Requesting advice from the VR gurus!

[Nick Hill]

I'm currently running the original Oculus Rift - I've had it since 2017 and have loved it, but I've been eyeing the Quest 2 as a potential upgrade. A Quest 2 can be had for $300 and it appears to be a very nice step-up in performance but...I'm currently running a 1660 ti as a GPU. Paired with the Rift, it's been satisfactory but my question is, will the Quest 2 push the 1660 ti too hard? Or, more likely, will I be in a position where I won't be able to fully enjoy the Rift -> Quest 2 hardware improvement without also upgrading my GPU?

For reference, I play mostly iRacing, AMS2, and Assetto Corsa (the original).

I'm on a budget, so I'm really not asking "which HMDs are out there nicer than the Quest 2?" - you are welcome to give such opinions of course, just know I'm not equipped to do anything about them because ~$300 is the absolute max I'm looking to spend! Of course, that also handcuffs me in terms of GPU, because the amount of performance improvement I can get over the 1660 ti for $300 is, IMO, marginal.

What do you think?

 

[blekenbleu]

because ~$300 is the absolute max I'm looking to spend

Several reviewers suggest that their ($50) Elite Strap is essential, and you will want the ($80) Link cable for sim racing, so ~$430.

 

[Nick Hill]

Several reviewers suggest that their ($50) Elite Strap is essential, and you will want the ($80) Link cable for sim racing, so ~$430.

Oh, good call - thanks for the tip! I think you can get a cheaper knock off link cable, right? At least I think I remember seeing that you could.

 

[Nick Hill]

Ok, whew, yeah just re-Googled - there are much cheaper alternatives to the official Oculus cable. As a matter of principle, $80 seems a tad steep to me for a usb cable. Plus, as a strictly sim racing VR user, the shorter the better on the cable. My current Rift cable is constantly in the way, getting snagged on things, etc.

 

[Des Pearce]

I'm not sure how much better as a PCVR it will than the Rift S, I've tried one and was a bit disappointed in the image quality, smoothness and comfort.

 

[blekenbleu]

I'm not sure how much better as a PCVR it will than the Rift S

Karl Gosling compared Quest 2 and Rift S on YouTube: (11:00 / 14:28 )
"If you only have a sort of normal spec PC (even a 2080 isn't enough to run the Quest 2 flat out),
.. scaling back its render resolution to the point where everything looks a bit crap,
it's just not a good idea. I would rather have a Rift S, running absolutely flat out..
for best visual experience albeit at a slightly lower resolution than the Quest 2"

 

[Nick Hill]

Interesting...just to be clear though, I have the original Rift (not the Rift S).

I was looking around last night, it does look as though my quandary has been rendered somewhat moot, at least in the near term, as the Quest 2 seems to be sold out pretty much everywhere.

Oh well, maybe it's for the best. It's not like I have any specific complaints about my current setup...other than the idea that it could be better!

 

[Ruttman98]

I am also VR curious.

My stepson has the Quest 2 and I viewed it as an inexpensive way to sample some racing sims in VR, but recoiled from the Oculus Link cable price at USD $80.

I binned the whole idea when I saw a post about poor sim performance with Quest 2 here on RD. I am still running and 1080p triples, so my expectations are not terribly high.

The following PC World review partially explains the Link cable premium (16' length; fiber optic cable for data tranmission plus copper for simultaneous charging).

About to take the plunge . . . (It's nice when you can justify expenditure as part of someone else's Christmas gift!)

Oculus Link review: This $80 cable is worth every penny to turn Quest into a Rift rival

The official Oculus Link cable is pricey, but it's the only solution currently available that's long enough, (mostly) reliable, and keeps the Quest headset charged while in use.

www.pcworld.com

 

[Des Pearce]

Interesting...just to be clear though, I have the original Rift (not the Rift S).

I was looking around last night, it does look as though my quandary has been rendered somewhat moot, at least in the near term, as the Quest 2 seems to be sold out pretty much everywhere.

Oh well, maybe it's for the best. It's not like I have any specific complaints about my current setup...other than the idea that it could be better!

Personally if I was you I'd look for a pc vr headset that was a big step up (valve index, reverb g2) and update your pc at the same time (rtx 3000 series card)

 

[Ruttman98]

Could the experienced VR users possibly confirm whether the Quest 2 Link cable (USB-C to USB-C) would be compatible with PC VR headsets like Reverb 2, Pimax, Index, etc.?

 

[Des Pearce]

Could the experienced VR users possibly confirm whether the Quest 2 Link cable (USB-C to USB-C) would be compatible with PC VR headsets like Reverb 2, Pimax, Index, etc.?

You don't need a USB-C with the others, they come with their own cables, none of them I've used have a usb-c connector on the headset.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

G2 is using USB-C.

 

[Des Pearce]

G2 is using USB-C.

Only one end, the quest 2 is usb-c both ends

 

[Nick Hill]

Personally if I was you I'd look for a pc vr headset that was a big step up (valve index, reverb g2) and update your pc at the same time (rtx 3000 series card)

Yeah, I'm starting to suspect you are right. I saw the $300 price tag and what an apparently big upgrade it would be over the original Rift (damn near double the resolution, for example) but, reading some of these responses, maybe it was too good to be true.

I recently came into possession of an actual real life race car, so I'm really trying to put every penny into that right now and, as a consequence, am trying to keep my virtual racing hobby on a shoe string budget. Maybe I'll wait till next year at this time and see if I have the budget room to really do a big upgrade.

 

[Des Pearce]

Yeah, I'm starting to suspect you are right. I saw the $300 price tag and what an apparently big upgrade it would be over the original Rift (damn near double the resolution, for example) but, reading some of these responses, maybe it was too good to be true.

I recently came into possession of an actual real life race car, so I'm really trying to put every penny into that right now and, as a consequence, am trying to keep my virtual racing hobby on a shoe string budget. Maybe I'll wait till next year at this time and see if I have the budget room to really do a big upgrade.

It's the way link works, rather than the gpu directly driving the panels the Quest 2 receives a compressed stream and the internal cpu decompressed and then supplies the panels. It introduces lag and limits the quality to what the Quest 2 can manage by itself.

 

[Nick Hill]

It's the way link works, rather than the gpu directly driving the panels the Quest 2 receives a compressed stream and the internal cpu decompressed and then supplies the panels. It introduces lag and limits the quality to what the Quest 2 can manage by itself.

I wonder if this latest update remedies some of this, though?

I think I'll probably pick one up after the holidays, I suspect I'm overthinking it a little. The reality is, in my long life as a PC gamer, I've never been one to keep at the cutting edge. I've always self-imposed a relatively tight budget on myself so the thought that there will be this magical "someday" where I'll splurge and spend thousands on an upgrade all at once probably amounts to lying to myself a bit. I appreciate all the feedback in the thread, but based on what I'm reading/watching, I'm reasonably confident I'll get a nice improvement per dollar spent with the Quest 2. After all, I'm still running the original Rift which is essentially considered a museum piece to most VR enthusiasts, so it's possible I'm not quite as picky as some might be (or, at least, more cheap than I am picky!)