Oculus is reportedly readying a Quest successor which will iterate on the existing headset with a smaller form-factor, faster refresh rate, and new controllers. Rather than an outright Quest 2, it seems Oculus may be aiming first for a Quest S.

According to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources, Oculus is testing multiple new iterations of Quest and had plans to launch the headset in late 2020, though the Coronavirus pandemic could push the headset back to 2021.

The source told Bloomberg that some versions of the Quest successor are 10% to 15% smaller than the existing Quest and lighter too. Some of the weight could be cut by removing Quest’s fabric accents and redesigning the headstrap to be lighter, they said. Oculus has previously shown prototype headsets with significant improvements in form-factor, but that tech is likely won’t leave the lab for some time.

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Additionally it was said that the next Quest would have a higher refresh rate of at least 90Hz, potentially up to 120Hz, which is higher than the headset’s current 72Hz. A faster refresh rate means smoother and more comfortable motion in the headset, but is likely to demand more performance.

Oculus has previously said that the current Quest’s displays are technically capable of 90Hz, but the company would have to re-certify the headset with regulatory bodies if they wanted to change that after the fact, something they were unwilling to do. Given that at least some iterations of the Quest successor reportedly use a 90Hz display, it’s possible that the new headset would still use the same displays as current.

If 120Hz, we’d expect this would be a new display entirely, and also that such a high refresh rate would require an upgrade from the current Qualcomm 835 processor in Quest to something more powerful, unless Oculus opted to do something like interpolate 60 FPS to 120Hz (similar to PSVR).

Early Quest prototypes were largely a hacked up Rift with a rear-mounted computing module | Image courtesy Oculus

The source told Bloomberg that Oculus is working on a redesigned controller for the headset to fix the issue of the battery cover sliding off during vigorous use; the controller would reportedly be backwards compatible with the current Quest (and thus likely with the Rift S as well). Some of the Quest iterations being developed retain an IPD slider like the current headset, they said.

The source also noted that the new Quest model would continue to support Oculus Link, allowing the headset to tether to PCs to play high-end VR games.

With what’s been reported so far, it sounds very much like this won’t be a Quest 2, but rather a ‘Quest S’ which would continue to be compatible with all existing Quest content. Some three years after the company’s first PC VR headset, the Rift, Oculus opted to release a Rift S last year rather than a Rift 2. The Rift S was less expensive than the original Rift and focused mostly on convenience features over improvements in hardware and performance.

Quest was originally released in May 2019, and if a Quest successor was in fact planned for 2020 it would be a very fast turnaround compared to existing precedent.

As mentioned, it was three years between the Rift and the Rift S. It was roughly the same amount of time between the original HTC Vive and the company’s next consumer-focused headset, Vive Cosmos. Sony meanwhile launched its PlayStation VR headset in late 2016 and still hasn’t revealed a next-gen headset, though it has all but confirmed that it’s coming eventually.

The Bloomberg report indicates, however, that the Coronavirus pandemic may have pushed that aggressive refresh of Quest from late 2020 and into 2021.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • 90hz would be ideal!

    After several years of PCVR and specifically Valve index the past almost year; I find Quest’s lower frame rate the single reason I haven’t purchased one.

    Every time I’ve used a Quest the frame rate has been obvious and unwelcome giving the sensation of treacle, it seems my mannequin friend here agrees

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dce5da5819ca9f13b2dae71b6514f0eb6edf2644488c8e9d14b02f723ec34f3f.jpg

  • mfx

    If it’s a bit better but everywhere (especially with comfort and visual), I will get it.

  • starchaser28

    I really hope they do something with the passthrough cameras to allow good quality AR development.

    • Lucidfeuer

      “passthrough cameras” is a bit of an overstatement.

  • That prototype has me thinking, I wonder what Quest would be like with some of its guts moved to the back. How much smaller could the front part be? How much weight could go to the back?

    Complexity and cost probably make it infeasible, but it’s an interesting thought experiment.

    • benz145

      These teardown photos give a bit of an idea of how much space they might be able to shave off if they moved the compute to the back—basically you’d be looking at the size of the original Rift.

      https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-quest-teardown-disassembly/

      It would definitely be good for ergonomics thanks to balance, but you’re right that they probably avoided it due to complexity in manufacturing and reliability.

      HoloLens 2 gives us some hope though, it’s rear-mounted compute makes it a very comfortable headset and it’s clear they’ve managed to do it in a sleek way. That said, the optics of today’s VR headsets won’t allow for something as compact, even if you move the compute to the back, which is why you’d be stuck with a Rift-sized housing at the front. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f25540f0e9f18884cc867b3f5eb8cb6e4c7ebccc79983ebc70ede58a63b79ab3.jpg

  • ComfyWolf

    I want higher resolution more than higher refresh rate, although that would definitely need a power upgrade. But I’ve never even used a higher refresh rate headset, so I don’t know how big a difference it makes, I just know that I would enjoy watching movies a lot more if the pixels were a lot less noticeable.

    • Bob

      75 to 90 may not seem very much but it can make a difference to your “visual comfort”. It’s not immediately noticeable but a jump like this can mean you can play for longer hours with less eye-strain as motion resolution is increased.

      Things in VR will also appear slightly more “realistic” and fluid/smooth as the frames more closely match what you see in physics based reality.

    • polysix

      Oculus once claimed ‘presence’ simply wasn’t achievable at less than 90hz? I’m prone to believe them (ex DK2, Ex PSVR , Ex Vive and current rift CV1 owner). I wouldn’t touch a HMD with lower than 90hz now.

  • Bram

    Getting rid of the screendoor effect and a larger field of view would be my first wishes for a next version of quest. They should use a full rgb amoleds, like the star vr instead of the pentile displays.

    • That, and a DECENT chip to give us the minimum 90 fps, so we won’t projectile vomit the moment we touch it, and no headaches. Better graphics is good too.

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    • Anfronie

      COMFORT…I think that is important too.

    • Rupert Jung

      My wishes – above all – are better comfort. By far. Then comes better audio. Then comes varifocal displays and higher FOV.

  • gothicvillas

    To each his own, for me FOV stands the first. Of course it goes hand in hand with higher res.

  • Cragheart

    I hope they use Snapdragon XR2 in the newer Quest.

  • CURTROCK

    Ive noticed many people online talking about the next Oculus Quest using the Snapdragon XR2 like its a done deal, or foregone conclusion. Although it seems like a great idea, it will depend on the price. Oculus wants to keep the Quest at $399. If the XR2 bumps the cost beyond that point, my guess is they will pass, perhaps using the next higher Snapdragon chip, but not the XR2.

  • Kr@ut

    A slightly wider fov or a better resolution would be great, but the most important improvement for me would be a headstrap like the one of the rift s, because the quest headstrap is
    absolutly uncomfortable. And after I startet playing PC Games via Virtual Desktop in the quest, I really hope that the quest s is coming with a very stable wireless solution (60 GHz?!)

  • Andrew Jakobs

    Hope clear lenses, and a headstrap like the HTC Vive Pro. A must is keeping the hardware IPD adjustment.. But I think it will definitely use a better SOC like the 845, hopefully ofcourse the XR2. And hopefully if they keep the same resolution, they will use the same solution as Samsung is using with their Odyssee+ headset.

    Also why would they need to re-certify if they want to up the refreshrate of the displays if they displays can handle the higher refreshrates (which I also thought they capped to 72hz due to battery restrains).

  • Bob

    If this device is released next year (and it should considering the pandemic) then it could contain a newer and faster SoC like the 865. And in fact it should if they intend to drive higher frames (90 FPS+) smoothly and consistently on the display without sacrificing graphical fidelity.

    The 835 will struggle with a higher frame cap, and there’s only so much you can do on the software side of things before the visuals become heavily compromised. Alternatively they could just enable an option on the settings menu for the user to switch between refresh rates but you’d think by 2021 they’d ditch a four year old processor for a hardware refresh model especially if they intend to call it a Quest S (following the enhanced capabilities of the Rift S model).

  • ImperialDynamics

    because they want to headset to be affordable dude. They want this to be a mainstream VR product for the masses.

    • I get that, but at least make 2 of them! A budget one and a PRO one!!!

  • Lucidfeuer

    I tossed it away because of the headstrap and there no being headband mod unlike the S. Crap ergonomics is really hindering VR, even for stand-alones. As for the rest, that’s a non-upgrade, resolution is a bit limited but can’t stand the FOV anyway.

    • Fmstrat

      Look up the Frankenstein mod.

      • Lucidfeuer

        Frankenquest mod? Even worse

  • Anfronie

    90Hz on battery and 120Hz hooked to PC is my guess.

  • Pablo C

    IMO, the Quest and PCVR are different products, and they should focus on different paths. PCVR is and will be evidently better for image quality. The Quest advantage is and will be, portability and confort for fast movement. Regarding image quality, Quest will never surpass PCVR, and the distance will keep growing. And, viceversa for the freedom of movement.

    • “and the distance will just keep growing.”

      I’m not so sure. Similarly to the way mobile games of today can be visually comparable to their fully fledged counterparts (take a look at ‘Ark’ or ‘Elder Scrolls: Blades’ for good examples), I feel like to a lay person the gap may shrink in a way.

      My guess is mobile processors will develop to the point they will be able to handle most titles on the VR market, with PCVR having a good 20-30% that the mobile units can’t handle.

      In my opinion though VR is a multi-faceted beast that can’t simply be tamed by throwing more power at it — being completely untethered in my lower-fidelity quest has led to more moments of presence than I’ve had in PCVR in recent memory.

      …either way, I think the best solution would be a fully-featured PCVR HMD with a self-contained untethered mode. Doesn’t seem Oculus is going to go that route with their ‘Rift’ and ‘Quest’ lines being separate, though.

      • Pablo C

        I agree with you about the future headsets, may be a couple of generations ahead, overall after focus rendering. But for this and the next generation, Quest and PC VR will keep distancing, since developers are just starting to get how to take advantages of each system, separately.