The Oculus Quest 2 is great, but these accessories make it even better
The Oculus Quest 2 is a fantastic, affordable introduction to VR, but it isn't without its flaws. Its face cover causes skin irritation, and it doesn't ship with the official Carrying Case. Its unsupportive cloth strap makes the headset top-heavy, the battery is short-lived ... there's plenty to improve! Thankfully, the best Oculus Quest 2 accessories solve (or at least alleviate) many of these issues. To improve your virtual experience, we've chosen the top Oculus or third-party option in every category, from face covers to batteries, Link cables to VR-ready PCs.
Best overall: Oculus Quest 2 Carrying Case
You may not be carrying your Quest 2 anywhere these days, but unless you want to keep your Quest 2 in the box it shipped in, you need something to hold it. The lenses can get damaged after just a few seconds of exposure to sunlight, and after you buy several accessories, you'll need somewhere to keep them, so they don't get lost.
Among the best Oculus Quest 2 cases, Facebook's first-party accessory should be your first choice, and not because it has an "O" engraving. It can fit your headset, controllers, charging cable, and Link Cable secure, with custom molding and inlaid dividers that keep everything in place. That's all fairly standard; what makes the official case stand out is that it can fit the Quest 2 with the Elite Strap attached. Most third-party cases are designed for the base headset, with no room for bigger straps.
Even if you don't have the Elite Strap, this case looks stylish, is easy to carry with the attached hand-hold, and is specifically designed for the Quest 2. (Many third-party cases were originally designed for the Quest 1 and relabeled.) On the other hand, the soft material and lack of padding mean it doesn't protect from falls or compression in a suitcase. For actually carrying a case around outside, consider looking at a hard-shelled case from the linked list above as an alternative.
Before you buy it, consider one thing first: the Elite Strap with Battery comes with a Carrying Case, so if you plan to buy that as well, there's no need to buy this individually.
Pros:
- Fits the Elite Strap
- Molded to naturally hold Quest 2 securely
- Stylish design
Cons:
- Soft-shelled
- Pricier than most alternatives
Best overall
Oculus Quest 2 Carrying Case
A perfect fit
An essential Quest 2 accessory, the Carrying Case makes it much more portable and convenient to carry, store, and use.
Best Quest 2 head strap: KIWI Quest 2 elite strap
The regular Oculus Quest 2 head strap is comfortable and easy to adjust, but lacks stability and leaves the headset quite front-heavy. Oculus sells an official Quest 2 Elite Strap that's much more ergonomic, including a Battery Pack model that naturally doubles the headset's battery life. Initially, the Elite Straps snapped under pressure, but Oculus did fix this design defect.
Still, for the best fit, you'll want to look towards the best Quest 2 Elite Strap alternatives, where third-party accessory makers outdid Oculus. Specifically, the KIWI Quest 2 Elite Strap is the most comfortable, well-designed strap we've tested.
Starting with sheer comfort, the KIWI strap adds removable PU-leather padding on the top and back of your head. They cushion the weight during play sessions, then can be removed and washed afterward. For durability, we noticed KIWI made both the plastic frame and the strap itself thicker than the Oculus Elite Strap, so you can trust it won't snap. And like the Elite Strap, the KIWI strap has a proper back knob for fastening the strap to your head for the best fit.
Most importantly, the KIWI Quest 2 elite strap has a redesigned dual hinge that lets you adjust the vertical angle from your eyes to the lenses, something most other straps don't offer. Depending on how you adjust the strap, you leave more room for over-ear headphones to fit comfortably, too. Other elite straps with straight frames sit too close to your ears, only leaving room for earbuds.
Snug, well-constructed, and smartly designed, the KIWI strap is a no-brainer purchase to make the Quest 2 better to play for longer sessions.
Pros:
- Better ergonomics than default strap and Elite Strap
- Back wheel for secure fit
- Secondary hinge allows for granular angle adjustment
- Removable PU leather padding
Cons:
- No battery pack option like Elite Strap
Best Quest 2 head strap
KIWI Quest 2 elite strap
Better than the official one
KIWI's elite strap isn't just stronger than the official Oculus Elite Strap; it's also more comfortable and easy to clean, too.
Best Quest 2 controller accessory: KIWI Quest 2 knuckle grips
Oculus Touch controllers come with little built-in hand straps that prevent accidental tosses. But if you do let go, the controllers awkwardly swing from your wrists; you have to keep a constant, rigid grip on them during play sessions, which can strain your wrists or cramp your hands. That's why many Quest 2 gamers like Quest 2 hand strap mods which strap the Touch controllers to your knuckles so you can safely loosen your grip.
While we love the VR Cover grips, they appear to be entirely sold out, so we're subbing in the KIWI knuckle grips as a great alternative. They strap over your upper knuckles, so the Touch controllers stay firmly in place at all times, with the buttons within easy reach. The grip is made of a rigid silicone that will hold a firm shape when squeezed and wicks away any sweat. And the faux-leather strap will dependably keep the controller in place.
The unique element to the KIWI grips is that they add a new battery compartment easily opened by pulling a tab. The standard Touch controllers require you to remove the grips before adding batteries; this design makes swapping in a fresh battery much less hassle.
Pros:
- Keeps the controller securely in your hand
- Great sweat-resistant grip
- Adds a little more weight to the controller
- Easily-adjustable wrist straps
Cons:
- Rigid strap will be uncomfortable for some people
Best Quest 2 controller accessory
KIWI Quest 2 knuckle grips
Easier to swap out
KIWI's upgraded knuckle grips give you the grip you need without the hassle of having to remove it just to change out the battery.
Best Quest 2 face cover: KIWI Design Facial Interface for Oculus Quest 2
The Quest 2's biggest design flaw is its foam padding on the inside of the headset. Not only do the pads absorb dirt and sweat that's difficult to clean, but they can cause constant skin irritation across long play sessions. Facebook recently issued a voluntary facial interface recall and sent Quest 2 owners a free silicone cover to cover up the foam. Even Oculus agrees you need a new face cover!
You can certainly make do with Oculus's complimentary cover; it's free, after all! But it doesn't solve another persistent issue with the Quest 2: lens fogging. The headset design prioritizes blocking light at the expense of air circulation to and from the headset, causing heat and sweat to condensate on the lenses. Try installing the KIWI Design Facial Interface to solve this issue.
Thanks to its four vents, it's the best anti-fogging solution: two pairs on the headset's top and bottom. This allows hot air from your sweaty face to rise from the headset, while cooler air replaces it below.
Aside from the vents, it comes with comfortable PU leather padding, a major upgrade for skin comfort and hygiene over foam. Once it gets sweaty, you can remove the padding, wash it, and reapply without too much fuss. Our reviewer also found that you could install facial padding from other manufacturers onto the KIWI gasket if you prefer.
If the KIWI Design Facial Interface has a flaw, it's that the nose guard lets in more light than rival interfaces. But if you can cope with that, this design tops our list of the best Quest 2 face covers by a country mile.
Pros:
- Minimizes lens fogging
- More vents than rivals
- Easy to remove pads for cleaning
- Comfortable PU leather material
Cons:
- Some light bleeding around nose
Best Quest 2 face cover
KIWI Design Facial Interface for Oculus Quest 2
Banish lens fog
This interface's venting, comfort, and versatility make it the best Quest 2 face cover available today.
Best Quest 2 headphones: Logitech G333 VR gaming earphones
The Quest 2 comes with built-in speakers, but those speakers are relatively tinny and low-quality. Plus, chances are your family or roommates won't want to hear your game audio spilling out. So for proper immersion and for sparing the people nearby, the best Oculus Quest 2 headphones are necessary to any Quest 2 owners' arsenal. And for us, the Logitech G333 VR earphones top that category.
With dual drivers dedicated to mids/highs and bass, these compact earbuds deliver solid audio despite their lightweight design. And speaking of design, they have custom-length cords, so the side nearer the Quest 2's 3.5mm headphone jack is shorter; that, along with the provided velcro straps, ensures the cable doesn't dangle and bounce during active gameplay. Plus, of course, they don't have any noticeable latency, ensuring the audio matches up to the video.
Co-developed by Facebook and Logitech, the G333 VR earbuds are a little expensive, especially considering their custom length makes them unsuited for use with a smartphone. But they're easy to attach to your Quest 2 permanently, adding no noticeable weight and fitting easily inside any carrying case. They also come in three different bud sizes, so they'll fit most ears without difficulty.
Whether you prefer these or over-ear headphones is a genuine matter of preference. We think these work better for action-packed games or VR exercise regimens, but if you want more powerful audio, other Quest 2 headphones like the Logitech G PRO may work better for you.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Low-latency
- Dual drivers
- Custom cord length and velcro straps
Cons:
- Costly for earbuds
- Only work for VR
Best Quest 2 headphones
Logitech G333 VR gaming earphones
Good things, small packages
Don't let the G333s' small form-factor confuse you: they're capable of delivering rich, crisp audio for sinking into VR worlds.
Best Quest 2 Link cable: VR Cover Premium USB-C Cable for Oculus Quest 2 (5m)
33% of SteamVR users use the Oculus Quest 2, although it's not designed for native PC VR. To play Steam VR games on the Quest 2, you can play games wirelessly with Air Link or Virtual Desktop, but a wired connection gives you the best, most consistent performance — especially if your network isn't built to handle the required speeds.
You can buy the official Oculus Link cable for reliable performance, but it gets expensive. That's why we point people to the best Oculus Link cable alternatives; and of those, the closest rival cable in specs, length, and quality is the VR Cover Premium USB-C Cable. It's a 16-foot, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C cable rated to transfer 10Gbps and 20V/3A of power — everything you need for PC gaming on your Quest 2.
A nylon-braided cable with a right-angle head to slot into the Quest 2 charging port, the VR Cover cable is designed with plenty of give and flexibility for room-scale VR without potentially yanking and damaging your hardware (or tweaking your neck). It's the closest you'll get to the freedom of wireless VR while still tethered to your computer.
Pros:
- 16 feet (5m) long
- 10Gbps fast enough for any game
- Enough power to keep steady battery while playing
- Cheaper than the official Link cable
Cons:
- You might need a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter for computer
- Still fairly pricey
Best Quest 2 Link cable
VR Cover Premium USB-C Cable for Oculus Quest 2 (5m)
Almost cordless
The 5m VR Cover USB-C cable is your best alternative to the official (expensive) cable for consistent PC VR performance.
Best VR-ready PC: HP OMEN 30L
It's not every day you'd call a PC an "accessory," but in this case, it's the truth. The best Oculus Quest 2 games can be immersive and graphically impressive for a mobile VR headset, but you need PC hardware to play Oculus Rift- or SteamVR-level games on a Quest 2. So check and see if your PC, laptop, or Mac is compatible with Oculus Link; if it isn't, then we suggest picking up a VR-ready PC if you can afford one.
Most powerful PCs with graphics cards made in the last few years will work for VR. But if you need help picking one, we'd suggest the HP Omen 30L, highly rated by our colleagues at Windows Central and one of the best-prebuilt PCs for Oculus Link. Depending on which model you buy, you can upgrade up to an Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, a TB of SSD storage with some HDD backup, and 32GB of RAM.
These specs are all more than powerful enough for playing the best SteamVR games to play with Oculus Link. It has one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port — perfect for your VR Cover Link cable — and plenty of fan cooling to keep it running smoothly. Performance is excellent in various benchmark tests, at least with the best build. Really, the only issue with the HP Omen 30L is that the top builds are costly and often hard to find.
Pros:
- Excellent computing and gaming specs
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU
- USB-C port for Oculus Link
- Cool RGB lighting
Cons:
- Cheaper PCs can also run VR games
- Fans were noisy in tests
Best VR-ready PC
HP Omen 30L
Expand your Quest 2 gaming library
This prebuilt gaming PC has a next-gen graphics card and respectable components, ready for the most demanding VR experiences.
Best Quest 2 battery pack: VR Power 2 for Oculus Quest 2
There's very little worse than that "low battery" warning ruining the immersion of an intense Beat Saber session, forcing you to cut the fun short. The Quest 2 only lasts about 2.5 hours on a full charge and will drain if you leave it on standby, so you're bound to run out quickly. That's why we recommend strapping a reliable Quest 2 battery pack to your headset to extend your playtime.
As we mentioned above, the Elite Strap with Battery will naturally accomplish this, but its bundled price is steep, and the 4,676mAh boost to battery life is only a couple of hours. For true all-day battery life, look into Rebuff Reality's 10,000 mAh VR Power 2. It attaches to the back of your head strap and displays the current capacity, so you know if it needs a recharge itself.
The VR Power 2 sits on the upper back of your head, resting comfortably thanks to its soft, interior padding. It can work with the default strap and the non-Battery Elite Strap or other third-party straps. It's relatively heavy at 0.6 pounds, but this helps counterbalance the headset's weight. The included cord runs along the top strap and slots into the charging port, with fastening clips to keep it in place.
You can buy a standard battery pack with the same (or larger) capacity for much cheaper, but you'll have to find a way to attach it to your headset securely. This is designed specifically for the Quest 2 and is much easier to install.
Pros:
- Ups your playtime by 4 to 6 hours
- Serves as a counterweight to headset
- Costs less than Elite Strap with Battery
- More secure than most modded battery packs
Cons:
- Fairly expensive
- Somewhat heavy
- Makes headset harder to remove
Best Quest 2 battery pack
VR Power 2 for Oculus Quest 2
Playing with power
Rebuff Reality's 10,000mAh battery prepares the Quest 2 for an all-day virtual reality binge.
Best Quest 2 accessory for glasses-wearers: VirtuClear Rx lens inserts
While the Quest 2 ships with a glasses spacer, many have reported that it doesn't prevent glasses from sliding up against the headset's lenses — meaning either set of lenses can get scratched. Even if that doesn't happen, a tight fit will make your glasses push up against your nose, causing headaches and discomfort. For the near- or farsighted who want a clearer, more natural VR experience, you can buy prescription Quest 2 inserts and ditch your glasses.
Made "in partnership" with Facebook, VirtuClear lenses are installed directly over the official lenses. You send in your official prescription, and VirtuClear will customize and ship your personal lenses to you. It takes 7 to 10 days to create the lenses, then extra time for shipping. The company also recommends installing the Quest 2 Fit Pack for better comfort with these lenses.
Just like that, you'll essentially have personalized Quest 2 lenses while freeing yourself from glasses!
These lenses work best for solitary Quest 2 owners who don't regularly share the headset with friends or family members. Yes, you can remove and reinsert them every time you swap headsets, but that'd be annoying for anyone. Also, you'll want to make sure your prescription is up to date; these lenses aren't cheap, and your eyes could get worse in a year, so make sure they're accurate for as long as possible.
Pros:
- Tailor-made for the Quest 2
- Endorsed by Oculus and Facebook
- Anti-glare treatment
- Easy installation
Cons:
- Takes a long time to ship
- Pretty expensive
- Not designed for sharing
Best Quest 2 accessory for glasses-wearers
Virtu Clear Rx lens inserts
Clearing things up
Tred of cramming your glasses in-between your Quest 2 and your face while playing? VirtuClear's lens inserts will be a lifesaver.
Bottom line
There's no VR headset like the Quest 2; its portability and reasonable starting price make it a popular entry point for virtual experiences. But Oculus made it so inexpensive in part by not including many vital accessories in the box. With a set of the best Oculus Quest 2 accessories, your experiences with the headset genuinely will improve. And you'll want to start with an official Quest 2 Carrying Case, which can safely fit the headset and many of those accessories.
You can't just shove the Quest 2 into a backpack and call it a day. The lenses could be scratched, the various cables and chargers lost, or the Touch joysticks pressed to the side, potentially causing drift. A Carrying Case is an easy way to protect your investment and keep all your VR tools in one attractive container. Plus, it has room for your upgraded Elite Strap!
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Charlie Wacholz is a freelance writer at Android Central. He has a passion for all things gaming, exciting, innovative hardware and VR, and indie games, and anything Nintendo touches. When he's not writing, you can find him talking about Metroid or asking for a new Katamari game on Twitter at @chas_mke or waxing nostalgic about games, film, TV shows, and music on his podcast, Comfort Food.
Michael Hicks is a former ebook dev turned tech writer whose career arc took him from VR to wearables, emerging tech to gaming guides, before arriving at AC to cover Android, Oculus, Stadia, and smart homes, among other things. A Bay Area native, he loves underperforming sports teams, running, and tormenting his friends as the DM for D&D and Star Wars RPG campaigns.
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