Oculus Quest taunts some customers after arriving more than two weeks early

By Aaron Mamiit May 4, 2019

The Oculus Quest, which will officially ship on May 21, is taunting some customers after the standalone virtual reality headset showed up more than two weeks early on their doorsteps.

A handful of people who pre-ordered the Oculus Quest from Walmart reported on Reddit that they have already received the VR headset. These include Redditors fragnet, kwescoat, and duchene-bag, who uploaded images of the device on their respective posts on the Oculus Quest sub-Reddit.

Facebook, which owns Oculus, said in a statement to UploadVR that a “retail shipping error” caused some pre-orders to be delivered earlier than expected.

“Affected customers are being notified and the issue has been fixed. Because our software hasn’t been released pre-launch, people won’t be able to set up or use their headsets until the official launch on May 21,” the Facebook spokesperson said.

This means that the buyers who now have the Oculus Quest in their hands should not consider themselves lucky. The VR headset may have arrived early, but since the Oculus mobile app does not include the Quest as an option, it is not possible to set it up.

One of the customers who already received the Oculus Quest has found a good use for the VR headset though. In a video uploaded on Reddit, real_jasperpants showed that the device was confirmed working — as a paperweight.

The Oculus Quest, which is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, aims to deliver the same VR experience as the Oculus Rift without the need to be tethered to a PC. Unlike the similarly standalone Oculus Go though, the new headset features Oculus Insight, which enables spacial tracking without the need for the Rift’s external sensors by replacing them with four front-mounted cameras.

The new standalone VR headset will be officially shipping out on May 21 with the PC-tethered Oculus Rift S, which is an upgraded version of the Oculus Rift. The other new VR headset will offer increased resolution, improved tracking, an integrated audio system, and a headphone jack.

The Oculus Quest and the Oculus Rift S, both with starting prices of $399, will come with new Oculus Touch controllers, some of which may have hidden messages inside them.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…

Computing

Oculus’ Quest is the headset that will make me (and you) a VR believer

oculus quest headset gets me into vr ces 2019 op 5

When I think of virtual reality, the word ‘gimmick’ hovers in my mind. Yes, I'm aware of all the wonderful things it can do, and is aiming to do. Yet VR remains -- especially in gaming — a big investment. And no one wants to invest in tech that feels half-baked.

More CES 2019 coverage

Gaming

Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift 2: Everything you need to know

Still confused about how the Oculus Quest works? Here's the scoop

oculus santa cruz hands on version 1538022694 quest 5

The Oculus Rift feels like it's been around for a lot longer than it actually has. The VR headset was originally launched on Kickstarter back in 2012 -- with its eventual consumer launch over two years ago in 2016. But with the launch of HTC's Vive Pro earlier this year, you may be wondering when Oculus will launch its own version 2.0 of the Rift.

That's not something we've heard much about, with Oculus instead focusing on more accessible VR headsets and most recently, the Oculus Quest. Unlike the original Rift, Oculus' new VR headset is both cordless and stand-alone -- making it feel like an altogether different type of headset. This shouldn't be confused with the Oculus Go, which is a stand-alone but much more low-powered and affordable headset.

Computing

Oculus Quest vs. Oculus Go

The Oculus Quest and Go both let you play without a PC, but which is better?

oculus santa cruz hands on version 1538022694 quest 5

Since the debut of its very first Oculus Rift prototype, Oculus VR has been making virtual reality more accessible. Following on from the Gear VR, it released the Oculus Go in mid-2018 and will follow it up with another standalone headset in 2019, called the Oculus Quest. Both require no additional hardware to operate and have much lower price tags than some of the VR competition, but which is better? We pitted the Oculus Quest vs. Oculus Go, to find out.
Design
VR headset development has improved in recent years and both the Oculus Go and Oculus Quest reflect that. They have different color schemes, but both offer a smooth exterior with no obvious sensor bumps or dips like the HTC Vive. We found both to be comfortable to wear over extended periods, with enough space for various face shapes and sizes. However, we did note some light bleed at the base of the Go's padding, which meant that it was often more immersive to use in a darkened room.

Although the head mounting mechanisms and cushioning of both headsets are pretty comparable, there is a noticeable difference in weight. Where the Oculus Go weighs the same as the Oculus Rift -- around 470 grams -- the Oculus Quest with its additional sensors and internal hardware, weighs in at 100 grams heavier. Oculus is reportedly still fine-tuning it, and it didn't cause any difficulties for us in terms of comfort, but it may become more of a factor for longer play sessions.