Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes: Oculus Quest 2

Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode is brought to you by Samsung Galaxy. Ever captured a great night video only for it to be ruined by that one noisy talker? With Audio Erase on the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, you can reduce or remove unwanted noise and relive your favorite moments without the distractions. And that's not all. New Galaxy AI features like NowBrief will give you personalized insights based on your day schedule so that you're prepared no matter what. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra now at Samsung.com. Hey guys, welcome to this Quick Take episode. We're so excited to have you here with us. In the past, these Quick Take

Starting point is 00:00:35 episodes actually were only available to those who financially supported the show through Apple subscriptions and Patreon. But due to popular demand, we have decided to shake up the perks for our supporters and we'll be releasing these Quick Takes on Saturdays to everyone, giving you all some extra free content that was previously unavailable to the public. And these Quick Takes are a little more laid back and they're hosted by just one of us. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this Quick Take episode. Shazam! Boom! You are the few, the proud, the elite. You are the people that support the podcast and make all of this possible. Without your support,

Starting point is 00:01:25 I don't know that we could continue on. But the good news is you're listening to this right now, which means you're supporting the show, which means Paul and I are extremely grateful, which also means you are tuning in for another bonus episode, a gaming quick takes. And I'm going to mix it up just a little bit this time. I've been trying to throw in some other stuff other than game recommendations, and I'm going to do that today. And I am going to mix it up just a little bit this time. I've been trying to throw in some other stuff other than game recommendations, and I'm going to do that today. And I am going to tell you why the next console you buy should be an Oculus Quest 2. Now, you're doing the same thing I did.

Starting point is 00:01:57 You're going, wait a minute, Josh, that's not a console. But we actually settled this debate on one of our episodes that was best gaming console and todd picked the oculus quest 2 and after much debate we realized todd was right it is a console you can play games on it that you can't play on other things it's self-contained and it's meant to play games and there you go it's a console and it even comes with controllers. I mean, what more can you argue? Okay, so why should you buy an Oculus Quest 2? Well, it's not because I get paid to tell you that. They do not sponsor the show, although if they want to, they're more than welcome to. It's just that VR gaming is unlike any other experience out there. I mean, you know, we're gamers, right? We play on

Starting point is 00:02:44 consoles, we play on PC, we love all different types of games. Okay, maybe I don't like sim games, but you know, that's okay. But there is nothing that is like VR gaming that exists in the world. Now, if you have never actually played VR, then this is something that is extremely difficult to translate to somebody by talking to them. I mean, I can tell you, hey, when you put on this headset and you watch this demo of this Tyrannosaurus Rex that's walking towards you, you know, it feels like you are minuscule compared to this 50-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex. The sense of scale when you are inside VR is unlike anything that you can experience. And so, you know,

Starting point is 00:03:26 you've never experienced a 50-foot T-Rex that's stomping past you and walking right over you. But in VR, when you do that and you look up, this thing looks legitimately like it is as tall as a building. And that three-dimensional aspect is just something that is very difficult to describe to somebody that hasn't done VR. The ability to move your head and actually look around and that freedom that goes with that is unrivaled. I mean, you can't get that in a video game otherwise. And so these are all things that all tie together that make the experience what it is. And so it's one of those things where if you've never experienced it, find somebody that has VR. But I'm telling you, once you do experience it,

Starting point is 00:04:10 you're going to want to go back. And that's the fun part about it. So the reason that the Oculus Quest 2, to me, is the go-to VR system is a couple things. Number one, price. Oculus Quest 2, the 64 gigabyte version, costs $299. Now, I'm not saying that $300 isn't a lot of money, because it is. But when it comes to a gaming console, $299 is actually a pretty good price, because this is going to open up an entire world of video games that you have not had access to before. The other nice thing is, is that there is a ton of free content when it comes to VR. Now, hey, you know, I get it, Josh, I want to buy the best VR games that are out there. And I'll talk about one of them here in just a little bit.

Starting point is 00:04:56 I'm actually going to talk about a few of them in some upcoming bonus episodes, because we've had a lot of people ask about VR and why we don't talk about it a whole lot. It's just because it's not as mainstream as we would like, but it is becoming that way, which is really nice to see because I think it's something that everybody needs to experience. But anyway, VR games, there's a ton of free demos. There's a ton of free games. A lot of the games are very inexpensive. There are some phenomenal VR games that are like $9 and that will give you hours and hours and hours of enjoyment out of. Now, don't get me wrong. There are your expensive AAA titles that might cost $40 or maybe even $60 if it's Half-Life Alyx. But I'm also telling you that is worth every penny of the price. Now, the majority of

Starting point is 00:05:42 VR games that come out when they release are $25. That seems to be the price point that developers are targeting and that you can expect to pay for a good VR experience that's going to last you a long time. So what are the things about the Oculus Quest 2 other than price? Well, it's just the convenience. I was the owner of an original Oculus Rift when those first came out. And man, I felt like I was a cyborg hooked into the convenience. I was the owner of an original Oculus Rift when those first came out. And man, I felt like I was a cyborg hooked into the Matrix. I had five cables that were plugged into the computer. That's not counting the sensors that you have to place in your room, and you have to run USB cables to your PC and all that. While it was great, it was just really

Starting point is 00:06:21 inconvenient. And it also tethered you to the room that your computer was in. So you could not play VR somewhere else. The Quest gets rid of all of that. There are no wires. Everything is completely self-contained. You do not need to be near your computer. You can take the Quest 2 to a friend's house and introduce them to VR and play in their living room. It's really flawless in its execution and its portability.

Starting point is 00:06:44 Battery life is great. I'll be honest. I don't play VR for hours at a time. I mean, most people don't. It's fun to hop into for 30 or 40 minutes. But at that point, you probably want a break to get back to actual reality. But then it's fun to hop back in as well. So the battery life for me has never been an issue.

Starting point is 00:06:59 I know you can get expanded batteries and things like that for them. I just haven't had the need, to be honest with you. So the other thing is multiplayer games. Now, there's amazing single player games in VR, but there is nothing like multiplayer when you can actually see your friends like in virtual reality. They can wave at you. They can fist bump. I mean, it's just the amount of hilarity that ensues and the fun that happens there is second to none.

Starting point is 00:07:27 Being able to actually turn your head and know that somebody's looking at you because you can see them looking at you because it tracks head movements and arm movements and things like that. It's just phenomenal. I love VR multiplayer games. They are so fun and it is just an absolute blast

Starting point is 00:07:43 to act like a complete fool and just giggle while you're making funny gestures at your friends and things like that. But co-op VR gaming is incredible. It's something that I really think everybody should experience in their life. But anyway, I'm going to cover a few games, but one of them that I have to talk about is Half-Life Alyx. People bought the Xbox to play Halo. People bought PlayStation to play God of War or any of the other exclusives. Let's be honest, PlayStation killed it with exclusive games. But the quest, getting VR, Half-Life Alyx is worth every penny of that. That game is an absolutely mind-blowing experience. It is the one true AAA title that everybody in the world should play. It's very hard to describe, but I'm going to get into some

Starting point is 00:08:33 other VR games and why you should play those in some future episodes. But I'm telling you right now, if you haven't experienced virtual reality, find a friend that has a headset. It's one of those things that you have to experience at first, but when you do, you're going to want to dive into this just head first. There's no coming back once you see what that experience is like. And so my recommendation for you in this bonus episode is start to look into it, save up your money, get into virtual reality. The Oculus Quest 2 is the easiest and best, most cost-effective way to do that. Are there better headsets out there? Yes, they are. But for me, and you guys know I'm picky when it comes to graphics and stuff, there is nothing that beats the Oculus Quest 2. It's just hands down the leader in the market

Starting point is 00:09:20 right now. And I don't know that there's going to be another thing that competes with it at the price point and the convenience that it brings. So that's it for today's bonus episode. Again, I've got some other ones coming at you guys here in the upcoming weeks. Paul's been working hard at these too. We hope you really enjoy them. It's just our way of saying thank you for supporting the show. Honestly, thank you. Again, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the incredible support that you all provide. And so we are very, very grateful for that. But that's it. If you have an Oculus Quest 2 and you want to chat about it and talk some games and maybe some recommendations, hit me up. If you wind up picking one up because

Starting point is 00:10:02 of this, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. There's nothing like seeing people's reactions to experiencing VR for the first time. All right, that's it for me. I will see you guys and gals on the next bonus episode. Thanks. Have a good one.

Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes: Oculus Quest 2

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