Oculus is killing off PC-based VR with its Quest 2 Headset

In Spring 2021, Facebook/Oculus plans to remove their Rift S and Quest headsets from the market. Both models will be replaced by the Quest 2, which is now available to pre-order with prices starting at $299/£299.

Facebook’s Quest 2 VR headset will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 CPU and will feature 6GB of system memory. The headset is said to offer a longer battery life than its predecessor and offer backwards compatibility with all Oculus Quest titles. Rift compatibility will come through the headset’s Oculus Link connector, which will release as a standalone product. 

The Quest 2 will feature a screen resolution o 1832×1920 per eye, delivering a 50% increase in resolution per eye over Oculus’ original Quest headset; which operated at a per-eye resolution of 1440×1600. The Quest 2 will also feature a 90Hz refresh rate, exceeding the 72Hz refresh rate of the Oculus Quest. These specifications even exceed those of the Oculus Rift S, which operates using a single 80Hz 2560x1440p screen, delivering a per-eye resolution 1280×1440. 

PCVR isn’t dead

With Oculus’ £89 Link cable, Facebook is offering PC gamers the change to use their Quest 2 headsets as full PC VR gaming solutions using a single USB Type-C cable. 

Through improvements to Oculus Link, Quest 2 users will be able to utilise the full resolution and refresh rate of their headset. This feature will give them a full Rift-like VR experience with the convenience which comes sign single-cable connectivity and the ability to use your VR headset as a standalone device.