If you want to use it only when connected to the laptop, get the Rift S as it provides the best image quality and comfort. If your interpupillary distance (IPD) is within the range of 61.5mm to 65.5mm then the Rift S is suitable (it has a fixed IPD of 63.5mm). Your laptop would need to have a Displayport that is directly connected to the GPU for it to be compatible with the Rift S.
If you would like to use it sometimes connected to the laptop and sometimes standalone, free of any wires, then get the Quest for its versatility. The Quest has physical IPD adjustment so it is suitable for the range of 56mm to 74mm. The Quest requires a USB3 port on your laptop for Link functionality.
It depends what's most important to you. If you want the best quality and comfort and you want portability as well and can afford it, get both. Long playing sessions and less pixels is better on the rift s but I also love the wirless gameplay on the quest. I need both. If I only could own one and badly wanted pc and portability the quest is the choice.
I've literally just had to choose between the two devices. Fortunately I have a friend with a quest and beta. So can see for myself. The tethered Quest is no Rift S (or CV1) imo. BUT If your IPD is greater than 68 (not sure what the lower range is) you might want to look somewhere other than the Rift S though. I'm 67.5 - 68mm and it's just about OK for me.
I've recently had to make this choice and went for the Rift S. My reasoning was:
1. I'm more interested in PCVR
2. There's still a question (in my mind at least) over the quality and performance of the Quest link (foveated rendering, limited video bandwidth, lower frame rate)
3. My IPD (according to my optician) is 64mm
4. The Rift S had 50 quid knocked off at Argos for Black Friday. 🙂
It would be nice to have a fully portable VR headset, but it would have been a bonus for me rather than what I really needed.
For a PC enthusiast, Rift S definitely the way to go. I have and have used both. Quest with Link is pretty cool and works, but Rift S is better experience.
I've gotten used to the LCD colours of the S and find the Quest OLED slightly fluorescent in comparison. I'm not an expert on the two displays and I had thought that refresh rate just affected the feeling of responsiveness rather than flicker... as flicker, I think, has more to do with 'off time' between frames rather than frame rates, but I find there's very slight flicker noticeable in the Quest, only in bright scenes though... and it is very slight.
Sound is better in the Quest. I've been using surround speakers since I bought the S though, so for me this isn't an issue. I've now decided speakers are better than any headset headphones as they seem to give more accurate spatial sound.
If you like to sit back in your seat, resting your head on a headrest.. or if you want to watch movies in VR on the sofa or in bed, Quest is a much better option as the headset has no protrusions at the back so you can lie back.
The S is way more comfortable for long sessions of PCVR gaming, the halo design has it resting on your head, not on your face.
Quest has been better for me when demonstrating VR to friends or having fun with family. There's no real alternative to a non-PC dependent, untethered headset for that, or for experiencing complete freedom of movement.
I'm just pleased to have both headsets, but I'm not sure there's an easy answer if you're choosing one or the other, you'd really have to decide what kind of VR you think will be most important to you.
13700K, RTX 4070 Ti, Asus ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming, Corsair H150i Capellix, 64GB Corsair Vengence DDR5, Corsair 5000D Airflow, 4TB Samsung 870 , 2TB Samsung 990 Pro x 2, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, Quest, 2, 3, Pro, Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (10.0.26100)
I find the Quest way better than the CV1. Less SDE, and it seems they're using either some kind of supersampling, or antialiasing. With the CV1, while in Oculus Home, the ropes of the ships in the harbour are a shimmering mess with jagged edges. But with the Quest and Link...they're smooth. The Quest also has better optics than the CV1.
