ABC of Oculus Quest

The basic starter stuff for your first day with the VR headset

The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR headset meaning it does not need to be physically connected to a computer. The headset comes with two touch controllers, batteries, a spacer for those with glasses and a USB-C based charger.

The Quest features four cameras on the outer edge on both the top and bottom of the front side. Underneath the Quest there are a volume adjustment and a lens adjustment to help with visual acuity. The left side includes the USB-C charging port and finally on the right side is the power button. The Quest has three velcro adjustments to help give a snug fit for anyone. There are two on the side and one on the top. The tighter the fit, the better the immersion and helps eliminate and outside light leaking in. Setup Download the Oculus App on your mobile device. Wirelessly connect your headset and phone to configure the VR. Setup a school based Oculus account. When you put on the Quest for the first time, you are greeted with the Guardian screen.

There are four cameras mounted on the exterior of the Quest which track both player movements and the environment in which you play. When you first start up the Quest, it will ask you to setup your play space. There are two controllers included with the Oculus that help you choose options and interact with your VR space.

You will confirm where the floor is and also "trace" and outline on your floor that shows where you have free space. That's right you can "see" your room during setup with the use of the exterior cameras. This helps you draw around the floor and see objects to avoid like couches, desks, chairs, etc. When you get too close to the edge of your mapped out play area, a Tron-like grid will appear in your view to let you know you are close to the edge. If you breach this "wall" the external cameras will activate and all activity within the Quest will stop allowing you to see the room again. Step back into the grid and your app will immediately return. It's an ingenious design and really takes the worry about safety away. Now this will not stop you from swinging your arms and crashing your controller into a wall (as I have done)! When drawing your play area be sure to take into effect the length of your arms extending past the grid. The recommended play area is 6.5' x 6.5' but you can play with less.

Once your Oculus is setup, you're ready! The Oculus Quest includes a few game demos to try out but must be installed first. You can browse through the library to install games relevant for your lesson.

Sharing

If you're interested in taking screenshots or videos of your experiences, I'm happy to report that it is a very easy process. You can record video or take snapshots at any time by selecting the sharing tab inside the Oculus menu from the headset. There you can select either a screenshot or video. You have a few seconds to jump back into your app before a screenshot is taken. Since the Oculus is a Facebook owned company, Facebook sharing is natively available from within the headset. You must put the headset back on for a second to allow permission for the PC to access the internal storage. Once you do, a media device appears in Windows in which you can browse the internal storage of the Quest. You will be able to export all these screenshots and videos to your computer via a USB device.

Battery Life

Battery life is decent but not exceptional. Oculus battery life spans around 2-3 hours but that all depend on how you use the device. If you have multiple gaming sessions back to back you might see the battery life on the shorter side. Also, if you plan on casting anything that will also take up more battery. My suggestion would be to schedule a 45 minute period of usage but charge it in during the next period for use afterwards.