Meta Quest 2: Everything You Need To Know [Buying Guide]

The Meta Quest 2 has been the most popular VR headset for a few years. However, you may wonder what it offers over a gaming PC or a console. Due to its affordable price, VR has gone from out of reach to accessible and affordable. So here’s everything you need to know before buying the Meta Quest 2.

Since the Meta Quest 2 is a standalone VR headset, it doesn’t need a PC to run VR games. So gamers don’t have to worry about having a gaming PC to enjoy a VR experience. Gamers can also check out our comparison of the Meta Quest 2 vs. PIco 4 and PSVR 2.

Meta Quest 2: Price

Last year, the company increased the price of the Quest 2 by $100 across all variants. Despite that, it is still one of the cheapest VR headsets, except for Pico 4. The Meta Quest 2 (128GB) goes for $399 / £399 / €449 in most regions. On the other hand, the 256GB version costs $499 / £499 / €550.

Fortunately, the headset now comes with a free copy of Beat Saber (one of the best VR games on the platform). The recent price bump also makes the headset costlier than the Pico 4, which is priced at €429 (128GB) and €499 (256GB). Unfortunately, Pico 4 is only available in 13 European countries, Japan and Korea.

Meta Quest 2: Specs

Gamers can also check out our review of the Meta Quest 2 VR headset.

Hardware

The Meta Quest 2 is a standalone VR headset powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset. The chipset is over three years old, but rumors suggest that the Meta Quest 3 will come with the new XR2 Gen 2 chip. The headset also has 6GB of DDR4 RAM and runs on an Android operating system.

The Quest 2 has a single-panel LCD screen with 1832 x 1920 per eye resolution. It uses fresnel lenses which are a bit bigger than pancake lenses. The headset uses four in-built cameras for inside-out tracking, so no external base stations are required. These cameras also allow users to see their surroundings with black-and-white passthrough vision.

As for the audio, the headset comes with built-in spatial audio speakers. However, the sound from the speaker can easily leak through the room. Users can also try alternative audio devices through the 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth. The headset also has a USB-C port that can be used to charge the device and also connect to a PC.

The Meta Quest 2 head strap is the only downside to the VR headset. Compared to other VR headsets, the Quest 2 head strap is just a simple fabric strap with no back support and can even get dirty quickly. We recommend buying a third-party Quest 2 adjustable head strap.

On the other hand, the Quest 2 touch controllers are the best part of the headset. The controllers might not be as good as the Valve index controllers, but they do their job well. Users can also use hand tracking to interact with the menu or play VR games.

Meta Quest 2: VR Apps & Games

Over the years, Meta has invested in many successful VR studios. Through these acquisitions, they have built quite a library of VR games and apps. The headset is now home to more than 2,000 VR games and apps. According to VRDB, there are 457 games on the official Meta Quest store and over 1,606 games on the App Lab. 

Speaking of App Lab, most users don’t realize that there are hundreds of free VR games available on the headset. Thanks to Sideloading, users can install free VR games from third-party app stores and Android APKs. SideQuest is the best platform for sideloading VR games with many popular titles, such as Pavlov and Battle Talent.

Let us know if you are interested in buying the Meta Quest 2 in the comment section below.