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Oculus is the industry leader in VR with several headsets and a whole range of specialist software available for their users. Oculus’ latest hardware release is perhaps their most exciting yet; the Oculus Quest is a fully wireless VR headset with full range of motion (also known as 6DOF). Quest promises to deliver the full VR experience without the need for a PC/laptop and the wired connection that goes along with it.
Oculus’s most popular headset has so far been the Oculus Go, a wireless VR headset offering limited VR capabilities but at a much lower price. If you’re thinking about joining the VR world, you might be having trouble deciding between the Oculus Go and the Quest. Does it make sense to spend more on the Quest? Is the Go a real VR experience? Let me help you decide which VR headset is right for you by answering all these questions.
Oculus Go vs Quest: Comparison Guide
3DOF vs 6DOF
There can be no doubt that this is the most significant and obvious difference between the two headsets. Oculus Quest is a 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) headset, and Oculus Go is a 3DOF (three degrees of freedom) headset. VR headsets can be split between 3DOF and 6DOF and this refers to how you can walk, explore and interact with the VR world. With 6DOF headsets, you can move as you would in reality in every direction. Tracking technology is essential. 3DOF headsets only track head movements and controllers, so if you moved your whole body in VR, this would not be tracked.
6DOF is considered the most realistic VR experience whereas 3DOF is easier to set up and use but not as immersive. It pretty much defines the difference between the Oculus Go and Quest. In order to get the most authentic VR experience, the Quest is the best option since it allows you to experience the full VR effect. Only Skyrim VR and BeatSaber will be playable on the Quest as these games require 6DOF headsets. You can still use the Oculus Go for games and VR experiences but they will be more basic experiences. The Go is also much cheaper than the Quest.
Tracking
The Quest has half a dozen cameras dotted around the headset; these track your hands and body and mimic your movements in the virtual world. Previous headsets required external cameras to be plugged into the headset, so this is quite an innovation.
Due to this, the Quest is completely wireless, allowing the user to move around far more freely than before. Additionally, the two controllers that come with the Quest are tracked in every direction.
The Go has no cameras and can only track your head movement and the position of the controller.
Screen and Graphics
When choosing a VR headset it’s important to pay close attention to the type of screen each headset is using. How clear the VR world looks will determine how immersed you feel in the experience. Thankfully, both the Quest and the Go feature screens that are among the best on the market right now. The Go features a built-in LCD screen with a total resolution of 2560 x 1440 and a field of view of 100 degrees. Its screen resolution is among the best of any VR headset, beating out more expensive devices such as the Oculus Rift. While the display isn’t crystal clear (as can be said for all headsets at the moment), individual pixels aren’t too noticeable, and colors seem quite vibrant.
The Quest features a slightly higher resolution OLED screen with a slightly clearer image overall. OLED screens are also able to show deeper blacks, higher contrast, and better refresh rates which are important when playing games.
Gaming vs Watching
If you are still struggling to decide between these two headsets, consider what you are going to be using them for. The Oculus Quest is designed (and priced) to be a VR gaming console; this of it is the PS4 or Xbone of the VR world. It’s primarily designed for gaming and does so well. The Quest offers a range of VR games in which you can fully interact with the environment.
Oculus is designed for those who wish to view VR experiences such as 360-degree videos or watch movies in an IMAX-like environment. The Go is a lick-up and play device that you’ll likely use for 30 minutes or so every now and then. Personally, I watch YouTube videos and VR documentaries on it. Additionally, there are VR games for the Go, but they are not as interactive as those for the Quest.
Library
The Oculus Go and Quest have access to the brilliant Oculus Store, which features hundreds of VR games and experiences, most of them free. As a general rule, everything that is available for the Go is also available for the Quest, but some advanced games are only compatible with the Quest.