DevAnimate First let me tell you my history with VR. I started with the original HTC Vive (2016 model) back in 2016 and used the hell out of it for 2 years and half. But it was around that time, near the end of 2018 when I just got sick and tired of the display quality. I didn't have any other HMD to compare it to, but the raw display quality alone was enough to turn me off forever. My main issue was the SDE. It was way too visible and ruined the immersion in movies and games. So I just basically gave up on VR and never returned. I uninstalled all the VR games I used to play, and also deleted all the VR porn scenes I bought from various paid VR porn site subscriptions. I was not mad at the VR game or porn developers. I was mad at the state of the VR hardware at that time. I thought to myself: "okay VR is cool but I'll get back to it 10 years from now, when the hardware matures some more".
This year I decided to jump back again, after almost 5 years of hiatus, and this time it was not because I wanted to experiment with VR again, but because of another reason which is a different can of worm I don't wanna open right now. Anyways, I started googling and asking around, and most people said the Quest 2 will have the lowest amount of SDE, plus no basestations will be needed. I decided to place a bet and buy the Quest 2, and the price was even more affordable than the price I paid for the original Vive back in 2016.
Christ almighty! I was blown away by the graphics and display quality. The SDE...I can no longer see it! There are some people who claim it's still there, but my eyes can't see it. Started playing some games and subscribed to some VR porn sites and wow, the difference between it and my experience with the Vive was day and night. For the first time I was really enjoying VR, its content and not regretting my purchase.
Right around that time, only a month into my Quest 2, Meta announced a price reduction for the Quest Pro. I was already doing some research on Quest Pro and Pimax HMDs, but couldn't justify the Pro's asking price of £1500. But now that they announced a £500 reduction, I started thinking about it seriously, and finally decided to place another calculated bet. I was also highly impressed by Meta's customer support by this time, and the fact that their support staff actively monitors various VR subreddits and proactively helps customers who might be having a hardware or software issue.
So, I ordered one, took it out of the box and wow...it has a really great premium feel. Everything about it, the design, packaging and everything has a deluxe feel, almost as if it was an Apple product. Meta was not kidding. I was not feeling as if I was a paid beta tester for a prototype.
I put the HMD on, and could barely feel that there's a headset on my head. Everything felt extremely comfortable. The dial at the back works wonders when it comes to fitting. Wish the Quest 2 had that. Display quality is several times better than Quest 2, and the pancake lenses are wonderful. SDE is as good as the Quest 2...it's barely there. You really have to struggle real hard to spot it during a game or scene. For the first time my mind was fixated on the content and was no longer making compromises. Passthrough quality is so much better than the Quest 2 that I now find no reason to take off the HMD to make some coffee or use the toilet. I just double-tap the HMD and I'm back to reality. Double tap again and I'm back to VR.
I just wish a VR package like the Quest Pro was available back in 2016 when I first started back with the Vive. The Quest Pro to me is truly one piece of hardware I now feel proud to spend a thousand bucks on (Meta deserves it), even though my Quest 2 is only a month old. Both the Vive and Quest 2 are gathering dust now. My daily driver right now is the Quest Pro.
Most importantly, what many people don't talk about when it comes to Meta Quest HMDs is the fact that it's actually extremely easy to jump from standalone mode to PCVR mode and vice-versa. You can play all PCVR games on it, just like you can play all standalone games on it. Nobody will require you to be a hardware engineer and spend 2 hours tinkering with X and Y to enable its PCVR capabilities. You are not gonna miss out on PCVR. You can play PCVR games either wirelessly or with the official or unofficial Link cables. With the Vive it took me almost half a day to set everything up, and don't even get me started on the things I had to do and the things I had to buy just for the basestations alone to finish installing the whole thing. But with the Quest 2 and Pro, installation took less than 15 minutes, believe it or not.
Like them or hate them, Meta has done an exceptional job with the Quest 2 and Pro and deserve every penny they are asking for. SLR was not lying when they recommended the Quest Pro on their website. It will do for me and many others for a very long time until a better HMD comes out. For now, the thousand bucks you will spend on it will be worthwhile. Take care of it and handle it with care, and it will treat you like a King.
