The Oculus Quest 2 has dominated the virtual reality (VR) headset market since its release in 2020, offering an affordable all-in-one package with surprisingly capable hardware and software. However, as the Quest 2 ages and new headsets enter the arena, competition is heating up.
In this guide, we‘ll explore the top 7 alternatives to the venerable Quest 2 to suit a range of budgets and needs as we move into 2023.
Key Factors When Choosing A Quest 2 Alternative
Before diving into the top picks, let‘s discuss what you should think about when shopping for an alternate VR headset system:
Budget – VR headsets range hugely in price from under $300 to over $1000. Set expectations around what you can spend before you start evaluating options.
Platform Compatibility – The Quest 2 is a standalone, all-in-one headset not requiring a PC or console to operate. However, many headsets must connect to gaming PCs or consoles like the PlayStation 5. Know what ecosystem you plan to use before purchase.
Tracking Methods – Inside-out and outside-in are the two main tracking techniques used in VR headsets. Inside-out uses on-device cameras to map movement, while outside-in relies on external sensors placed around the room. Quest 2 uses inside-out tracking.
Resolution – A VR headset with high resolution displays will offer sharper, more immersive visuals. Quest 2 provides 1832×1920 pixels per eye – an entry level target – while premium devices exceed 4K.
Controllers & Accessories – The VR experience relies heavily on natural intuitive controls through handheld controllers and accessories improving comfort. Ensure they align with the titles and apps you wish to use.
Keeping those factors in mind, let’s explore the top alternatives to the Oculus Quest 2 as we enter 2023.
1. Best Overall: HTC Vive XR Elite
The HTC Vive XR Elite is arguably the closest competitor to the Quest 2 in the all-in-one VR headset arena right now. It looks to build upon their solid legacy in PC VR through earlier headsets like the HTC Vive and Vive Pro while also branching out to standalone capability.
Out of the box, the XR Elite impresses with a slick, curved visor design that looks like something out of Star Trek. The front housing has been markedly slimmed down from the bulky Quest 2 with weight distributed towards the rear battery compartment instead.
Specs wise, HTC has utilized similar mobile processing components to the Quest 2 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR chip powering the device alongside 12GB RAM. The resolution specs hit 1920×1920 per eye with a 90hz refresh rate and 110 degree field of view. That puts it on target with the Quest 2, with minor improvements in refresh rate and FOV.
The XR Elite also sets itself apart with true hybrid functionality – users have the option to operate as a fully self-contained untethered headset via the onboard battery, or connect to a VR ready gaming PC with a USB-C cable for access to advanced software like SteamVR. No other singular device offers this degree of versatility currently.
Hand tracking and controllers have seen an overhaul from HTC as well – finger tracking now plays a role for more natural object interaction in VR, while the newly designed controllers feature capacitive sensors along the grips and buttons for increased sensitivity.
Of course, improved design and specs come with a significantly higher cost – the HTC Vive XR Elite retails for $1099, over $500 more than the Oculus Quest 2. For some the price hike will surely be justified by cutting edge capabilities, while for others the Quest 2 still represents the price/performance sweet spot.
HTC Vive XR Elite Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 1920×1080
- Refresh rate: 90hz
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Tracking: Inside-out
- Controllers: Newly designed, finger tracking
- Standalone or tethered to PC
- Battery duration: ~2hrs continuous
- Price: $1099
Overall if you‘re looking for the closest experience matching the Quest 2 while benefiting from enhanced design and cutting edge features, the HTC Vive XR Elite stands out as our pick for the best overall Quest 2 alternative as we kick off 2023.
2. Best Oculus Brand Headset: Meta Quest Pro
It feels only natural that our next choice comes directly from Meta themselves – the newly released Meta Quest Pro represents their attempt to push more mainstream VR adoption through a productivity focused, mixed reality device.
Make no mistake – although sharing the same Quest brand name, the Pro model does not follow directly in the footsteps set by the Quest and Quest 2. Meta has shifted gears here targeting creative professionals, enterprise implementations and niche applications rather than general consumers and gamers.
The industrial design sees significant changes including a curved visor and rigid headband harness borrowed from the luxury VR world. It makes the Quest Pro feel like an extremely premium piece of kit on initial handling. The battery compartment also shifts to the rear balancing weight distribution – a major plus for long term comfort.
It‘s under the hood though where things have really leveled up. The Quest Pro utilizes onboard cameras and sensors to mesh virtual elements into real world environments – what Meta is calling mixed reality. That enables nifty features like displaying your PC monitor feeds inside the headset, or implementing your actual hands into VR using the cameras rather than controllers.
The display resolution gets a noteworthy bump as well to 37% greater pixels per inch than Quest 2 thanks to mini-LED technology with local dimming. 1832×1920 per eye visuals therefore should look crisper through the lenses. Eye tracking and face tracking have also been built in for additional immersive capabilities.
As mentioned off the top though, Meta looks to be chasing specific rather than general use cases here. That shows through in the $1499 pricetag – firmly placing it as an expensive investment for specialty VR applications rather than the mainstream.
If you need capabilities advancing past the Quest 2 and fit the use cases, then the Meta Quest Pro deserves a look. Just know it commands an ultra premium price to get there.
Meta Quest Pro Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 1832×1920
- Refresh rate: 90hz
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Tracking: Inside-out, hand tracking
- Additional sensors: Eye tracking, face tracking, mixed reality
- Battery duration: 1-2 hours continuous
- Price: $1499
The Meta Quest Pro ultimately brings some excellent technological capabilities to the table. Just be sure your budget and use cases align before taking the plunge on this ultra premium VR headset.
3. Best Display – HP Reverb G2
The next Quest 2 alternative we suggest checking out offers a truly stunning visual presentation – the HP Reverb G2.
HP targets the experienced VR gaming and simulation crowd here with bleeding edge 2160×2160 resolution per eye and 114 degree field of view through comprehensive Valve designed optics. It‘s an incredibly sharp, crisp picture that starts to reach "retina" grade VR territory. Those qualities combined yield a real sense of immersion unmatched outside of much more expensive enterprise VR solutions.
The visual finesse stands out immediately with the Reverb G2, but it does comes with some caveats. Namely that this remains a tethered headset needing constant connection to a VR ready PC for full functionality. So unlike the Quest 2 you cannot just pick up and take the G2 anywhere. Portability is limited.
Tracking is handled via 4 on-headset cameras which allow reasonable freedom of movement within a few meters of the PC without losing controller or spatial accuracy. HP made sure to upgrade the controllers this round as well addressing complaints around the poorly weighted predecessors. These feel much improved with textured grips – a small but meaningful upgrade.
In total at a retail price of $600, the HP Reverb G2 positions itself as a premium VR display option relative to the Quest 2, trading standalone functionality for stunning PC powered graphics. If wow-factor visual immersion ranks highly on your list and you have a beastly gaming PC ready to push pixels, the G2 could make an excellent Quest 2 alternative for your needs.
HP Reverb G2 Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 2160 x 2160
- Refresh rate: 90hz
- Field of view: 114 degrees
- Tracking: 4 camera inside-out
- Controllers: Redesigned mixed reality controllers
- PC tethered
- Price: $600
4. Best For Steam Users – Valve Index
Shifting gears, our next selection comes from legendary game developer Valve – creators of the massively popular Steam digital games marketplace. So as you might expect, the Valve Index VR headset integrates tightly into that Steam gaming ecosystem.
The Index targets hardcore PC gamers who want best-in-class accessories purpose built for titles purchased through Steam. To that end, Valve has developed their own "Knuckle" controllers which strap onto users hands freeing all fingers for complex gestures and interactions missing with traditional controllers. Motion tracking accuracy has been amplified as well thanks to partnership with SteamVR.
Visually the Valve Index offers a solid experience as well rocking a 1440×1600 per eye resolution at 120hz backed by LCD panels. Field of view hits 130 degrees putting users right into the action. The headphone-free near field speakers integrated off ear also provide superb directional spatial sound for heightened realism.
As you can tell, the Index aims squarely at providing long-time Steam gamers an ultra premium accessory suite to complement their libraries. It shows in the $999 asking price. Additionally since everything runs through the SteamVR platform and ties into a connected gaming PC, this remains a tethered experience with external base station sensors needed as part of setup.
However if your VR adventures rely on Steam game titles as a foundation, then the Valve Index still deserves a close look as a high performance Quest 2 alternative for your existing ecosystem.
Valve Index Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 1440 x 1600
- Refresh rate: 120hz / 144hz experimental
- Field of view: 130 degrees
- Tracking: SteamVR base station outside-in
- Knuckle-style individual finger tracking controllers
- Always tethered to PC
- Price: $999
5. Best For International Buyers – Pico 4
Unless you follow the VR space closely, you may find yourself asking “Pico who?”. Allow me to introduce Pico Interactive – a Chinese VR manufacturer looking to upset the global headset players like Meta and HTC.
Their newly launched Pico 4 impresses as a true standalone headset alternative leveraging the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform to deliver a self contained all-in-one device – exactly like the Quest 2.
At first glance the Pico 4 looks very reminiscent of Oculus headsets as well with fabric adjustable straps, spacious face gasket and prominent onboard tracking cameras. The integrated speakers and standard controller setup also mimic popular Quest design choices. However the specifications Under the hood tell a more interesting tale.
The Pico 4 offers 1832×1920 resolution per eye at 90hz refresh rate along with a extremely wide 110 degree field of view. The colourful OLED displays provide more vivid images compared to Quest 2’s LCDs as well. Physically the device feels smaller and lighter too improving wearability over longer sessions.
The other main differentiator comes via software – Pico utilizes a customized Android stack enabling compatibility with many Quest apps and titles rather than trying to build their own app store from scratch. Developers like having flexibility publishing across multiple platforms.
Of course global consumers face challenges obtaining Pico products outside Asia driving down general awareness. But based on value proposition and experience offered, the Pico 4 absolutely deserves consideration as an international Quest 2 alternative. Particularly in Europe where pricing undercuts Meta significantly.
Pico 4 Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 1832×1920
- Refresh rate: 90hz
- Field of view: 110 degrees
- Tracking: Inside-out
- Controllers: Capacitive dual trigger
- Standalone Android based
- Battery duration: Unlimited standalone, ~2hrs continuous
- Price: €429 (128GB), €499 (256GB)
6. Best For PS5 Gaming – PlayStation VR
Shifting focus again, PlayStation users should keep tabs on Sony’s VR efforts as well if interested in an alternate VR avenue beyond the Quest 2. Two options currently exist.
The original PlayStation VR first released alongside the PS4 provides a decent budget tasted of virtual worlds using Sony’s console as the backbone powering experiences. It was many gamers first introduction to modern VR.
On a technical level, the original PSVR hardware has aged quite poorly though, even relative to the Quest 2. The dated 1080p OLED panels and light tracking capabilities anchored by a single camera make for a clunky, nausea inducing experience in areas. Plus the weird Move controllers clearly were designed originally for motion gaming rather than VR immersion.
However, Finding full PlayStation VR bundles now for about $200 makes it tough to ignore for those strictly interested in some casual VR gaming on a budget using an existing PS4 console. Just set expectations accordingly around quality.
The newer, yet-to-be-released PlayStation VR 2 accessory launching in early 2023 alongside the PS5 aims to modernize Sony’s position in the VR space. This looks extremely promising on paper – fantastic new OLED HDR displays improving resolution to 2000×2040 per eye, much wider 110 degree field of view, inside out tracking via on-headset cameras, new PS5 optimized controllers – basically everything you would want upgraded. Just beware that as a tethered solution, no standalone capabilities exist outside syncing to a PlayStation 5 console.
We still need to get hands on the PSVR 2 hardware to fully evaluate strengths and weaknesses. But for PlayStation gamers wanting quality VR beyond the Quest, Sony seems moving decisively towards delivering just that later next year. Exciting times ahead!
PSVR Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 1080p
- Refresh rate: 90-120hz
- Field of view: 100 degrees
- Tracking: Single camera outside-in
- Controllers – Old PlayStation Move
- Only works with PS4/PS4 Pro consoles
- Price: ~$200
PSVR 2 Key Specs:
- Resolution (per eye): 2000×2040
- Refresh rate: 120hz
- Field of view – 110 degrees
- Inside-out tracking
- New VR2 Sense controller
- Works on PS5 only. No PC support.
- Estimated Price: $599
The Bottom Line
While the Oculus Quest 2 remains a versatile choice for all-in-one VR fans, compelling alternatives exist today like the HTC Vive XR Elite and continue pushing the market forward as we move into 2023 and beyond.
Hopefully the profiles above give you a better idea of headsets tailored towards specific needs like visual fidelity, hardcore PC gaming, console integration and more at varied budgets. Exciting times ahead tracking how the Quest 2 disruptor itself could get disrupted!
I‘m eager to get my hands on newcomers like PlayStation VR 2, Meta Cambria, Apple‘s rumored offering and more through 2023 as competition breeds innovation. VR technology still seems poised for potential mainstream adoption pending a tipping point product addressing lingering hardware and experience barriers.
Until then for me the HTC Vive XR Elite takes the crown as most compelling Quest 2 alternative balancing pricing, performance and features. But reasonable minds can differ based on individual budgets and application preferences.
Let me know which VR headset now has your attention post-Quest 2 era! I welcome spirited debates on this fascinating emerging tech category.
