Oculus owner Facebook is reportedly working on a follow-up to the Oculus Quest–its all-in-one VR solution that can be used completely wirelessly or tethered to a more powerful PC.
The report, which comes via Bloomberg, states that Oculus is currently ironing out hardware details for the device, which sounds like an iterative follow-up rather than an entirely new platform. The ideas suggest that this new design could be anywhere between 10-15% lighter, with an overall design that is slightly smaller too to improve comfort.
The report also mentions an improvement to the displays, specifically around its refresh rate. The Oculus Quest currently tops out at 72 Hz, which is low by VR standards (the Valve Index by comparison can reach 144 Hz). While an exact figure apparently hasn’t been settled on, the next Quest could ship with a refresh rate between 90-120 Hz.
This new Quest could also ship with new controllers. The Quest currently uses the latest iteration of the Oculus Touch controllers, but the report mentions that any new designs are being made with the idea of backwards compatibility in mind. Given how the Valve Index tracks individual finger movements while the Oculus Touch is far more limited in that space, it makes sense that the next iteration might want to improve.
Outside of these reported changes, the Oculus Quest will likely retain its other features. The report makes no mention of a performance improvement, but considering none of these plans are confirmed yet that could still be on the table. Oculus was reportedly planning to launch this new Quest by the end of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic might push those plans to next year.
The Oculus Quest is one of the easiest VR platforms to setup and use, and has becomes a favourite after Oculus introduced Oculus Link for tethering with PC. This means you can play Half-Life: Alyx if you have a capable PC, and can work through some of the quirks Oculus Link has while it’s still in beta.
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