VR Isn’t Dying Or Dead - It Is Uncomfortable Though

Today I went to put on my headset after a long day of work. Since most of my work, such as writing articles like these, consists of sitting down and typing on a keyboard, I figured it would be nice to actually move my body while I enjoyed a video game and unwound.

For those with more sedentary jobs and lives, this is one of the big appeals of Virtual Reality gaming. After a long day of sitting it’s a very entertaining way to do a little moving whether or not you’re aiming to do a full workout. While normally this would be great, today it wasn’t.

Maybe it was the aggressive amount of work I did that day, but I just could not get the Meta Quest 3 headset to sit comfortably on my head. This is despite upgrading from the default headstrap to the Elite Strap. Honestly, the headset feels almost unusable for more than thirty minutes without the elite strap and I think that it should come with one by default, but that’s only part of the problem.

What bothered me more was the weight of it, despite the Meta Quest 3 being slimmer than the Quest 2, it is still about as heavy. Sure the weight sits closer to your face so it feels lighter, but the weight of the device is apparent despite it being packaged more comfortably.

Regardless of the improvements made in Virtual Reality head mounted display technology, it’s still a big hunk of stuff strapped to your face, and the fact that you need to strap it in place, even if those straps are well-designed and comfortable, means that there’s going to be pressure on your head from the weight of the device.

So today I quickly got a headache and discarded the headset after about fifteen minutes, a real shame. I really wanted to have some fun in Virtual Reality while I got off my butt and limbered up a little. Going out for a run instead was still good for the fresh air, but I would rather have been punching robots to bits or ducking and weaving while blasting through waves of enemies.

Here’s a screenshot from UNDERDOGS just for fun

It was a real shame, and it was clear that the weight of the headset was just bothering me that day as it sometimes does. It did make me think though.

I realized that a lot of people probably feel the same way all of the time, but something keeps them away from the headset. Whether it’s motion sickness, or possibly just being too tired to want to move around after a day of more physical labor, there are tons of VR headsets gathering dust in closets for many reasons.

I think a chief one is the weight of the headset. It’s no secret that Virtual Reality headset sales have been down since last year. I’ve heard a lot of stories from people who love VR, yet the headset sits unused. A big part of this is that strapping a machine to your face is just uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean VR is dying, there are still so many people, myself included, who will use it forever for a number of reasons.

I love VR, but even I sometimes opt not to hop back into it because it’s hard to be entirely comfortable with the big HMD on your face, and that also cuts into the immersion of many experiences. Even the Apple Vision Pro, a headset designed to be worn constantly and comfortably, has been seeing an alarmingly high number of returns not only due to motion sickness but also due to wearing it giving people headaches.

There’s only so far ergonomics can go. Before mass adoption is possible Virtual Reality headsets need to be lighter and easier to wear. Right now the weight of the headset cuts down on how often even dedicated Virtual Reality users will utilize it.

Maybe it’s time to save up for a Bigscreen Beyond.

The Thrill Of The Fight Quest 3 Update Looks Great And Adds Mixed Reality

It’s no secret that The Thrill Of The Fight is one of, if not the, best VR fitness and fighting games out there. Of course, this depends on who you ask, but here at Reality Remake I’ve gushed many times about how fantastic this game is for fun workouts and just fun in general.

If you want a fantastic VR boxing experience then there really is no substitute for The Thrill Of The Fight.

While The Thrill Of The Fight 2 still seems so tantalizingly close yet far away as it remains in development, for the time being, the original The Thrill Of The Fight has received a fantastic update for Meta Quest 3 headsets.

The Thrill Of The Fight Looks Great On the Meta Quest 3

Just look at the image below. On the left is the VR game on the Quest 2, and on the right is the same game on the Quest 3.

On the left, The Duke on the Quest 2, on the Right, the Duke on Quest 3

The image sharpness and quality are lightyears apart, even when you see them on a flat screen. The difference when viewing this environment, and your many opponents, in Virtual Reality as intended is even more mind blowing.

This update uses the increased processing power and superior construction of the Quest 3 to make the game look so much better on Quest 3 headsets. It’s great to see that even with the sequel in development, some love is still being given to the original.

While this might not be anything major like new enemies or new gamemodes, it’s much easier to get immersed in each boxing match with the game looking so much better.

You might notice that some of the opponent models have strange black lines on them in some places, like around the chin. Unfortunately, this makes them look a little wonky. So if you’re still stuck with a Quest 2, at least you won’t have to deal with that.

See the seam on Moneymaker’s arm here? There are a lot of models that are a bit broken like that

The Thrill Of The Fight Mixed Reality Is Also Very Cool

Of course, Mixed Reality and passthrough are also fantastic on the Oculus Quest 3, much better than we had on the Quest 2. Among the slew of additions of MR support and applications, comes a new Mixed Reality mode for The Thrill Of The Fight.

Now you can fight all of your classic opponents inside whatever room in your house you desire, or an actual physical boxing ring if you’re lucky enough to have access to one.

The Thrill Of The Fight in Mixed Reality is a trip, and also just as fun as in Virtual Reality

This Mixed Reality mode does have the usual issues of objects and people in Mixed Reality seeming strangely disconnected from their surroundings.

For instance, if you look closely the feet of your opponents might not seem like they quite touch the floor, but this is still a fun new way to box in Virtual Reality.

That’s it for now, if you’ve got a Meta Quest 3 and want to get back into some VR boxing, now is a better time than ever to hop into The Thrill Of The Fight. Enjoy!

Meta Quest 3 Announced! - Oculus Quest 3 Announcement

So Meta Announced the Quest 3. If you haven't seen the trailer then you'll want to know that it costs 500 dollars, and the Quest 2 will now cost 300 dollars. Also, the Quest 3 looks pretty awesome. Whether or not it'll run great, feel great, and look great kind of remains to be seen for sure when people get to use it, but it's looking like it will be fantastic.

Meta Quest 3 Technical Upgrades and Specs

The Meta Quest 3 Announcement Poster

The specs seem awesome, with an advertised double GPU processing power over the Quest 2, and higher resolution displays. As someone who has had the opportunity to try the Quest Pro, if the upgrade from the Quest 2 to Quest 3 is anything like the change from the Quest 2 to the Quest Pro, then it is very noticeable and very awesome. The visuals on the Pro are much clearer, and most importantly there's no choppiness on some of the more intensive games.

Oh, and the controllers seem to function a lot like the Quest Pro controllers too. They'll at least be absent the rings that the Quest 2 controllers have, making them harder to break and overall lighter and more comfortable to use, and more immersive with improved haptics.

Meta Quest 3 Upgraded Comfortability

The Quest 3 will be 40% slimmer!

Another very cool thing about this new Meta Quest 3 is that it's much thinner than the Quest 2, and probably much lighter too. This will make it easier to store, easier to wear (hopefully), and more comfortable. Passthrough will also be a built in feature, just like with the Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

Luckily the Quest 3 won't be relying on your forehead to hold it up like the Quest Pro, and has a facial interface that holds your whole face like the Quest 2. For any Quest Pro users out there, now you can have improved performance without your forehead getting numb after long use with the straps tight.

Meta Quest 3 Price

Now let's get into what's going to keep a lot of people away from these fantastic upgrades, the price. It will cost a whopping 500 dollars, half a thousand dollars for a VR headset. That's even before accessories and games for it, though any Quest or Quest 2 games you already have on the Quest store will, of course, work on the Quest 3. That's a lot of money, and despite the impressive list of upgrades from the Quest 2, a lot of people will be asking whether or not the high price tag is worth it.

If you're really into VR, and especially standalone experiences, then the upgrade is definitely cheaper than getting a VR capable gaming PC instead, but you'll still be limited to what games are available on the Quest store, and there are a ton of great ones out there that still aren't.

Luckily this announcement is also accompanied by another that the Quest 2 128GB version will go back down to 300 dollars on June 4th, 2023. There will also be a software update that promises better CPU and GPU performance on the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. So if you've been holding off on buying a Quest 2, but can't afford the Quest 3, then you might want to go with the 2. Still, a lot of games have been announcing that they are dropping support for the Quest 1. It's only a matter of time until the same happens for the Quest 2, but you've still get a couple of years at the very least with the Quest 2 hardware.

Is The Meta Quest 3 Worth it?

Price aside, the Quest 3 packs a ton of great upgardes, and most importantly looks to be lighter and more comfortable overall than the Quest 2. If you can justify paying for it, there doesn't seem to be a reason not to buy the Quest 3 on release in the fall of 2023. It integrates all of the improvements of the Quest Pro, and even makes them better, without a lot of the drawbacks and insanely high price tag. Still, 500 dollars is 500 dollars, but for a new VR headset that's still surprisingly good. Still, it's not the low price that you might have expected from the pricing on the Quest 2. It also remains to be seen if the finished Quest 3 will actually deliver on this impressive list of upgrades.