Those of you who read my Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus Quest 2) review may remember I was very positive about it, but I brought up two major issues – the comfort and the audio. The KiwiDesign Upgraded Elite Strap for Oculus Quest 2 solves almost all of my issues with the comfort part.
The KiwiDesign Upgraded Elite Strap is a third-party take on the Oculus Elite Strap. With the official version having been often reported to easily break, exploring other options is certainly worthwhile.
Opening Up
The strap comes in two pieces, in a fairly plain box. Along with the strap itself, they include an instruction booklet and a lens cloth as a bonus.
The Install
As I don’t particularly want to break an expensive VR headset, I read the instructions first. They were mostly clear, but neglect to mention how to remove the existing strap; It should really mention this. For those who don’t know, the bars on the side pull off. This can feel like you’re breaking the Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2) but the arms do come away.
In short, the install process is to snap the black part with the top-strap attached to the white plastic part via some clips. Then the white part’s arms push into and clip onto the side of the headset where the previous head strap was removed from. The top strap needs to loop through a slit in the top of the headset – this requires some dexterity but is easier if turning the headset upside-down.
It isn’t a particularly difficult install, but it’s worth taking it slow.
Comfort
The first time I heard about the KiwiDesign Upgraded Elite Strap, it was from someone describing it as ‘the most comfortable strap ever’. While I’m not sure if I’d go that far, it vastly improved my experience. It made the front-heavy Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2) on par with the Valve Index in terms of comfort. Unlike many straps, both the top strap and the back are padded, which only increases the comfort. The foam pad at the back is designed to reduce head pressure, which can be a huge issue.
It does take some setup to get it so comfortable. The fit can be adjusted both with the top strap for the fit on the top of the head and the dial on the back to adjust how tight it is. Both have quite a large range and should fit most heads without issue.
While I’d reserve the ‘most comfortable headset strap ever’ for the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap, this does come as a close second. I spent quite a lot of time playing with the Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2) with the KiwiDesign Upgraded Elite Strap; the pressure on my face was significantly decreased and it never felt like it was digging into my head or front-heavy.
Standard disclaimer here – the fit of VR headsets is often very personal. There can be differences based on factors like the shape of your face and head.
Verdict
The KiwiDesign Upgraded Elite Strap has given the Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2) a new life for me. There are a lot of amazing games on the system, but I mostly played them in short bursts before using the upgraded strap. Anything over an hour and I really started to notice how front-heavy it was through the pressure on my nose, unlike my Valve Index, Oculus Rift, or HTC Vive that I could play for hours. As a bonus, it’s replacing an official product that has a reputation for being faulty and at about 80% of the price.
KIWIDESIGN UPGRADED ELITE STRAP IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
KiwiDesign has set up a 5% off discount code for our readers: NOOKGAMING – this should apply to all products if you enter it at the checkout.
Why not check out our Virtual Reality reviews? Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing is currently an Oculus Quest exclusive and worth taking a look at. If you would like to see more hardware and accessories, you may be interested in our review of the ZyberVR All-in-One Controller Extended Handle for Oculus Quest 2.
Many thanks go to Kiwi Design for a review unit.
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.