The Rift S is PC powered whatever that means. Oculus 2 isn't so where does it get its power from. Which to choose? With O2 can I play anything anywhere; games stored in its internal memory? With Rift S I must have a PC. Which one is wireless? The only noticeable difference is the Rift S has a higher resolution. I have desktop and laptop.
Rift S - Plug into PC and play PC games. Quest 2 - Main design is a mobile VR headset to play games made for mobile VR. Usually not as graphically intense as made for PC games.
However Quest 2 can also be used to play PC-VR games a couple of ways: Link - via a USB 3 cable you connect to your PC. Wireless - via Virtual Desktop to play the same PC games. Pretty sure Quest 2 resolution is a little more than Rift S.
So Quest 2 can do everything Rift S can do plus wireless at a somewhat reduced resolution. Once you plug Quest 2 into your PC it functions just like Rift S? Can Q2 do wireless with PC games just as good as Rift S?
As far as power is concerned (I assume you mean processing power?) Quest 2 is a self-contained headset with its own processor, Rift-S is powered by a PC's processor. But as @dburne says, as well as using a Quest as a stand-alone headset, it can also be connected to a PC with sufficient capabilities and used as if it was a Rift, using the PC's processing power to play VR games that are on the PC, just like the Rift-S.
There are other things to consider and I posted the below in a thread where someone was wondering about cancelling a Rift-S order in favour of a Quest 2, so maybe you'd find it relevant here too....
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!!
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Also, regarding my Netflix and Amazon Prime comment above, you can watch them in the Rift using the methods I describe in the below vid... it's just that the dedicated apps are available for the Quest only.
Ya, probably a better bet for you. However, I do recommend you do a bit more Google research on all this though. Good luck and cheers.
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