Oculus Quest 2 Review

This is Part One of a three-part series.

Virtual Reality (VR), an exciting piece of technology that is currently being ramped up in today’s technological climate. Virtual Reality allows us to experience multiple adventures and worlds that we could not otherwise experience for a variety of reasons.  With the human mind being one of the most curious things in the world, it will always try to seek and push the boundaries of what a piece of technology can do.  A lot of excitement currently revolves around VR that several companies have developed multiple VR headsets over Augmented Reality (AR).

At first, VR headsets were wire-bound devices and required high spec PCs.  As technology got better came the emergence of wireless VR Headsets.  The most popular one in the market right now is the Oculus Quest 2.  It is a very impressive piece of technology that allows one to experience virtual reality unencumbered by wires which makes it quite exciting, I might add.  

Currently, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) and other tech companies are exploring other possible uses of VR other than for entertainment purposes.  Research is ongoing as far as developing more advance applications of VR including for medical purposes or possibilities of enhancing the ability to work from home. 

The new reality of work from home caused by the pandemic is an area where adaptation of VR can help people communicate with coworkers and interact with them as if they are talking to each other face-to-face.  This idea has popped up with so many companies wanting to embrace this form of interaction to save office space and be assured of working safely as far as getting infected by viruses.  

During my initial experience with VR, it felt kind of creepy talking to someone whom you know physically occupies a space far from you.  By wearing the Oculus Quest 2 Headset and trying several different head movements, you may be able to experience the ability to see the image or avatar of your officemate and be able to talk to them as if they are right next to you.  Now, that is pretty cool!

 Now let’s focus on what is essentially the meat of the Oculus Quest 2 – the video games. I am going to be reviewing three of these games that are currently available in Oculus Quest 2, namely:

 1.     Beat Saber

 2.     Trover Saves the Universe

 3.     Resident Evil 4 VR

I’ll share with you my experience and how I felt about playing them.

 Beat Saber

Beat Saber was the very first game I tried out on the Oculus Quest 2.  It is easily one of their best sellers and is the game they use to market the device. Beat Saber is a music rhythm game that involves swinging two sabers to the beat of the music.

 This game gives you the really unique sense of immersion.  It gives you feeling of being in a long hallway of a club where you see all the different color lights and sound blaring while you swing the sabers at targets.  All this while trying to avoid red walls to keep your combo meter up.

 Beat Saber is the prime game that every person who wants to try out virtual reality for the first time should play.  It gives you an idea of what to expect from the game and how it can immerse you in the game. It has this addictive quality to it that you just want to keep playing while giving you a decent workout with some of the movements you need to make while playing the game.

 Beat Saber has a decent soundtrack, but I felt like there was not enough.  If you wanted to get more songs, you have to buy them as DLC in order to play them. Another great feature of the game is the community surrounding the game. There is a very active “modding” community that allows users to add in more songs outside the playlist and also customize how the game will look to make it more intense and immersive.

 Definitely get this game if you want to experience virtual reality for the first time.

 Next week, I’ll talk about “Trover Saves the Universe”.  In the meantime, keep on “modding”!