screen as you walk around the area you have, and it outlines it. Then it tells you if you have less than room sized or not. (On that, I just barely have enough room.) On the Quest? Wow. Black and white grainy cameras show you your surroundings and after setting the floor, you point, click, and draw out the area you have, seeing the surroundings! That’s it and it’s done. You can do stationary and some games are seated.
I will say that if you approach the guardian area, the grid appears (think TNG holdeck grid walls) and if you go through it, it switches to the black and white camera so you can see. That is cool!
Second, let’s talk games.
The main interface is similar to others. You have a sitting room of some kind, with a big display hanging in the air, with a menu. It has a browser, store, library, and then menus for setup and connecting with social media. It also has a recorder and screen photo build into it with its own menu to access.
Mine came with all parts of Vader Immortal. WOW! That is the most immersive Star Wars experience I have ever had! I felt like a Jedi coming into their force powers! It’s very quick, though, lasting maybe two hours? There are some really good training rooms you can go back and try afterward, and in between. I suppose it’s worth $10? I think that’s what all three cost, if it doesn’t come with the system.
Racket Fury: Table Tennis: This is good but the competition of the robots ramps up FAST. In the easy league, I won the matches in two attempts at most until the last one of four. I have only won one game against this AI, not a best of three yet. It is tough. I found that I have to have the table at just the right height and distance from me, not to mention the paddle at a good angle, all adjustable, to do well. I can put a bit of spin on the ball but not a ton. Fun. Again, maybe a bit pricey but not awful.
**Gun Club VR **This is a solid game. It’s a bit pricey if you don’t like guns but you start with a basic pistol and then as you do the shooting ranges, you earn money to buy more guns and also open up new options. It does have a zombie shooter, and nazi zombie shooter, in it but they all look like the stand up targets, not 3D. It works well! There is also a sandbox mode to play with any guns. I do think this has the best of the two handed controls for a rifle that I have seen. Still awkward but doable.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew This seems to be the same as the Rift. Solid graphics, good Star Trek experience. I got this to be able to play mutliplayer with friends but haven’t had the chance yet.
Pinball FX2 VR Okay, this may sound cheesy, and you only get three games for the base cost, but this is a really good pinball experience! I played Mars a SciFi pinball game and it was awesome! This isn’t just a pinball game. They have used the computer graphics to good use! The metal paths the ball travels? They have light circles around it as it goes. Robots will wander around the edges. A satellite will hover over the center! Blew me away how much this made pinball a bit better. I still have two pinball games to try but this was impressive. I’m annoyed at having to buy more but they do have another ten that I can buy.
Beat Saber OMG, so much fun! I do think it’s pricey as you don’t get any known songs, at least known to me, with the base game. A lot of techno beat songs. I picked up the Green Day and Imagine Dragons soundtracks and they are a lot of fun! It has five levels of difficulty, plus a training mode where you can say when to start and percentage speed to do, lower and higher than a hundred percent speed. It’s exercise as I have gotten a good heart rate going in trying to keep up with it! The base game comes at you from one direction but some songs have a 90 degree field where they will come from and a 270 degree field. Ramps up the difficulty and is a lot of fun!
Arizona Sunshine I have this on the Rift and here is where I know that the Quest is a bit more limited. Graphics are not as good and the game doesn’t remember positions of things within the level as well. Doors that you open and are left open unless you close them on the Rift, auto close behind you in the Quest. Except for items that you can take as inventory, everything else seems to reset if it’s shot or the like. And the levels are a bit simpler? Not sure how to describe it but they are missing a bit of detail from the Rift. BUT. The wireless version? OMG! Talk about immersive! I get completely turned around, even though I don’t have to move at all. I can spin and teleport move but I still move around a bit here and there to look at things. I have finished this game twice on the Rift, will finish it on this, and they have the horde version, wave after wave of zombies which is a lot of fun!
Now, I have other games for it but I want to highlight those.
“It’s so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend it.”
Anyone else have one?