Oculus Quest 2 Free Silicone Cover Review

Yesterday I have finally received at home the free Silicone Cover that we owners of an Oculus Quest 2 are entitled to receive because of the skin irritation that the Quest 2 gasket was giving to a limited number of people. And as with everything that happens to me, I thought it could have been cool to share with you all my impressions about it!

Video review

Here you are a Youtube video of mine where I sound really sad (but actually I was not!) and show you the unboxing, setup, and first impressions of the free silicone cover for Quest 2! Enjoy 🙂

Shipping Times

I applied for the free Silicone Cover live during my tutorial on how every one of us that already has a Quest 2 device can request a free cover (watch my tutorial if you have not requested yours yet!). It was July, 28th and my cover arrived yesterday, September, 7th, so it took 40 days to arrive here. Oculus claimed waiting times around 4 weeks, so I can say that it was pretty on time with their expectations (just slightly late).

Sending millions of covers worldwide is expensive and complicated on the logistic side, so 40 days of shipping time makes sense. The problem is that it is anyway long for who has to receive it: who had actual problems with the facemask could not wait all that time, and I know at least one person that ordered a VR Cover mask in the end because the silicone cover was not arriving. The time has been so long that I even forgot I requested it, and when the shipping company postman rang at my door, I had no idea why there was a package for me. Again, I understand the motivation for this long waiting time from the company’s standpoint, but it is still long from the consumer’s standpoint.

Unboxing

Facebook usually curates a lot the box design for its products, but since here it has to send a lot of covers all over the world, it has gone the cheap way. As you can see in the GIF published above, I just received an envelope containing the cover, and that was it. It was so poorly packaged, that it seemed a product from AliExpress.

The cover comes wrapped in a piece of cardboard that invites you to read a dedicated website where it is explained how to use it so that to reduce at minimum the skin irritation risks. Of course, I’ve never read it.

When I removed the cardboard, the cover started smelling pretty badly: it smelled of chemicals, something that is pretty normal for this kind of products. Usually, this bad smell vanishes away in a day or such. Touching it, also I haven’t had that sensation of “premium” that I usually have with Facebook’s items. It felt light, flimsy, and a bit rough… again, like something from AliExpress.

Setup

Installing the cover was a matter of minutes: I removed the facemask from the Quest 2, I installed the cover on it, and then I put the gasket back on the device.

Putting the cover on the facemask was the usual boring operation where you have to make the cover fit on top of the sponge of the gasket, taking care of removing all the ridges that you may create. You have to make the cover become like a new skin for the gasket until it is completely smooth. It is a boring procedure, but it just takes a few minutes, like with all other covers on the market.

Review

I have tried the cover as soon as I’ve finished installing it, playing a good session of Rezzil Player 22, the training game.

The first thing that I’ve noticed is the bad smell of chemicals, but as I’ve said, this is normal and will vanish away soon. The second thing is that it adheres very well to the Quest 2 headset, and if you have set up it well, it looks like the Quest 2 always shipped with that cover. It doesn’t even look like an add-on. Even after I put on and removed the headset various times and I’ve played with it for half an hour, I’ve seen the cover always staying in place. With cheap covers, it usually happens they start detaching, but this one is very firm, and this is a great sign of its quality. A cover that detaches is very annoying, while this one works very well.

Regarding the sensation I had on my skin, I have mixed feelings… there are pros and cons. Let’s start with the pros: the cover material is pretty soft and sits very well on my skin. Also, since the silicone is waterproof, all the sweat and the dust remain on top of the cover and don’t enter the sponge of the headset. Cleaning the device becomes so super-easy, by just passing a wet wipe on the cover. This is fantastic if I have to demo my headset to someone else.

This waterproof nature is also what leads to its cons: since the sweat doesn’t enter into the cover, it remains all on your skin, so it’s common that if you move a lot (like during a fitness game), you start feeling the sweat drops falling down your face. The classical face interface is made of sponge that absorbs a bit of the sweat, while this lets it all on your face. Even worse, since the cover adheres a lot on your skin (it literally sticks on it), it makes you sweat even more than usual.

Its sticking nature also gives me an “irritation” sensation: my skin doesn’t like feeling that the cover is sticking on it, and I feel a slight discomfort while wearing it. I don’t even know how to describe it… it’s a bit like when it’s summer and some trousers attach too much to my skin.

All in all, I think it’s a good product: it adheres well to the headset and it helps me in keeping it clean. But I also think it could have been a bit better, especially on the comfort side. Of course, this is MY opinion: ergonomics are very subjective, and what is annoying for my skin can be perfect for yours, so take my review with a grain of salt.

Consider that anyway this is a free product that Oculus is sending to its users, and it is not a substitution of the standard facial interface, but it is a free add-on that you can decide if using or not. And in this sense, we all must just be thankful to Facebook: if you feel better with the standard interface, keep using it, if you prefer this one, you install this one. Having a new possibility for Quest users is only a positive thing.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and if it is the case, please like it and share it with your peers on social media!