cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Why would I keep my newly purchased RiftS after learning more about the Quest2 superiority?

camf33
Explorer
Just recently acquired a RiftS for strictly at home PVCR only, or in other words just made the jump into VR. However, after finding so many topics on the net and learning more about the subject in general and in particular about the Quest 2 vs RiftS, I ask those those that own a RiftS - why would I keep the RiftS when the Quest 2 seems to be 'superior' or so to speak. 
Even so why would anyone still would purchse the RiftS considering where the Quest 2 is going?  I am still inclined to swap it for a Quest 2 but would like to hear what the community says. Also for the record my PC is a solid rig.
3 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

Everyone will have their own opinions on which headset suits them more as so much depends on how you intent to use it and also what characteristics you value the most... not to mention your favourite type of VR experiences, how much space you have for VR and also your physical attributes such as head size, IPD, sensitivity to headset weight distribution and pressure on your face, sensitivity to SDE and probably a dozen more factors, going by the various threads on the forum.

Comfort:
If you want comfort, the Rift-S is easily the most comfortable headset out there in my opinion, as it sits on your head like a hat with hardly any pressure on your face which for me is sensitive to that during medium and long sessions.

Tethered vs Untethered:
I don't have a massive amount of space so untethered VR is less of a thing for me if the experience benefits from roaming a bit. On the other hand, if you have the space, the value of untethered increases a lot.

Portability:
If sharing VR or demonstrating it to friends and family is important or if you want to have fun away from home, Quest is the only option and it's massively fun to share!

IPD:
If your IPD falls half way between any two of the 3 settings of the Quest 2, there's a chance your vision will be adversely affected verses the electronic adjustment of the S. On the other hand, if your IPD matched one of the 3, your vision could be better because of the moving lenses. In some circumstances though, the vertical edges of the screen can be visible in the Quest 2 which never happens in the S, I think this is when your IPD is less than the widist setting but the widest setting gives the sharpest image.

DP vs Link:
Link is still no match for a DP/USB connection if using the Quest for PCVR but that may change. This can manifest in image quality or possibly in lag. Reliability of connection with DP is optimal also provided you don't have USB issues. This isn't to say Link is bad or that it isn't improving but it's not DP.

Type of VR Experience you enjoy:
If your priority is seated experiences and simming, the benefit of that DP connection will be more pronounced as the disbenefits of tethered VR are minimal. If you like to watch media a lot such as Netflix or YouTube VR, Quest is really good. Those apps are only available for the Quest, and although Rift users complain about not having those apps, I personally would only use them in the Quest, partly because I like to sit on the sofa away form the PC when media viewing where I can sit back and loosen up the straps, the discomfort of the headset isn't too bad that way. I spend the most hours simming and playing Fallout VR seated and I've never used the Quest for that.

Visual Quality:
Quest 2 is better than Rift-S, unless you're unlucky and have an IPD that happens to be less than great with the Q2 pre-sets. If you're sensitive to the small amount of SDE in the S, that could be a factor. If cockpit instruments are difficult to see, that could also be a factor, depends on the sim/game. If your PC is up to it, increasing the level of SS could go a long way to closing the gap in visual quality terms.

My preference:
I bought the Rift-S and the original Quest when they released and I use them both very differently. I like to sim and have long seated sessions with the S and I like to take my VR with me when I'm away from home or seeing friends (not happening much at the moment of course!). I also like to watch movies on my NAS on a big VR movie screen on the sofa or in bed, Netflix is great too, and the Quest is superb for that.
I haven't upgraded my Quest for a Quest 2 yet and I'm not sure my VR use would change if I did, I think I'd still use the S for PCVR, mainly because of the comfort but also because of the DP connection.
Your preferences are probably different depending on all of these factors.

I'm hoping the next Quest will be so good that there's no question about using it for both PCVR and stand-alone, maybe with an optional DP connection or a souped-up Link or wireless Link that pretty much matches DP... and with a proper Halo option for long session comfort.... probably asking a lot!!

View solution in original post

TomCgcmfc
MVP
MVP

camf33 said:

Just recently acquired a RiftS for strictly at home PVCR only, or in other words just made the jump into VR. However, after finding so many topics on the net and learning more about the subject in general and in particular about the Quest 2 vs RiftS, I ask those those that own a RiftS - why would I keep the RiftS when the Quest 2 seems to be 'superior' or so to speak. 
Even so why would anyone still would purchse the RiftS considering where the Quest 2 is going?  I am still inclined to swap it for a Quest 2 but would like to hear what the community says. Also for the record my PC is a solid rig.


If you are mainly interested in the best PCVR then  imho, stick with dedicated PCVR headsets like the Rift S. 

I suggest you continue to monitor Q2 progress with Link before deciding to upgrade to a  Q2.
i9 13900K water cooled, RTX4090, Z790 MB w/wifi6e, 32Gb 6400 ram, 2x2TB SSD, 1000W PSU, Win 11, QPro, Q3, w/Link and Air Link, Vive Pro1 with Etsy lens mod and Index Controllers

View solution in original post

Anonymous
Not applicable
Honestly? There's none.

Yes, the Rift-S is a native PCVR headset. However, lag is a non issue with the Quest (latency is under 40ms, completely playable ; and of course, in standalone there's no latency issue) ; as for compression, I get barely any with Virtual Desktop (at worst it's a smooth blur for a second, and even that rarely happens).
I do get terrible compression with Link for now, but the main problem was resolution (it didn't even render at Quest resolution). That is gone with the latest update, so the Quest 2 renders the scene at a bigger resolution than the Rift-S.
My point is, the Quest 2 visual quality is not as good as a native 4K PCVR headset ; but the Rift-S is not a 4K PCVR headset, and the resolution boost makes the image of the Quest 2 just better than the Rift-S most of the time.

Yes, the Rift-S default strap is more comfortable. But the Quest 2 is easily moddable. Want a Halo strap? You can buy one. There's also FrankenQuest, the Elite Strap, and many other solutions.

For everything else, the Quest 2 is indeed just as good, or even vastly superior. Wireless alone makes it that much better (and I'm not just talking about Virtual Desktop: I really wouldn't underestimate mobile VR, it's really great).

It doesn't mean the Rift-S is a bad headset though. Honestly, even though I skipped it because I consider it's not a big upgrade compared to the CV1, it's still a very decent solution and you don't have to switch it for a Quest 2.

But the switch isn't a bad move either, and I definitely don't recommend the Rift-S to anyone today, even for PCVR.

View solution in original post

4 REPLIES 4

Everyone will have their own opinions on which headset suits them more as so much depends on how you intent to use it and also what characteristics you value the most... not to mention your favourite type of VR experiences, how much space you have for VR and also your physical attributes such as head size, IPD, sensitivity to headset weight distribution and pressure on your face, sensitivity to SDE and probably a dozen more factors, going by the various threads on the forum.

Comfort:
If you want comfort, the Rift-S is easily the most comfortable headset out there in my opinion, as it sits on your head like a hat with hardly any pressure on your face which for me is sensitive to that during medium and long sessions.

Tethered vs Untethered:
I don't have a massive amount of space so untethered VR is less of a thing for me if the experience benefits from roaming a bit. On the other hand, if you have the space, the value of untethered increases a lot.

Portability:
If sharing VR or demonstrating it to friends and family is important or if you want to have fun away from home, Quest is the only option and it's massively fun to share!

IPD:
If your IPD falls half way between any two of the 3 settings of the Quest 2, there's a chance your vision will be adversely affected verses the electronic adjustment of the S. On the other hand, if your IPD matched one of the 3, your vision could be better because of the moving lenses. In some circumstances though, the vertical edges of the screen can be visible in the Quest 2 which never happens in the S, I think this is when your IPD is less than the widist setting but the widest setting gives the sharpest image.

DP vs Link:
Link is still no match for a DP/USB connection if using the Quest for PCVR but that may change. This can manifest in image quality or possibly in lag. Reliability of connection with DP is optimal also provided you don't have USB issues. This isn't to say Link is bad or that it isn't improving but it's not DP.

Type of VR Experience you enjoy:
If your priority is seated experiences and simming, the benefit of that DP connection will be more pronounced as the disbenefits of tethered VR are minimal. If you like to watch media a lot such as Netflix or YouTube VR, Quest is really good. Those apps are only available for the Quest, and although Rift users complain about not having those apps, I personally would only use them in the Quest, partly because I like to sit on the sofa away form the PC when media viewing where I can sit back and loosen up the straps, the discomfort of the headset isn't too bad that way. I spend the most hours simming and playing Fallout VR seated and I've never used the Quest for that.

Visual Quality:
Quest 2 is better than Rift-S, unless you're unlucky and have an IPD that happens to be less than great with the Q2 pre-sets. If you're sensitive to the small amount of SDE in the S, that could be a factor. If cockpit instruments are difficult to see, that could also be a factor, depends on the sim/game. If your PC is up to it, increasing the level of SS could go a long way to closing the gap in visual quality terms.

My preference:
I bought the Rift-S and the original Quest when they released and I use them both very differently. I like to sim and have long seated sessions with the S and I like to take my VR with me when I'm away from home or seeing friends (not happening much at the moment of course!). I also like to watch movies on my NAS on a big VR movie screen on the sofa or in bed, Netflix is great too, and the Quest is superb for that.
I haven't upgraded my Quest for a Quest 2 yet and I'm not sure my VR use would change if I did, I think I'd still use the S for PCVR, mainly because of the comfort but also because of the DP connection.
Your preferences are probably different depending on all of these factors.

I'm hoping the next Quest will be so good that there's no question about using it for both PCVR and stand-alone, maybe with an optional DP connection or a souped-up Link or wireless Link that pretty much matches DP... and with a proper Halo option for long session comfort.... probably asking a lot!!

TomCgcmfc
MVP
MVP

camf33 said:

Just recently acquired a RiftS for strictly at home PVCR only, or in other words just made the jump into VR. However, after finding so many topics on the net and learning more about the subject in general and in particular about the Quest 2 vs RiftS, I ask those those that own a RiftS - why would I keep the RiftS when the Quest 2 seems to be 'superior' or so to speak. 
Even so why would anyone still would purchse the RiftS considering where the Quest 2 is going?  I am still inclined to swap it for a Quest 2 but would like to hear what the community says. Also for the record my PC is a solid rig.


If you are mainly interested in the best PCVR then  imho, stick with dedicated PCVR headsets like the Rift S. 

I suggest you continue to monitor Q2 progress with Link before deciding to upgrade to a  Q2.
i9 13900K water cooled, RTX4090, Z790 MB w/wifi6e, 32Gb 6400 ram, 2x2TB SSD, 1000W PSU, Win 11, QPro, Q3, w/Link and Air Link, Vive Pro1 with Etsy lens mod and Index Controllers

camf33
Explorer

camf33 said:

Just recently acquired a RiftS for strictly at home PVCR only, or in other words just made the jump into VR. However, after finding so many topics on the net and learning more about the subject in general and in particular about the Quest 2 vs RiftS, I ask those those that own a RiftS - why would I keep the RiftS when the Quest 2 seems to be 'superior' or so to speak. 
Even so why would anyone still would purchse the RiftS considering where the Quest 2 is going?  I am still inclined to swap it for a Quest 2 but would like to hear what the community says. Also for the record my PC is a solid rig.


Thank you for such good responses, indeed I concur with many of the the points touched. Given my experience will be solely based at home and mobile is not the thing for me, it seems PCVR on the RiftS is more suitable - or at least for the time being until a mobile and true PCVR come out eliminating the gap between them.  Thank you all again! 

Anonymous
Not applicable
Honestly? There's none.

Yes, the Rift-S is a native PCVR headset. However, lag is a non issue with the Quest (latency is under 40ms, completely playable ; and of course, in standalone there's no latency issue) ; as for compression, I get barely any with Virtual Desktop (at worst it's a smooth blur for a second, and even that rarely happens).
I do get terrible compression with Link for now, but the main problem was resolution (it didn't even render at Quest resolution). That is gone with the latest update, so the Quest 2 renders the scene at a bigger resolution than the Rift-S.
My point is, the Quest 2 visual quality is not as good as a native 4K PCVR headset ; but the Rift-S is not a 4K PCVR headset, and the resolution boost makes the image of the Quest 2 just better than the Rift-S most of the time.

Yes, the Rift-S default strap is more comfortable. But the Quest 2 is easily moddable. Want a Halo strap? You can buy one. There's also FrankenQuest, the Elite Strap, and many other solutions.

For everything else, the Quest 2 is indeed just as good, or even vastly superior. Wireless alone makes it that much better (and I'm not just talking about Virtual Desktop: I really wouldn't underestimate mobile VR, it's really great).

It doesn't mean the Rift-S is a bad headset though. Honestly, even though I skipped it because I consider it's not a big upgrade compared to the CV1, it's still a very decent solution and you don't have to switch it for a Quest 2.

But the switch isn't a bad move either, and I definitely don't recommend the Rift-S to anyone today, even for PCVR.