Oculus Quest

At Oculus Connect 3 in 2016, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Oculus was working on a standalone virtual reality headset codenamed "Santa Cruz". At launch, the device was priced at US$399 for the 64 GB version, and US$499 for the 128 GB version. Software support for the first-generation Quest began to be phased out in 2023, with support for certain social features ending in March 2023, and updates limited to maintenance and security patches until 2024. ==Specifications==

The Oculus Quest uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip (SoC) with 4 GB of RAM. Three of the four 2.3 GHz CPU cores of the chip are reserved for software, while the remaining core and its four lower-power cores are reserved for motion tracking and other background functions. It runs operating system software based on Android Open Source Project (AOSP) source code, with modifications to enhance performance in VR applications. A diamond Pentile OLED display is used for each eye, with an individual resolution of 1440 × 1600 and a refresh rate of 72 Hz. the Quest supports positional tracking with six degrees of freedom (compared to the Go's three). The cameras are also used as part of a safety feature known as "Passthrough", which displays a grayscale view from the cameras when the player exits their defined playing area. Hand tracking During Oculus Connect 6, it was announced that hand tracking would be added to the Quest in early-2020, utilizing machine learning, Oculus Insight, and "model-based tracking" to recognize the position and gesture of the user's hands without additional hardware. Hand tracking was initially introduced as an experimental feature in December 2019, as part of Quest system software version 12. It was limited to the main user interface and selected built-in apps, such as the web browser. It was also announced that the Oculus Quest SDK would be updated to add support for the feature. In May 2020, hand tracking exited beta, and became available for use in third-party software beginning May 28. Controllers The Oculus Quest uses second-generation Oculus Touch controllers. Their designs were modified to accommodate Oculus Insight, with their tracking rings moved from the back of the controllers to their tops so that they can be tracked by the headset's cameras. Audio The Quest has embedded speakers, as well as a pair of 3.5 mm audio jacks on each side for use with external headphones. ==Accessories==

Though the Oculus Quest has built-in audio, it was possible to purchase official in-ear headphones from Facebook. There is also an official travel case. The cable is fiber optic, as the reliability of non-powered USB cables with copper-based wires diminishes at . ==Software==

Facebook enforces stricter content and quality standards for software distributed on Oculus Quest in comparison to Oculus Go and Gear VR, including requiring developers to undergo a pre-screening of their concepts to demonstrate "quality and probable market success". In 2021, Facebook introduced "App Lab", a new section within the storefront allowing developers to upload and distribute Quest apps without going through the formal review process. App Lab is designed primarily to support early access models, and can support public and invite-based distribution. Facebook launched the headset with over 50 titles consisting of a mix of new and ported games, Initially, Link only supported USB 3.0 connections. In May 2020, support for USB 2.0 was added, although Facebook still recommends use of USB 3.0 cables. On June 13, 2021, Zuckerberg stated that Oculus Air Link, a feature from the Quest 2 that allows Link to be used over a local Wi-Fi connection, would also be made available for the original Quest. ==Reception==

Scott Stein of CNET considered the Quest to be "improbably amazing for its size and $399 price tag", and compared it to Nintendo Switch in terms of convenience. Stein praised its camera system and motion controls, and its graphics quality for being nearer to PC-quality than Oculus Go (albeit still limited in detail due to its use of mobile computing hardware). The Quest was panned for being a closed platform at launch — with software limited to the Oculus Store, and not being backwards compatible with software released for Oculus Go. Adi Robertson of The Verge shared similar opinions, noting that the Quest was heavier and not as comfortable as Rift S, and that its launch titles were not at the same caliber as the PC Oculus Rift in terms of size or graphical fidelity, but that the Quest still included a physical IPD slider unlike the Rift S. In May 2020, The Verge acknowledged that the Quest had improved since its launch to become "the closest thing that exists to a sleek, almost mainstream VR headset", citing an expanding software library, and the ability to use the headset with a PC over USB via the Oculus Link feature (and over Wi-Fi using the sideloaded third-party software Virtual Desktop, which was not "noticeably worse" than doing so over USB in their experience). It was argued that the Quest "works so well by itself that it's a great system in its own right", while Oculus Link allowed it to double as a "credible" PC VR headset as well. While it was noted that the Rift S was less front-heavy and that its display "trades contrast for slightly higher resolution and refresh rate", it was argued that neither it or the Valve Index "works as a perfectly good standalone wireless VR headset". VentureBeat felt that Oculus was "setting the stage" for discontinuing the Rift line in favor of Quest, arguing "if Link performs as expected, most users will have little to no idea of what they're missing — Rift S' extra camera, FPS, and resolution differences won't matter much." ==References==