This is 2024, and the Meta Quest 2 is still a good buy for someone looking to have a good, immersive experience with VR gaming, or the technology itself—virtual reality.
Although Meta has the Quest 3 and Quest Pro headsets, which were launched after the Quest 2, the Quest 2 continues to prove it’s a better investment than the latter models. Meta Quest 2 is sold at a reasonable price below $300, and it offers impressive features; it also does most of the things you could do with Quest 3, its successor.
But, for its price range, the Meta Quest 2 (also called Oculus Quest 2) has several worthy competitors that are decently specced and sturdy. So, here’s a detailed review and comparison of the Quest 2 VR headset from Meta and its competitors.
Meta Quest 2 Overview
Launched as the Oculus Quest 2 on October 13, 2020, and later rebranded to Meta Quest 2 in 2022, the Quest 2 is an all-in-one VR headset with a starting price of $249.99. It has two variants: a 128GB variant and a 256GB variant. Well, the difference is just the storage capacity; everything else remains the same on both variants.
The Meta Quest 2 is lightweight and comes with a high refresh rate and a pair of touch controllers. Quest 2 can run as a standalone VR headset, thanks to the built-in Android-based OS, or you can connect to a PC to run as PCVR via the Oculus Link software. To use and enjoy the features of Quest 2 to the fullest, you need to log in to your Facebook account.
Weighing just 503 grams (17.7 ounces), the Quest 2 feels light to carry around as you travel. Inside the hood lies a Snapdragon XR2 chip, 6 GB of RAM, and 128/256GB of storage. The headset offers 1832×1920 per-eye resolution at a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz. The battery is quite a strong one; you will enjoy up to two hours of VR gameplay before needing to recharge the headset.
Quest 2 allows you access to a vast library of VR games and apps available on the Meta Store. Just in case you feel uncomfortable with the 3D positional audio, you can connect your headphones via the 3.5mm audio port. There is no intricate setup procedure for the Quest 2 headset; it’s more like a plug-and-play device.
Included inside the box with the Meta Quest 2 headset is a pair of upgraded Touch controllers, which are powered by AA batteries (included), a charging cable and power adapter, and a glasses spacer. The Meta Quest 2 is not only for playing VR games; it offers a wide field of view for immersive movie streaming, with the ability to connect to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Meta-Oculus Quest 2 Competitors
The Meta Quest 2 has quite a lot of competitors in the market, including its successor, the Quest 3, which offers mixed reality experiences and higher specs and is sold around the $500 price tag. Other competitor models include the PSVR 2, Valve Index, Apple Vision Pro, and Pico Neo3. These competitor models, while not in the same price range as Quest 2, offer similar specs, immersive experiences, and features.
- PSVR 2: Offered by PlayStation, the PSVR 2 headset is one of the leading models on the market. It comes with a pair of PlayStation VR Sense controllers, offering crisp 4K HDR visuals. There’s a lot to find on the app store, and the 3D audio delivers impressive notes. Eye tracking and finger touch detection are efficient on this VR headset. You’re getting dual 2000×2040 OLED displays at 120 fps, but you must have a PS5 to use this headset; it is not standalone.
- Valve Index: Well, this costs almost 8 times the price of the Quest 2, but it’s really solid stuff for a VR enthusiast willing to splash more on an immersive headset. Also, this is not a standalone VR unit; you have to set it up using a PC via wired connections. The Valve Index is a $1k+ VR headset with dual 1440 x 1600 LCDs and ergonomic adjustments to make the wear comfortable as long as you have it on. You’re getting up to a 144Hz refresh rate with this headset.
- PICO Neo3: The Pico Neo3 is an all-in-one VR headset with up to 120 Hz refresh rate and state-of-the-art hardware, the Snapdragon XR2. It has a 6GB RAM chip paired with 256GB of storage. There are up to six DoF sensors for dynamic tracking, and the headset supports video pass-through. Although a standalone VR, you can still connect the Pico Neo3 to a VR-ready PC via DisplayPort to enjoy native 4K resolution and ultra-low latency.
- Apple Vision Pro: Currently the most expensive VR headset on the market, the newly launched Apple Vision Pro stands as a high-end alternative to Meta’s Quest 2. Of course, the Vision Pro exceeds the Quest 2 in many aspects, but you’d be spending a ton on this Apple’s new boy: $3,500.
| Headset/Feature | Tracking | FoV | Controller | Display | Refresh Rate | Type |
| Quest 2 | 6DoF | 113° | Touch Controllers | 1832 x 1920 PPE | 60Hz – 90Hz | Standalone |
| PSVR 2 | 6DoF | 110o | PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers | 2000 x 2040 PPE | 90Hz – 120Hz | Standalone |
| Valve Index | SteamVR 2.0 sensors | 130° | Valve Index Controllers | Dual 1440 x 1600 LCDs, full RGB per pixel | 80Hz – 144Hz | PC VR |
| Pico Neo3 | 6DoF | 98° | Pico Neo 3 Controller | 3664 x 1920 total pixels | 72Hz – 90Hz | Standalone |
| Apple Vision Pro | LEDs and infrared cameras | 100° | Not Available | 3,660 x 3,200 PPE | 90Hz – 100Hz | Standalone |
Feature Comparison:
The Meta Quest 2 does come with a good display and refreshes at 90 Hz (peak), offering 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye resolution. While this display is commendable, it doesn’t measure up to what the PSVR 2, Pico Neo3, and Apple Vision Pro offer. But then, Quest 2 challenges its competitors in terms of FoV, DoF tracking, and longer battery life.
Content Library and Ecosystem:
Owning Meta 2 grants you access to Meta’s VR app store, which is a vast library of VR apps and games. The Quest 2 and Pico Neo3 come with Android-based OS platforms, while the Vision Pro comes with a fine-tuned VisionOS based on iOS, PSVR 2, and Valve Index relay on their host systems to run. Meta Quest 2 inarguably offers more VR collections than the rest.
User experience and comfort:
In 14 days after the Vision Pro was launched by Apple, a seeming number of first-buyers returned their units on the note of “uncomfortability.” But then, the Meta Quest 2 and Pico Neo3 feel much more comfortable to wear for a long time. Among all of these VR headsets, the Meta Quest 2 is the lightest in weight. Typically, standalone VR headsets are easy to set up and use, so the Quest 2, Pico Neo 3, PSVR 2, and Apple Vision Pro are all easy to use.
Price and Value Proposition:
The Meta Quest 2 continues to make headlines because of its “cheap” price, yet it has a lot to offer. Pico’s Neo3 comes close in price, but the rest are way more expensive, with the Apple Vision Pro going for more than 12 times the price of the Quest 2.
Meta Quest 2 offers great value for its price; the PSVR 2 and Valve Index are quite expensive but still look to be good value for the money; and the Vision Pro is way more expensive than it should be—maybe because it’s an Apple product.
Conclusion
Meta has upgraded the Meta 2 to match the competition; this was evident in the Meta Quest 3 and Quest Pro headsets, which came with higher specs, integrations, and features while still maintaining affordability.
The Meta Quest 2 is the best affordable standalone VR headset you can buy, but if you’re in for more immersive experiences, the Valve Index and PSVR 2 will make a good buy. Going for the Vision Pro is only if you want to use an Apple product, but well, it’s decently specced and offers 600+ apps and games.
The Pico Neo3? Take it as the nearest direct alternative to Meta Quest 2 if you have a slightly higher budget to get around.
