After wearing the Oculus Quest 2 halo strap for 2 months, I want to make a review of what to expect.
Seeing as I’ve used it for so long, you might think that I liked the halo band. Well, let me dig into it.
The reason I purchased one was due to my unfixable comfort issues with the default strap. I’ve tried everything – counter-balancing, loosening/tightening the strap, and adjusting the position.
Nothing really worked for me. The default strap still rested the Quest 2 too much on my cheeks. It felt like my face was drooling. Couldn’t really wear my VR headset for longer than 10 minutes.
That’s where I turned to Aliexpress. My partner loves to order random stuff from there, so I thought, why not try Aliexpress as well. Amazon has been really icky with accepting payments from me recently (regarding new rules with 3D verification in Europe), so it was a good time to try out alternatives.
Which Oculus Quest 2 halo strap I purchased?
Currently, there are many sellers that make halo straps for Oculus Quest 2 – There is iovroigo (terrible name), GoQuestVR, BesWinVR, arvredTech, i.e. Funny thing is, they seem to order the foundational parts from the same supplier, and that’s why they all look similar…
…apart from one feature. That’s the curvature on the sides:
That’s the main difference. Does it affect the build? No, they all feel the same.
How does the Halo Strap Compare to the default one?
When I took the halo strap out, it was completely wrapped inside the bubble wrap. It had no cracks or any broken parts that I could visually see. I feared that it could have since they send it from China, and I’ve had far too many items broken due to long shipping distance.
I had no such issues.
Unfortunately, as I ordered the strap, I also decided to throw in the cover. I went with the leather one and asked the same guys to put it inside the package along with the strap. The cover was not wrapped in a protective layer, and as I took it out, I found the crack right in the middle.
I could say that I was disappointed, but to be fair, I just wanted to check out the quality and compare it to VRCover. I also found on top of the crack issue, that it had a serious light leakage on both sides. It did not matter how hard I pressed in on my face.
Unless my face is somehow deformed, I’d bet on bad design.
I took it off immediately and threw it in the trash. The crack, the light leakage, and the thin padding that I felt on my face weren’t really suited for me. I do not recommend you to get it.
The cover quality did make me worry whether the strap will have the same quality.
To be real with you, I wasn’t really expecting much from a 30 dollar product. I thought that it would be the same as with the cover and that it will break soon. Now, I have used it extensively for over 60 days, and I find it the most comfortable strap I ever wore on Oculus Quest.
Mind you, the halo strap didn’t impress me then
Despite what I feel now, it was not a smooth ride at the beginning. When I installed it and wore it for the first time on my head, I kind of disliked how wobbly it was.
Not only that, the screen was much further away than with the default strap. I felt like I was wearing a helmet with night vision goggles.
I love VR boxing with the Thrill of the Fight, and when the screen shakes as much as it did when I moved around, I’d get motion sick really fast.
I had to change something fast. That’s when I found that my wearing method was all wrong, At least for my head.
What I had to do was to place the front holo padding exactly on my hairline. That means I had to move the padding away from my forehead and place the main weight closer to the top of my head.
That fixed the wobbling issue. Then I physically rotated the Oculus Quest main unit closer to my face.
The difference was night and day. I had no wobble, the screen was closer to my face so that there was no light leakage, and the VR headset felt even lighter. It wasn’t bad when I tried it the first time, but this way of wearing it removed all my issues.
The quality of the halo strap
That was my main fear when I started using the halo strap.
Seeing as how the cover broke before it even got here, I wasn’t expecting much. I read some stories where the angle points get cracked under pressure, so when I felt how plasticky it felt, my trust in it wasn’t high.
At least it looked badass, I thought back then.
Low and behold, I have been very aggressive with my movements, and it still hasn’t broken. It doesn’t show any signs that it will either.
I have been sharing my VR headset with others as well, and the knob behind the head hasn’t given it. It still holds the pressure.
I do have to admit that 2 months isn’t really that much time, so anything can happen. Maybe it will break tomorrow.
Let’s make a deal. If it does, I’ll let you know how and what I did for that to occur. You can subscribe to me through mail or social media to be up to date.
What about the design?
As I mentioned before, I thought it looked badass. And I still do. Combined with additional headphone accessories for VR, an extra battery bank at the back, and a couple of stickers, it truly can look like a battle helmet.
The color is remarkably similar to the color of Oculus Quest as well, so it feels like this holo strap is just like an original piece.
To be fair, I wouldn’t change anything in terms of design. It does not matter to me if the sides are sharp or curved, it still looks amazing.
Would I change anything with the halo strap?
Yes.
As it’s still only 30 bucks or so, there come some problems. I found three issues.
First, I wish they would create a design where the plastic near the ears is thicker. Currently, it does not wobble when I pressed the headset on my face, but when my head is in a fully horizontal position, I can feel how the image goes in that direction by a few millimeters as well.
Rigidness would help with removing unnecessary movements inside virtual reality.
Secondly, while we talk about stuff near our ears, I would love to see a design where there is a bit more space near the ears. As it stands, I cannot use my regular headphones that cover my ears completely. My only option is using something that Valve Index uses, or go with earbuds.
Luckily, there are still audio options that work with this strap accessory, but it’s a topic for another day (follow for more).
Thirdly, the rotator part on the side rotates a bit too easily, which means that the headset oftentimes rotates a tiny bit when I look down. I managed to counter that by adjusting the headset to be tighter around my face (no discomfort was felt).
Conclusion
I really love that Oculus Quest is so portable and easy to use. Now that I can use Virtual Desktop to draw power from my gaming computer wirelessly, I feel like I finally don’t need anything else.
When before I had to take breaks every 15 minutes or so, I can now sit (or stand) in VR for hours. The best part?
No VR trademark (the red ring) around my eyes anymore. The pressure is finally off my face and I can make facial expressions without feeling like an 80-year-old man with saggy skin.
However, the experience might differ for every person, especially with wearables. The issues that I listed above can be countered, but they take a bit of tinkering.
If you have something to add, just write it down in the comments!
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