PreviewLabs

New hardware always brings a wave of excitement to the PreviewLabs offices. When Oculus VR announced the Oculus Quest 2 headset and controllers, we knew right away we had to get our hands on this exciting piece of technology.

The Oculus Quest 2 is Oculus VR’s follow-up to what arguably already was the most impressive mobile VR headset on the market. The Quest 2 is more powerful than its predecessor, offering a higher resolution display and faster processor, while at the same time it’s $100 cheaper than the first Quest, lowering the barrier for consumers to get into VR. In addition, even though the Oculus Quest 1 and 2 are mobile headsets, it also gives you the option to run PC-based VR titles via a USB connection.

Likely driven by this more-value-for-less-money proposition, the first sales figures for the Oculus Quest 2 indicate that the new headset could outsell the original Quest by about five times.

Considering the first Quest is thought of as a successful device in its own right, this means that VR is becoming more and more attractive for developers due to the larger install base.

At PreviewLabs, we have already experienced the potential of the mobile VR platform for ourselves. We worked with the University of Michigan on some prototypes that fully leverage the capabilities of the first Oculus Quest. In Belgium, we developed a prototype for a Ghent University research study about classroom tension and how to de-escalate, using 360 degree video. In both cases, the ease of use of the Quest as in that it doesn’t require a separate computer, while offering a great VR experience with 6 degrees of freedom, were instrumental in the choice for the device.

We are excited to get hands-on with the Oculus Quest 2 in both our US and Belgium offices. If you are planning a VR project and are looking for a prototyping partner, feel free to get in touch. We gladly help you leverage the full potential of this bleeding edge of mobile VR technology.