Is Facebook’s most expensive Quest 2 strap also its best? Find out in our Oculus Quest 2 Elite Battery Strap review! Attach the Elite strap with battery side arms to the arms of the headset. You should feel and hear a snap indicating that the arms are attached.

The strap is uncomfortable and doesn't do a good job of keeping the weight off your face. It's essentially a fabric belt, so you'll want to invest in a better headband for more support. Keep your headset in place and your visuals clear with rigid stabilizing straps that give all-round support. In addition to monitoring the colour of the LED on your Meta Quest 2, you can also see battery levels in VR: Maximize comfort with a balancing design that uses the weight of the battery to lift your headset away from your face. So, how long do you get? Well, if you remember, I said the standard Quest 2 battery lasted me two and a half hours playing The Room VR from full to flat during my testing. With the Elite Battery Strap, I played Until You Fall and a few other titles for about three hours before the battery unit was depleted. But then I still had 75% reserve charge left on the headset itself for another two hours of play. So, all-in-all, we’re talking roughly doubling your maximum playtime with the Quest 2 Elite Battery Strap. Keep in mind that more passive apps like media viewers will drain the battery slower, too.

When you use the Elite strap with battery on your Meta Quest 2, the main battery status indicators such as the LED on the side of your headset, and the main battery level shown in your headset, will show the combined battery level of your Meta Quest 2 and Elite strap with battery. If you select the headset power icon in VR, it will show you a more detailed view of the battery status with separate charge levels for the internal headset battery and Elite strap battery. It definitely makes Quest 2 a much more expensive proposition overall, so you might want to buy the headset first and see what mileage you get out of it but, if you’re already committed to standalone VR gaming, the Oculus Quest 2 Elite Battery Strap is a great add-on.

The added weight included in the Elite Battery Strap (319g compared to the Elite Straps’ 173g) also comes with an appreciated side-effect. The heavier strap offers a nice counterbalance to the front of the Quest 2, helping to alleviate the pressure on your face just a little more than even what’s seen in the normal Elite Strap. The result is the most comfortable of all the accessories Facebook offers for Quest 2. After five seconds, the LED will turn off to preserve power unless the Elite strap is plugged into the Meta Quest 2 power adapter and is actively receiving current. In this case, the LED will stay lit. Play for longer with a built-in second battery that delivers up to double the play time* between charges. For a standalone VR headset (with ability to connect to a gaming PC for PCVR), it does a fantastic job at bringing you this experience. However, the requirement for Facebook is a sour note to using it as it is tied to your real life social media account. You can make a alias for it though so other gamers don't see your real name.. but still, the writing is on the wall that this is for personal data collection while you use it. Take that for what it's worth, as the low cost is clearly subsidized from Facebook's personal data collection as the unit is sold at a loss otherwise. Obviously the big addition here is the battery extender unit. The battery itself is housed in the rear compartment of the strap, alongside the dial to fit to your head. Then a short USB Type-C cable threads along the left of the strap, running up to reach the charging port in the side of the Quest 2. You can charge the strap and the headset via another USB Type-C port just under the dial. From what I could gather, the Elite Battery Strap must be plugged into the Quest 2 to charge itself, and the headset’s charging indicator light will signal when both are at maximum capacity. Plugging in two USB cables to the Quest and the strap itself will only charge the former. Impressively, Quest 2 recognizes the battery extender when plugged in and lists separate gauges for both its battery and the core headset’s charge.

Your Meta Quest 2 will use up all of the charge in the Elite strap with battery before it starts to use up the internal battery. META QUEST IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/removable-facial-interface-alert. Can be connected to a gaming PC either wirelessly, or with a USB C cable for additional features and game titles

Resolution varies in standalone games as the headset may need to lower resolution to allow for appropriate processing power - depending on the app. While the headset is "almost 2K per eye", there will still be some blur, and in some games, you will notice a fair amount if the game drops the resolution as needed. This is not a frequent issue, but I am mentioning it just in case some owners wonder why game X is clearer than game Y. Having said this, a number of titles have been patched for the higher processing power of the Quest 2's headset and do have increased resolution over the original Quest 1. The "new" 128Gb Quest 2 is a welcome increase in storage space over the prior 64Gb model, as the OS eats up a fair bit of space on that storage. Fortunately the apps and games are mostly small in install size. Wireless connection to a computer will require a modern gaming PC with a recent NVIDIA or AMD graphics card, a hardwired connection to the Internet, and a dedicated Wifi 6 router or hotspot for the headset to work without too much frame loss. Lenses have a small focal "sweet spot" and this coupled with the troublesome headstrap means that you will frequently adjust the headset to reduce fatigue to your eyes.If the internal battery for your Meta Quest 2 is charged but the Elite strap battery is still charging, the status indicators will show that the devices are charging. The examples below represent how the combined battery level of your headset and Elite strap with battery will behave in different situations. Included strap is very basic. It may be ok for short sessions, but for longer sessions you will probably want an upgraded strap, as the included one will become uncomfortable after awhile Install with ease by removing your original strap and simply snapping the Elite Strap with Battery into place. I wrote about this a bit in my original Elite Strap review, but third-party accessories and comfort mods can do a great job of improving your kits comfort too. The VR Cover face lining is a great complement to any Quest 2 setup but it’s very possible that future strap designs get great comfort out of Quest 2, too.

Point being that, if comfort is your primary concern, you might see better and cheaper alternatives in the future. I still say that halo strap designs — seen on the PSVR and Rift S — are the most comfortable VR designs, placing weight on your forehead rather than your face. None of Facebook’s comfort options do this and I’ll be first-in-line to try out any mods that do.Meta Quest: *Parents:* Important guidance and safety warnings for children's use here. Meta accounts for ages 10+ on Meta Quest 2 and 3; all other Meta Quest headsets for ages 13+. Certain apps, games and experiences may be suitable for a more mature audience. Meta quest features, functionality and content notice: Features, functionality and content are subject to change or withdrawal at any time, may not be available in all areas or languages or may be restricted; may require enabled software or service activation, and additional terms, conditions and/or charges may apply. This will charge both the Elite strap with battery and your headset. As long as the Elite strap with battery is plugged into the headset, there's no need to charge them individually. When the Elite strap battery is plugged into your Meta Quest 2, the LED on your headset will turn on for five seconds. This is a good VR headset for those not wanting to invest huge amounts of money to get into VR. The Quest 2 is a stand alone headset, so if you don't have a powerful gaming computer, this will allow you to get started in VR without that sort of investment.