I got a package from VR Cover with some cool accessories for Oculus Quest 2 to review. Since they know I am working on a VR fitness game, they sent me the Fitness Facial Interface and some other nice add-ons for it. Let me tell you what have been my experience with these gadgets, telling you the pros and the cons, and also providing you the link to buy them, if you find them interesting (the links are not affiliation ones, so I have no interest in convincing you in buying, I just provide them for your convenience :P)
I’ve also shot a quick video with my impressions on all the items, and if you want, you can watch it here below:
Unboxing
If you like unboxings as I do, you can watch me opening the package sent by VR Cover in the video below:
There’s nothing special to say about my experience: there was a box with the items inside. I appreciated that every item was in a protective bag or plastic box, so everything arrived in perfect conditions.
Fitness Facial Interface and Foam Set for Oculus Quest 2 Review
As I’ve said, being one of the developers of the fitness game HitMotion: Reloaded (get it now on App Lab!), VRCover sent me a full kit to use the Quest 2 for my fitness experience with improved comfort and hygiene. I have to say that I have been very satisfied with my experience with it.
The kit consists mainly of the Fitness Facial Interface, which is a special facial plastic interface that you have to put in place of the stock one provided by Meta. This new element has two advantages compared to the default one:
- It is covered in velcro, so on top of it you can easily install different facemasks
- It has some little holes on top and bottom that make the air flow from the inside to the outside of the headset, so when you do fitness, inside the headset there is less humidity and heat, and the lenses don’t fog up.
Installing the facial interface is very easy: you just gently pull out the default one and then you insert the new one, pushing it all around until it clicks. Then you can take the foam facemask and just put it on the facial interface, letting the two parts of the velcro attach them together. You have just to be careful to put it so that there are not too many ridges and that the shape of the facemask follows correctly the shape of the interface. You can see me installing the kit in this video below:
My opinion on this kit is very positive: the installation was easy, and then the vent on the facial interface did its job. I have played 30 minutes of HitMotion: Reloaded and Rezzil Player 22 and inside the headset I had no fog and my face kept feeling not too warm. Of course, being in December helped in not sweating too much, but I had the sensation that the inside of the headset was cooler than it used to be. Even when I don’t do fitness, I absolutely notice that my face is fresher in the headset now. That’s why I think I will keep this facial interface on my Quest: it is more comfortable for me.
The only shortcoming is that notwithstanding the rubber nose gap, I have a slight light leak from below the headset. It’s not much and it is not annoying, but it’s there. Maybe it’s because of my big nose 🙂
The Foam Set is waterproof and is easily cleanable after every fitness session. It is also quite comfortable, even if in my opinion the waterproof covers are never super comfortable. The facemasks made in sponge or in fabric (like the Valve Index one) are comfier than this, but they are also very hard to clean. I think this one by VR Cover is a good compromise between comfort and hygiene. If you want a comparison with the new official silicone one for Quest 2, I think the silicone is softer for the skin, but this one sticks less on the face, so I think it’s better for fitness sessions.
I think this is a very valid product for your long sessions in VR, and you can buy it at this link: https://vrcover.com/item/fitness-facial-interface-and-foam-set-for-oculus-quest-2/
Disposable Hygiene Covers for Oculus Quest 2 review
In the Fitness Set, you can also find a sample with two Disposable Hygiene Covers. These are probably the best disposable covers that you can find for Quest 2, at least among the ones I have tried.
When you do a VR demo, you are usually provided a disposable hygiene facemask that you wear on your face thanks to two elastics that you put behind your ears. The problem with these cheap facemasks is that usually if you move a lot, they move and they finish in front of your eyes or anyway provide you discomfort. And the cheaper the worse. When I’m doing demos, actually I hate them, because they can ruin my experience.
VR Cover instead provides this adhesive facemask that you can attach on top of the Foam Set. Since the cover is attached to the headset, it doesn’t move, so the user has zero problems during his test with the headset. Also, the covers are in a material that is soft, which adds more comfort to the foam set, so the user feels a good sensation on his skin while wearing them. And since the adhesive is not too strong, when the demo is over, these covers can be removed very easily. After I have tried them, I can say without any doubt that they are the best disposable masks I have tried to provide demos for Quest 2.
Of course, quality has a price and these covers are much more expensive than the elastic disposable masks that you can buy on Amazon, so you have to evaluate if you can afford them before buying them. The other problem they have is that they only work well with VR Cover facemasks: I have tried attaching one of them on top of the official silicone mask of my Quest 2, and it didn’t work. So if you want to use them, you have to buy the whole kit, and this has a price, too.
If you are interested in checking out this product, you can find it at this link: https://vrcover.com/item/disposable-hygiene-covers-for-oculus-quest-2/
Lens Cover Review
The fitness kit also contains a Lens Cover. The lens cover is a little object covered in fabric that you install on the two lenses so that to protect them from sun rays and dust when you don’t use your headset. It took me a while to understand how to install it correctly, but once I got it, I can now install it pretty easily. The problem during the installation is that sometimes it may touch the nose gap or the facial interface, so you have to adjust it a bit with your hands to make it fit the lenses exactly.
The lens cover is made well and works, but honestly, I don’t find it super useful, unless you know you are going to leave your headset on a desk for days. I use often my headset, and I just take care of not putting it so that the lenses face the window: the lenses and the screen are still great after one year. I’ve almost never used a lens cover, honestly. So if you find a use for it, maybe because you have long periods of inactivity for your device or because you often put the headset in your bag without any kind of protection and you want to make your lenses stay safe, it may have sense, otherwise, I think you can live also without it.
The lens cover is available at this link: https://vrcover.com/item/oculus-quest-2-lens-cover/
Cleaning Cloth Review
VR Cover also sent me a branded cloth to clean my lenses. There is not much to say about it: it’s a cloth, it’s not small, it seems produced with good quality, and it cleans well the lenses without scratching them. It’s ok 🙂
Comfort Foam Set for Oculus Quest 2
The Comfort Foam Set is another facemask that can be installed on the fitness facial interface, and that can be bought separately. It is identical to the foam set that I have described above, but it is defined as “comfort” because it is thicker.
The same considerations specified above for its cousin product hold for this one, too: it is well-made, the material makes it easily cleanable, the installation is easy. But since it is thicker, it applies more pressure on the face. This actually gives me the opposite sensation than the intended one: for me, it is more uncomfortable, because I can feel more on my face the pressure of the facemask and its ridges. Plus, since it is thicker, it also makes the light leak bigger and the FOV slightly smaller. Ergonomics are very subjective, and for my head shape, this face mask is worse than the standard one, so I will personally stick with the default foam set.
You can buy the foam replacements, standard, and comfort, at this link: https://vrcover.com/item/foam-replacement-set-for-oculus-quest-2-dark-blue/
Covid mask
The last time I reviewed VR Cover products, they sent me a cool t-shirt. This time, since the apparel of the moment is the covid masks, they sent me a branded mask to put on my face.
I love the design of this mask: it is made in fabric, and on it, you can see lots of drawings of VR headsets, so that every time you will be outside, people around you can immediately know that you are a VR enthusiast. I think I’ll wear it for sure, especially when attending VR events!
The mask can easily go directly on the face or on top of an FFP2 mask for added safety. I have tried it in both scenarios, and it worked quite well: of course, without an additional mask, it doesn’t filter away the virus for you, but if you add an FFP2, breathing becomes a bit harder. As always, it’s a matter of compromises. In both cases the visual appearance was good, and I managed to breathe well.
Comfort-wise, I have some remarks. If you use this mask without an additional mask below it, the rigid part that touches your nose may be a bit annoying. The fitting system is made through a single elastic that goes around your head with two loops, one above and the other below your ears, so it doesn’t destroy the back of your ears like the other masks. But on the other side, the plastic piston used to make the elastic tighter or looser goes to lie on your neck, and you can constantly feel it on your skin, and this is a bit uncomfortable.
Long story short: I love the design, the comfort is good, but probably I wouldn’t wear it every day. But I will happily wear it on the days that I want to feel cooler or when attending VR events.
If you want to check it out, you can find it on the VR Cover website: https://vrcover.com/product/vr-cover-cloth-mask/
And that’s it with this short review of some of VR Cover accessories for Quest 2! If you have further questions about them, feel free to ask them in the comments section here below or contact me on my social media channels. Cheers 🙂