Logitech and Herman Miller collaborate on a $1,500 gaming chair
The two companies came up with a design that focuses on the health of gamers
Kiwi Oculus Quest Earbuds Review – Convenient And Affordable
The Oculus Quest is a fantastic VR headset with a great assortment of native wireless roomscale games, the ability to play PC VR content both wired and wirelessly, and a great collection of accessories to make it even better. So when I was sent the Kiwi Oculus Quest Earbuds for review, I was delighted to finally have a dedicated audio accessory to just always leave plugged in.
[When you purchase items through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission from those sales.]
The built-in Quest speakers are fine. They get the job done. Instead of resting over your ears such as on the original Rift, they work like the Rift S and Oculus Go in that the sound comes from the head strap itself. This way it’s not extremely loud for other people, but you can still hear the outside world while in VR. Like I said: it gets the job done.
But personally I didn’t find it good enough. The sound wasn’t very loud, it was tough to hear the bass (which is super important in rhythm-based VR games like Beat Saber and Dance Central), and it often resulted in me digging out a wired headset to plug in — which usually flopped off my head if I moved too much.
Kiwi Earbuds Design And Comfort
Enter the Kiwi Quest Earbuds. When you open up the box you get tow individual earbuds on cables that end in 3.5mm audio jack plugs. The Quest already has two audio jacks — one on each side — specifically for earbuds designed like this. They’re labeled L for left and R for right, so just plug them in and you’re good to go.
Since receiving the Kiwi earbuds I have not unplugged them once. They’re very easy to quickly wipe down if someone is going to use your headset or you’re demoing an experience and the cord length is just right at 8 inches. It’s just long enough so that you can move your head freely without it tugging from tension, but just short enough so it doesn’t dangle on your shoulder or neck.
Inside the box are three silicone cap sizes: small, medium, and large and the only color is black. The large size was very comfortable for me and fit inside my ear tightly to maximize sound quality. They’re reportedly made of aluminum alloy and have a very sturdy feel without being too heavy.
Kiwi Earbuds Audio Quality
Audio quality is the only area where the Kiwi Oculus Quest Earbuds don’t quite live up to my hopes, but for something this affordable and tiny you can’t expect studio-quality sound. The main area they seem to lack is in true bass. You can hear it far better than without any earbuds at all, but it doesn’t sound as full as my nicer headphones. Obviously the trade-off there is a worse form factor that wobbles and falls off, less portability, and they’re not a dedicated accessory.
These earbuds aren’t going to completely block out real world sound, which is probably a good thing, but they do a good enough job of helping make sure you can stay fully immersed. Admittedly, the volume does go quite high. I usually have it set to three notches below max volume.
For music games I’d still prefer more bass and a more robust, full sound, but these are good enough and still deliver stereo audio to each ear and work well with apps that take advantage of 3D audio in VR. They stay in securely, which is super important, and for non-music games I didn’t really find myself missing anything here.
Kiwi Oculus Quest Earbuds Review Final Verdict
You’re getting exactly what you pay for here: a $20 pair of earbuds that are comfortable and work great. You’ll never need to fumble around for headphones again or be asked to turn down the volume while in VR. They block out sound well enough too and even if you’re casting to a TV or mobile device for others to watch, you don’t need to worry about hearing the duplicate audio from the real world. This is a great set of earbuds that are now a permanent part of my Oculus Quest and worth recommending to everyone.
Final Score: 
4/5 Stars | Really Good
You can read more about our five-star scoring policy here.
You can get the Kiwi Oculus Quest Earbuds on Amazon for about $20. Alternatively, Oculus sells their own official pair of earbuds for $49.
The post Kiwi Oculus Quest Earbuds Review – Convenient And Affordable appeared first on UploadVR.
4 Official Oculus Quest Upgrades We’d Love To See
The Oculus Quest standalone VR headset is an incredible device that’s redefining what VR means. The $400 all-in-one released in May 2019 with some great games like Superhot VR and Beat Saber working with complete wireless freedom. Just set up your guardian boundaries wherever you are and start playing.
By the end of the year, though, software updates enabled any high-quality USB 3 cable connected to a compatible computer to run PC VR games like Boneworks and Asgard’s Wrath. Facebook also added experimental controller-free hand tracking.
In 2019, Facebook shipped official earbuds and a carrying case for the headset, too, but beyond that the headset still suffers from a relatively brief battery life (a few hours depending on what you’re doing) that requires owners ensure the device is fully charged before using or your play session may be cut short before you meant it to be. The Quest is also extraordinarily front-heavy — putting both battery and processor at the front of the device — and this can make it unwearable for some.
In 2020 and 2021, we expect Facebook to hit the accelerator and take its standalone platform to new heights. We’re hoping for some kind of a Quest Pro, for instance, that could feature better weight balance and use newer processors that could take the standalone back to the 90 frames per second roots of the original Rift. But such a high-end standalone wouldn’t help people who already invested in the existing Quest and aren’t ready to upgrade to an entirely new device after just a year or two.
Here’s what we’d like to see Facebook do to upgrade the existing Quest experience:
Wireless Oculus Link
Facebook’s technical guide John Carmack (who is now only working part-time on VR) suggested at the Oculus Connect 6 developer conference late in 2019 the company might be able to create a dongle that sticks into a port on your nearby VR-ready PC and creates a dedicated wireless link to your Quest.
Facebook already proved out part of the technology stack required to pull this off with the existing USB 3-based Oculus Link. Through a complex hand off of technologies that sees the headset send tracking data over to the PC, and the PC draw frames to match your position, Facebook is able to effectively “remote” render content for the Quest.
Some sideloaded software, like Guy Godin’s Virtual Desktop, does this kind of remote rendering wirelessly already. The problem is that there’s often a delay (aka latency) between your movements and the time it takes for the matching visuals to reach your eyes. Existing solutions like Virtual Desktop also split network traffic with everything else happening on your router and aren’t optimized for a dedicated wireless VR link. While some people have the stomach for inconsistent performance, a dedicated add-on for your PC (maybe it plugs in to a USB 3 port just like Oculus Link?) could solve a lot of these issues. You’d end up using your PC’s connection to the Internet to access Rift games.
We also know, by the way, Facebook is researching a range of wireless technologies that might be necessary for the future of VR and AR.
Likelihood: Based on Carmack’s comments we have high confidence Facebook is working on this and may succeed in getting it ready for home use.
App Upgrades And Oculus Share
The Oculus mobile app on Android and iOS should be able to wirelessly download videos and images from the Quest. The Oculus PC app should also be able to download videos and images from Quest as well, but it should also be able to upload any compatible software package to the headset that you want.
That’s a lot of change but, as often as we use SideQuest, the process of sideloading content onto Quest and downloading videos from the headset could go more quickly and take fewer steps with official support from Facebook.
Facebook wants to ensure that when the average consumer buys a Quest and goes to purchase software from its built-in store, that those people are safe to purchase something that’s fun, works great and feels like a fair exchange for their $15 or $30. They hope that fostering this trusting relationship between buyers and sellers will make enough money for developers that they are motivated to keep building VR software.
At the same time, Facebook is casting a wide net to developers. Every Quest is essentially a development kit, signing up to be a developer is free, and they want it to be incredibly easy to make your own software for a VR headset. This is true even if Facebook doesn’t want to accept anything except the most polished and compelling products to its storefront.
These two competing realities of Quest’s ecosystem encourage people who aren’t developers to essentially pose as one in order to get the access they need to sideload experimental software. These are friends of actual developers, journalists, hobbyists, and willing testers who will gladly accept an experimental piece of software onto their system even if it might cause problems, require a factory reset afterward, or even make them sick.
Facebook won’t win love from developers or its most enthusiastic Quest owners by making the process any harder or restrictive than it already is. Can Quest still allow hobbyists and friends to share experimental builds that are unapproved by Facebook and distributed without asking everyone to sign up as developers?
We hope so.
Likelihood: Facebook representatives are “actively thinking about” easier ways to access and distribute applications outside of the Oculus Store. We hope they’re serious and these changes don’t sit behind Facebook’s walls forever.
Smarter Guardians And Direct Multiplayer
Having experienced Ironlights and Eleven Table Tennis over a shared Wi-Fi connection between two Quests with almost no latency, there’s something very special about being in the same room as a friend or family member for multiplayer.
But why should we have to connect to a Wi-Fi network at all? Ironlights and Eleven should direct connect to one another wherever you are — even away from a Wi-Fi router — to enjoy a duel or a game of table tennis. There’s a list of games that could benefit from this sort of two-player support, like Arizona Sunshine, Eleven, Ironlights, Sports Scramble, and Elven Assassin, but what’s more important is the future games and software which might be designed around this kind of same-location multiplayer support.
There’s also a class of games we’re calling “Arena-scale” — games like Space Pirate Arena — that need the location of two Quests synced up to work and Facebook’s being cautious about what it allows with its standalone headset in settings like this. It is understandable, because putting on a VR headset in 2020 means blindfolding yourself to the real world and establishing a “safe” space where objects shouldn’t move and other people shouldn’t enter. That’s because of the nature of the current tracking technology. We’ve seen toddlers, for instance, narrowly escape the violent swing of a parent playing Beat Saber because the little one didn’t understand their parent couldn’t see them. Headsets should see those kinds of things coming and warn the person in VR about it.
Broadly speaking, then, recognizing more details about your environment — like the location of your couch or chairs, the presence of people outside VR or even the location of other VR headsets — could be used to make your time in an Oculus Quest a generally safer and more enjoyable experience. And we’d like to see the games that could be developed with those kinds of upgrades to Quest’s tracking, guardian settings, and multiplayer support.
Likelihood: We don’t know how far Facebook will take its Guardian system on Quest but we do expect upgrades to it over time.
Comfort Upgrades
VR Power is an extraordinary accessory that’s unfortunately supply constrained just like Oculus Quest right now. In our recent review, the battery pack attaches to the strap behind your head and then runs a short wire over the top of your head to the Quest’s charging port. This dramatically extends the battery life of the headset while simultaneously operating as a counterweight that relieves pressure from the face.
While we’re perfectly happy with VR Power — and it made Quest usable for a staffer who found the headset unwearable before — it is a bummer this add-on doesn’t pass through the wired Oculus Link signal to the headset. According to Rebuff Reality, the creator of the VR Power accessory, the pack isn’t made to pass through any data over its connection. That means you have to disconnect VR Power and connect your PC over a wire to download videos recorded on the headset, and to upload non-store approved software packages to the device. So could a Facebook-made accessory that balances weight and extends battery life take the extra step and also pass through PC data? It would be cool, but the Wireless Oculus Link and App Upgrades outlined above seem so likely, and would be such an improvement, that there may not be need for an official alternative to VR Power capable of passing data over a wire from a PC.
What we would like to see, however, is something more like the “Frankenquest” some owners have also made that don’t necessarily extend battery life but do balance the headset’s weight across the head better. Valve Index-like off-ear audio and better balance is a separate issue from battery life, but one we’d like to see officially addressed somehow.
Likelihood: Facebook officially endorsing modifying the Quest’s built-in strap after purchase doesn’t seem likely. That said, extending battery life and providing better balance to the Quest should be a priority for Facebook as it would make the headset usable to a wider range of people and for longer periods of time. Since VR Power works just fine, we’d love to see Facebook endorse the product if they don’t develop their own, or perhaps offer future Quests with an upgraded strap or facial interface option that better balances weight and the way it fits the face.
The post 4 Official Oculus Quest Upgrades We’d Love To See appeared first on UploadVR.
VR Power Accessory For Oculus Quest ‘Heavily Backordered’
The VR Power accessory for Oculus Quest appears to be in high demand and a new email from Rebuff Reality, the company behind the add-on, provides an update on shipping expectations.
Shortly after this year’s CES we ordered the VR Power accessory ourselves to properly review the product after our initial impressions. The accessory attaches to the Oculus Quest strap in the back of the head and connects to the headset to provide backup power and operate as a counterweight with better balance for the headset’s fitting. We placed our order on Jan. 15 and received an email today stating “You should be receiving your order in the next two weeks. If you have placed an order of VR Power in the last week, it is possible you may incur further shipping delays as the first shipment of VR Power from our manufacturer has been completely sold out.”
Rebuff Reality’s website today lists the expected shipping date for new orders as Feb. 20. In case you missed it, VR Power and the company’s VR Ears accessory were both nominees for our Best of Show and People’s Choice Awards at CES.
This isn’t the first backorder we’ve seen in virtual reality recently. The Valve Index has been out of stock for some time, but is expected to ship again before the release of Half-Life Alyx. Just last week, ship dates from the official Facebook site for Oculus Quest in the United States were pushed back to March.
Article originally published January 22, and updated January 24 with the following email received via email from Sciacchetano: “Essentially the first shipment of VR Power has been completely sold out and people who have placed an order prior to one week ago should be receiving their order before the end of January. For orders placed in the last week we are still working to calculate the shipdate as we have not yet received the shipment from our manufacturer ourselves however it is on the way to us already. Bear in mind there is always the risk it gets stuck in customs or has some other issue however we have updated the website shipdate to February 20th for all new orders and are confident we will hit this date.”
The post VR Power Accessory For Oculus Quest ‘Heavily Backordered’ appeared first on UploadVR.
‘Chilldex’ Kickstarter Aims To Solve The Valve Index’s Heat Problem
A Toronto-based engineer launched a Kickstarter for a Valve Index cooling addon which plugs in to the headset’s front USB accessory slot.
When No Man’s Sky released in summer 2019, I initially prefered playing on Index due to the wider field of view, precise lens separation adjustment, and realistic audio. However, the Index tends to heat up more than most VR headsets, and combined with the summer heat this meant I ended up using the Rift S more for long sessions.
But the Valve Index has a slot in the front with a USB port, designed to enable accessories. In the seven months since the release of Valve’s headset, several DIY cooling solutions emerged to solve this problem. As far as we’re aware, however, Chilldex is the first attempt to sell this as a product that can be used by anyone.
Fredericks claims to have seven years experience of product development, producing “over 100 products in the consumer electronics, wearable IOT, industrial, manufacturing robotics, energy, mining and medical sectors”.
Two versions of the product are planned. The standard version is priced CA$40 which is manually controlled. A Premium version is priced at CA$50 and said to offer the option of automatic temperature-based cooling.
Fredericks claims that the fans are “near silent”, achieved by using a rubber seal around the vents. The color and aesthetic of the product is designed to match that of the Index, such that it doesn’t look out of place.
The Kickstarter page doesn’t mention the weight of the product, but we’ve reached out to Fredericks to ask. The front of a headset is generally the worst place to add more weight and we’re also curious whether the device produces any notable vibrations. Last year we tried a USB-powered fan with the accessory slot that was not explicitly designed for a VR headset and it vibrated the headset too much to be usable.
Fredericks states that given the niche nature of the product, he will likely only produce a limited run for backers on Kickstarter, rather than continuing to sell it afterward. If that ends up being true, you would need to back by February 2.
Chilldex is available to back on Kickstarter. Always keep in mind that Kickstarter is not a preorder system, and there is never a guarantee that you will get what you backed or even a refund. Even well-funded hardware crowdfunding projects often fail to deliver due to unforseen costs.
The post ‘Chilldex’ Kickstarter Aims To Solve The Valve Index’s Heat Problem appeared first on UploadVR.
CES 2020: VR Power Solves Oculus Quest’s Biggest Problem
The Oculus Quest made a huge impact in the VR community in less than a year. It gave VR aficionados a standalone solution with great controllers, and helped bring in newcomers with an affordable, accessible headset.
Talking to people at this year’s CES, some even believe the Oculus Quest is the first true sign of Facebook steering away from PC VR headsets for future products. No matter which way you look at it, the Quest changed the VR market forever.
But just like a pair of shoes (or pants, and even glasses), not all headsets fit the same. Personally, I find the Oculus Rift S the most comfortable headset on the market: its halo design gives me optimal comfort, and I can use it fine with or without my glasses. Our Managing Editor, Ian Hamilton, however, swears up and down the Valve Index provides the most comfort, and says he can spend the most time in it. Others on staff also prefer the Rift S, or find the PSVR more comfortable. And our Operations Manager, Kyle Riesenbeck, finds the Samsung Odyssey+ the most comfortable – a headset that I wish I found comfortable, but can’t stand wearing.
The Samsung Odyssey+ and Oculus Quest both give me fitting issues, but from different sides of my head. With the Odyssey+, which was used quite frequently at SXSW 2019, I have to push down the front of the HMD to get clarity, and close the incredibly large gap beneath my eyes which let dreadful amounts of light in. On the Quest, however, the issue starts at the back of the headset: I’ve never been able to get it to rest on the back of my head correctly, resulting in an immense amount of pressure on my face, and the bridge of my nose. I can spend hours adjusting the straps, but nothing ever works. Every experience on the Oculus Quest has been blurry, painful, and disappointing.
Co-workers tried making their own counterweight with battery packs, but nothing seemed to work. As a result, Quest has been collecting dust since I got it last year, and it has made me quite sad. I’d bring it with me on my travels, only to be reminded that it’s too painful for me to use. When I heard about Rebuff Reality’s VR Power, and that it was on the CES showfloor, I had to check it out.
In the animation above on the left the Oculus Quest is equipped with Rebuff Reality’s VR Ears accessory and on the right it is equipped with the company’s VR Power accessory.
I was of course skeptical. The pessimist in me refused to believe a simple battery pack would serve as a counterweight that would make using my Oculus Quest once again desirable. I feared for a variety of things: it would be too heavy, it would somehow fit worse, and that it would make the headset feel incredibly unstable. When I approached the booth, I expressed my concerns to them and they confidently picked up a unit equipped with VR Power and offered it to me to try on.
Trying on an Oculus Quest with VR Power was like a Cinderella moment for me, slipping onto my head perfectly for the first time ever. The Quest no longer pressed down on my cheeks, causing discomfort. My nose wasn’t being pinched. And for the first time, the Oculus Quest’s displays were as clear as could be. The VR Power worked, and it worked without any complicated set up.
The VR Power comes with straps that make it easy to put on and remove from the Oculus Quest. It features a sleek power button featuring the company’s logo with a blue ring around it, which signifies the remaining battery life (when it’s fully charged, the whole circle will illuminate, and when half charged, only half will, and so on). The top strap also features cable clips, making sure everything stays out of the way, and secured in place.
To further test the stability the VR Power provides, Rebuff Reality CEO Joe Sciacchetano had me try a level in Pistol Whip. Granted this was my first attempt at Pistol Whip (yes, I had it on easy), but after making the first dodge maneuver, I had complete confidence in VR Power and its stability. I was able to turn my head left and right quickly, while dodging bullets from all angles without grabbing the headset even once. Not only did VR Power help with comfort, it helped me feel more immersed in the experience.
VR Power wasn’t the only accessory I demoed at Rebuff Reality’s booth. Rebuff Reality is also releasing a new accessory called VR Ears, which offer a premium audio solution to all VR headsets. Similar to the Valve Index’s off-ear speakers, VR Ears deliver a high quality, crisp sound to help elevate your experience. While playing Pistol Whip on the Oculus Quest equipped with both accessories,, Sciacchetano would sporadically unplug and plug back in the VR Ears.
The difference between the sound with and without the off-ear speakers was night and day — like the difference of something through cheap speakers, and being there live. If you’re sick of wearing earbuds or headphones with your Oculus Quest, VR Ears provide the perfect solution. Currently there is no price or firm release date for VR Ears, but they are expected to ship some time this fall.
VR Power is currently available on Rebuff Reality’s website for $59.99 USD, with an expected delivery date of January 30th, 2020. The battery pack and counterweight combo promises up to eight hours of gameplay, or up to 10 hours of streaming videos on Quest. You can buy one by clicking here.
The post CES 2020: VR Power Solves Oculus Quest’s Biggest Problem appeared first on UploadVR.
The best Asus ROG Phone 2 accessories to help you master mobile games
Buy the right accessories, and your Asus ROG Phone 2 can become a really powerful gaming machine for the home or on the move. We run through the top options here.
The best PlayStation 4 accessories, from carrying cases to charging stations
The PlayStation 4 is a fantastic game console, and you can make it even better by purchasing optional accessories. These are the best PS4 accessories, including headsets, stands, and carrying cases.
Save on cool Nintendo Switch accessories with these Amazon deals
Amazon is currently offering great deals on several Nintendo Switch accessories, including the Joy-Con controllers in multiple colors. A charging dock to keep them topped off is also on sale.
The post Save on cool Nintendo Switch accessories with these Amazon deals appeared first on Digital Trends.
USB-C VR Extension Adapter for Rift & Windows VR Coming Soon From Accell
Accell Cables, a provider of adapters, cables, and power supplies, is launching a VR adapter which condenses a headset’s cables into a single USB-C cable (for USB-C equipped GPUs) and extends the tether.
The upcoming Accell VR Adapter accepts the HDMI and USB-A cables from the Rift or Windows VR headsets and condenses them into a single USB-C cable to be attached to any USB-C equipped NVIDIA RTX GPU, and also some NVIDIA laptop GPUs with USB-C compatibility. Accell does not note support for any AMD GPUs.
For those running short on USB and video ports, the adapter could free up two commonly used ports in favor of the less often used GPU USB-C port. In addition to simplifying the connection to the PC, the Accell VR Adapter also has an extra eight feet of cable, offering a lengthy extension over the default tether (which runs around 13 feet).
The adapter sports an Oculus Ready certification, marking it as officially compatible with the Rift, though the company also says that it’s compatible with Windows VR headsets. Vive is not mentioned as being supported, likely because it requires a separate power adapter.
Accell says that the adapter will launch on January 14th for $50, available from Amazon and direct from the company’s site.
You may be curious as we were about whether or not the Accell VR Adapter is using the VirtualLink protocol, which is also based on USB-C. We’ve confirmed this is not the case; Accell notes that the adapter uses a standard DisplayPort Alt-mode of USB-C rather than VirtualLink which is a separate Alt-mode with a different configuration of data lanes. As the supported headsets weren’t built with VirtualLink in mind in the first place, the adapter not specifically using VirtuaLink doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.
The post USB-C VR Extension Adapter for Rift & Windows VR Coming Soon From Accell appeared first on Road to VR.