Head(sets) up, Readers. Due to a snafu with Meta’s servers during the Quest 3 review window and a last minute embargo c…
Head(sets) up, Readers. Due to a snafu with Meta’s servers during the Quest 3 review window and a last minute embargo change, I’ve only been able to spend around five to six hours with the unit so far. This means the impressions below are based on those first few hours, rather than an extended play test with multiple titles. As you’ll soon see, my initial thoughts are very positive but please bear in mind there is a chance I’ll have missed some underlying issues that will only arise from longer sessions.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Quest 3, if you’re upgrading from a Quest 2, is its size. The new headset is 40 percent slimmer than the Quest 2 and this means that, when worn, the Quest 3 eliminates one of my biggest bugbears of its predecessor – the downward drag on your face. Before I started using a replacement head strap (the excellent BOBOVR M2 Pro) I found the Quest 2 so uncomfortable to wear for extended periods that I avoided using it whenever I could. Even with the basic material strap that’s included with the Quest 3 however, the difference in comfort between the pair is huge. The smaller size means it’s better balanced on your face and because of this the headset doesn’t slip when you pull off exaggerated physical movements like limboing under bullets in Pistol Whip.
While the front of the Quest 3 is slimmer than the Quest 2, the facial interface is larger and this can even be extended slightly with a quick press of a small catch inside. This meaning that glasses wearers will be able to use the headset from the off without having to buy extra spacers. In terms of the facial interface, the material used in the basic package is nice and comfortable as well, but you can pay extra (£39.99) for a replacement silicone one if you’d prefer. The basic facial interface also does a pretty good job of eliminating light leakage. I did notice a small bit of light shining through from a small gap between the facial interface and the side of my head when I purposefully stood with bright sunlight behind me however, and this effect increased in moments of gameplay featuring darker scenes. This was nowhere near as bad as the light leakage that I experienced with the Pico 4 headset though and it should hopefully be a rarity for those using the headset under normally lit circumstances.
Comfort-wise, the new Touch Plus controllers are also a step up from the Quest 2’s controllers in both quality and functionality. The biggest difference here is the removal of the tracking rings that have been present on all previous Quest controllers. This is something that is a huge plus for those of us who keep accidentally cracking them due to unfortunate wall collisions. Instead of the rings, the Touch Plus controllers have self tracking which means they’re much more accurately tracked when they’re being swung behind or above your head or wherever else they go when you’re rapidly pulling arrows from a quiver behind your back. The reduction in overall size here really helps you forget that the controllers are anything but an extension of your hands. Gone are the days of smashing rings together as you reach for stuff (ooer) and the ergonomic design means they now sit comfortably in your hands with all buttons and triggers nicely in reach.
Another big new upgrade for the Touch Plus controllers is the inclusion of TruTouch haptics. With three haptic units in each controller the immersion of interacting with virtual objects is increased slightly. It’s a shame though that, even with a haptic unit in the trigger, it still comes no way near to matching the immersive pulls of PlayStation’s Adaptive Triggers on the PS VR2’s Sense Controllers. While the Touch Plus controllers disappointingly do still rely on disposable AA batteries, the covers for those now have a little locking mechanism to keep them from accidentally sliding off during exaggerated play, which is a great fix for something that bothered me about the previous models.
For me, one of the most impressive features of the Quest 3 is its updated Passthrough feature that makes setup a doddle. There’s an initial setup process where you have to connect the headset to the Oculus App on a phone or PC if you’re using it with Oculus Link, but once that’s done you’re able to scan your environment in Passthrough, much like you could in the setup for the PS VR2.
