Custom PC – October 2019

Its size is similar to the Rift, but the Quest is aesthetically
sleeker, with a surface coated in soft fabric and a smooth,
more rounded eyeplate.
The Quest is generally comfortable to wear, although
it does make you sweat around the eyes. One small
problem is that the seal isn’t perfect. There is a small but
noticeable gap at the base that lets light into your vision.
The redesigned Touch controllers are 30g lighter than
the Rift ones. The distinctive circular band no longer wraps
around your hand, instead encircling your thumb over the
controller’s buttons and analogue stick. There’s a textured
grip along the back of the handle, while the ‘grip’ button –
used mainly for picking up objects – has been moved to
a more natural ‘gripping’ position. The decreased weight
is welcome, but we found the controllers less intuitive
in the hand. Moreover, the new vinyl safety straps are
fiddly compared with the string cords of the originals.

Entering VR
Upon entering VR , the first noticeable difference
compared with the Rift is the clearer picture. The
‘screen-dooring’ effect that plagued 1st-gen headsets
is now hardly an issue, while in-game objects remain
sharp at short and medium-range distances (long-
distance objects can still look a little blurry).
The other notable difference is the sense of liberation.
With no external sensors, there’s no risk of stepping
outside the sensors’ vision and suddenly finding yourself
paralysed in VR-space, or your vision clipping as the device
becomes unable to read your direction. There’s an additional
benefit, which is that the Quest is portable. As long as your
games are installed, you can set up and play in any room,
or even outdoors.

You just need to redraw the boundaries of your play area.

All told, it’s a smooth, seamless experience, offering

all the immersive magic of VR with far fewer limitations

or frustrations. The only real negative is that the battery

lasts only two hours. You can play it while it’s charging,

but that negates the benefit of being completely wireless.

Conclusions

The Quest represents a marked step forward for VR,

despite the lack of PC hardware. The convenience is

great, and the high-resolution display is sharp.

The new Touch controllers are less intuitive than those

of the Rift, but the reduced weight makes them easier

to use over longer periods.

However, the Quest’s gaming library is currently quite

limited, especially if you already own a Rift. Most of the

best games are the same as those on the Rift, and many,

such as Superhot and Job Simulator, aren’t cross-buy

enabled, so you have to buy them again to play them

on the Quest. There are more Quest apps coming,

but it will be a while before the device has a library

to match the Rift.

If you’re already a VR enthusiast with a dedicated play

space, the Quest isn’t really a worthwhile investment.

If, however, you don’t own a VR headset yet, the Quest

offers a good balance of price, accessibility and power.

RICK LANE

QUEST

+ Simple setup

+ Wireless VR is

transformative

+ Improved

picture clarity

ERRAND

• Short battery life


• New controllers
  less intuitive


• Not enough new
  gamesatlaunch

VERDICT

The most accessible VR gaming platform yet, the Quest

frees players from the shackles of wires and sensors,

while still providing an immersive experience.

OVERALL SCORE

85