Skip to main content

Oculus Quest 2 leak offers details on next-generation VR

Far and away the most popular virtual reality headset on the market is the Oculus Quest, and it looks like its sequel is near on the horizon. An image seemingly displaying the Oculus Quest 2 was posted to Twitter, and it reveals some key details.

Bloomberg reported earlier in the year that Oculus was developing its second-generation stand-alone headset. Oculus Quest 2 is meant to be nearly 15% lighter than its predecessor, with a higher screen refresh rate of 90Hz versus the first versions 60Hz. Its build materials were speculated to be more in line with the Rift S, featuring plastic that was elastic compared to the fabric and velcro straps on the current unit.

Recommended Videos

The image leaked on Twitter is seemingly in line with the Bloomberg report, which also stated that there were numerous versions of the second-generation device being tested.

Meta

Featured is a two-tone design akin to the black and white of Sony’s PlayStation 5. The plastic straps of the Rift S are here, with adjustments exclusively reserved for the sides instead of having a third adjustment on the strap that lays across the top of the head.

The most interesting aspect of the headset is the lack of an interpupillary distance slider, which serves as a way to adjust the lenses on the headset to provide better focus dependent on the user’s eyes. Bloomberg reported that some of the prototypes being tested would not feature a physical slider. Perhaps this issue will be handled via the software.

The Twitter user that posted the photo, who has accurately leaked hardware previously, responded to questions on if this was a “pro” or “lite” version of the current hardware and stated that he believed it to be called the Oculus Quest 2.

The controllers look to be of a similar design to the ones on the current Quest but it is believed that they will feature improvements as well.

While the VR market has been slow to take off, the Quest has undoubtedly been one of its biggest success stories, frequently out of stock and estimated to have sold more than 500,000 units in the past year. Oculus even culled the Go stand-alone unit from its lineup, as the Quest was able to offer a more complete package at an affordable price.

It makes sense that a Quest 2 would be in the pipeline, though there are rumblings that a 2020 launch is no longer an option due to the pandemic and that we won’t likely see a release until 2021.

Tom Caswell
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Professional video producer and writer, gaming enthusiast, and streamer! twitch.tv/greatbritom
Razer’s first VR accessories aim to make the Meta Quest 2 more comfortable
A Meta Quest 2 floats in the air with Razer accessories attached to it.

Razer is breaking into the VR space with its firs Meta Quest 2 accessories. Its Adjustable Head Strap System and Facial Interface aim to make the headset more comfortable, allowing for longer play sessions.

The product line was announced at Razer's CES 2023 presentation, which highlighted the Razer Edge, Razer Blade 16, and more. These peripherals are particularly notable as they mark Razer's first experiments with VR, which involve tinkering with preexisting headsets. The project is a collaboration between Razer and ResMed, a company that specializes in human factors.

Read more
Impressive mixed-reality laser tag game may be VR’s new ace in the hole
Spatial Ops

It’s an early December afternoon in Stockholm, Sweden, where I’m sitting in a fancy office suite eating falafel amid a small group of journalists and VR content creators. This is my third day in the office-lined Norrmalm district of Stockholm, just a stone’s throw away from scenic Old Town, where approximately 200 game developers from all over the world commute each morning to work in Resolution Games’ labyrinthine three-story studio. It’s shockingly easy to get lost here amidst the chaos and excitement surrounding each of Resolution’s various virtual reality projects, but the atmosphere is so warm that you’d be unsurprised to discover the studio contains two rooms specifically designated “nap rooms” in accordance with Swedish law.

Unfortunately for me, I don’t get much time to nap -- at all, actually, given the extreme jetlag one experiences when traveling from Portland, Oregon, all the way to the snowy Nordic realm of Sweden. But that’s okay because I'm wired from my own excitement in anticipation of one thing: a unique mixed-reality arena shooter called Spatial Ops, which I and 10 others would finally get to test against one another only a few moments later. The VR game, which is out today, may very well be the tech's next big hit, showing the true potential of mixed-reality gameplay.
Parallel space
If you’re unfamiliar with Resolution Games, the studio is best known for creating highly original and somewhat quirky VR games like Demeo and Blaston, the former of which is arguably VR’s most faithful recreation of Dungeons & Dragons, simulating everything from the tabletop experience (allowing you to share a simulated space with up to four players across several platforms, in and out of virtual reality) to the miniatures on the board, which you can pick up and place by hand, giving them a lifelike feel. Meanwhile, Blaston is a physically active shoot-'em-up where you face off against exactly one other player in a duel, but the twist here is that each gun shoots very slowly and you have to outsmart your opponent by blocking off their ability to evade your bullets while they try to do the same thing to you.

Read more
A multiplayer Ghostbusters VR game is coming to PlayStation VR 2 and Meta Quest 2
Key art for Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord.

Sony Pictures Virtual Reality has a surprise treat for Ghostbusters fans this Halloween. Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is coming to Meta Quest 2 and PlayStation VR2 in 2023.

Made by U.K.-based VR developer nDreams and announced at the Meta Quest Game showcase in April 2022, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord introduces a new diverse cast of characters starting their careers running the iconic paranormal business in San Francisco. Their jobs are far from easy, especially when they're going up against the titular Ghost Lord and his ghostly minions spreading chaos and discord throughout the city.

Read more