Different headsets - worth it?

jussi465

I've had the oculus rift S for a year now and I like it but it has left me wondering about the better ones such as quest 2.

What's the visual clarity like? The rift S seems a bit blurry at times with some videos. Sites like czechvr
have videos which are exceptionally clean in terms of image quality.

Also the cord free aspect of it sounds really appealing as I like to do it in my bed which is on the other side of the room... besides I often use the handy so that's yet another cord.

Is it worth it? I'd have to also get a new router and a wifi card for the wireless streaming. So these things could easily add up.

sickpuppies

jussi465 I have just upgraded from my Rift S to a Quest 2 and all I can say is do it. I don't know if you stream more or download to watch more, but I personally stream and the difference is noticeable.

Firstly there is a wider field of view, plus you lose the screen door effect that seems to fairly noticeable on the Rift S.

Secondly being cable free is a big bonus. I was worried about the battery life as I'm usually watching vids for up to 90 minutes at a time, but the standard Quest 2 lasts this long without issue. I purchased the deluxe headstrap with battery, which shipped later, but the main benefit of this that I have now is better balance (the Quest 2 is more front heavy than the Rift S owing to the additional hardware required for stand alone). Also I prefer the halo style strap, which is standard on the Rift S, and the deluxe strap turns the standard Quest 2 velcro strap into a halo one.

In closing I would recommend going for it. The Quest 2, even with the additional expenses as router etc that you mention is probably the best bang for buck you can get.

jussi465

sickpuppies
I personally download the videos since with streaming it's half buffering and half movie for me even though my connection is more than enough for any video streaming and I haven't found a fix.

Wider field of view huh? I hate being able to see the black borders on my rift S all the time. Maybe my glasses have something to do with this and ordering one of those VR prescription lences will help with this. Nevertheless is the FOV difference noticeable to you?

What about the visual clarity vs rift S. Could you describe it to me since you had both sets.

Thanks for the reply anyways

sickpuppies

jussi465 Ok, just did some side by side testing.

Can definitely notice the wider FOV when you first put it on, though after a while I tend to be focussing on the action and nearly forget that I have the black borders (I guess my brain ignores them like it mostly ignores your nose unless you focus on it). It's not quite as big a difference as I first thought though.

The image clarity is better on the Quest 2, though I would rate both devices as excellent. For me the biggest difference is the abscence of the screen door overlay that always seems to be present with the Rift S.

A difference I did note, and this may have less of an impact on you as you download files, is that the preview that pops up as you scan along the video timeline is not present on the Quest 2. I don't know if this is a processing limitation with the Quest 2 relying purely on onboard graphics (while the Rift S can utilise your computers graphics capabilities), though I don't recall having the preview function on any vids I have viewed offline. On that note most vids that are streamed have scenes listed below the timeline so you can jump to a particular scene of interest.

Another thing I want to touch on is the difference in comfort levels. Having used my Rift S for probably 18 months, and now the Quest 2 for maybe a month, the Rift S is a lot more comfortable. A lot of this is obviously to do with the difference in weight (Quest 2 holds processors and batteries that the Rift S doesn't need to worry about, for a start). I have the halo strap (which is what the Rift S has, though the Quest 2 sits slightly differently), and extra battery in the halo strap. I might do some testing with the original strap to see if I prefer that overall.

The last thing I will discuss is light leak. When the Rift S is sitting properly I have zero light leak - the only light I can see comes from the screen. With the Quest 2 I can't seem to be able to get that seal around the bottom of my nose completely blocked. I might need to invest in some third party face inserts to see if that fixes the issue, but like with the FOV I can pretty easily ignore it. Also the Quest 2 seems to manage tracking a lot better in low light conditions than the Rift S so I don't need to have the room so bright when using it.

Sorry, this got a bit long. TL;DR: Quest 2 is a definite upgrade and one I recommend, but it's not perfect.

Philip

I don't like Rift S for inability to adjust IPD and grainy display. I think Quest 2 is worth an update

doublevr

That's the best one you can get https://www.sexlikereal.com/blog/216-whats-the-best-headset-for-vr-porn

jussi465

sickpuppies oh thanks for testing them side by side! 😮
The screen door effect is quite annoying at times I have to admit.

Fov, clarity, tracking, screen door, ipd. To me the image quality is the main factor here. Sounds like quest is a better product overall in all areas.

I might consider getting it. I heard there's a quest 3 on the horizon though. Might as well use rift S until one of those arrives though.

Thanks for helping me out everyone