Oculus Quest 2 offers a more powerful standalone VR headset for $299

The leaks were spot on: Facebook has unveiled the Oculus Quest 2, including its release date and price, and it promises to be a big leap over the original. The second-generation standalone virtual reality headset powered by Android technology will start at $ 299 for a model with 64GB of storage on October 13, $ 100 less than the price of the first Quest. Pre-orders are now possible.

The Oculus Quest 2 is much more powerful than its predecessor, with a Snapdragon XR2 chip and 6GB of RAM instead of the aging Snapdragon 835 and 4GB of RAM. This should result in more advanced games and an overall smoother VR experience, although you will have to wait for titles to take full advantage of the extra power.

However, you may notice the improved display technology right away. Quest 2 offers the company’s sharpest graphics to date: A single LCD screen offers a resolution of 1,832 x 1,920 for each eye – 50% more pixels than the 1,400 x 1,600 displays in the first Quest. It’s the Oculus headset with the highest resolution. The Oculus Quest 2 also supports much more natural 90Hz refresh rates, although it won’t be available at release. You have to be satisfied with 72 Hz first.

It could also be the most convenient. The Quest 2 is smaller and 10% lighter than before, with a soft head strap designed to make it easier to fit. The touch controllers have also been enhanced with improved haptic feedback, better hand tracking, and a thumb rest. Add-ons help with this. A Fit Pack adapts to different sized heads, while an Elite sling for $ 49 and an Elite sling for $ 129 with a battery pack offer both more comfort and longer VR sessions.

Apps will also play a key role. Oculus Link, which allows you to use the Quest as a PC VR headset, will exit beta this fall. Oculus Move is a fitness tracker that counts calories and otherwise measures activity when it arrives later in the year. Facebook Messenger is also coming to VR. And if you want more top-notch games in VR, Ubisoft is working on Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell for Oculus hardware.

Continue reading: The best mobile VR headsets

Arguably the premier VR headset of 2020, the Oculus Quest 2 offers significant upgrades at a price that makes it much more accessible. However, it is also crucial to the fate of Facebook’s VR efforts. The social network has announced that it will end sales of the Oculus Rift S in the spring of 2021 – this may be Facebook’s main (or only) way to play in VR anytime soon.