Oculus Quest 2 is now PC VR’s most popular virtual reality headset
Leaving HTC and the Valve Index in the dust
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
We think it’s one of thebest VR headsetson the market, and it seems the players think so too – just five months after its launch, theOculus Quest 2has raced to the top of the hardware charts, becoming the most-used virtual reality headset amongSteamusers.
The February 2021 edition ofValve’s regular surveyof its PC gaming platform’s users' hardware reveals that the Facebook-built headset now makes up 22.91% of all virtual reality headsets being used to play Steam games.
That’s a jump of 5.52% over January’s position, and sees the Quest 2 beating out headsets that have been on sale much longer, including theOculus Rift Sand top-of-the-lineValve Index.
In fact, theOculusfamily of virtual reality devices, which also includes the originalOculus Rift, originalOculus Questand the ageingOculus Rift DK2is leagues ahead of other manufacturers' VR efforts, making up 58% of all VR use on Steam. And this doesn’t take into account the players on Oculus’s own platform, where that percentage will be exponentially higher.
Oculus popularity
So what’s driving the popularity of the Quest, and the Oculus family as a whole?
For starters, Oculus by this point likely has the best brand recognition when it comes to virtual reality, having been in the game from the start of this modern resurgence of the format. We’re not quite at a point where the word ‘Oculus’ is synonymous with VR in the same way ‘Nintendo’ was with all of gaming back in the 1980s, but it’s getting that way.
Secondly, price and availability – the Oculus Quest 2 is not only a quality headset, but you can actually buy one, and at an affordable price, too. The Valve Index may be our top pick for the very best VR experience, but it’s hardly ever in stock, and comes at a much higher premium price.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
And then there’s the headset’s flexibility – interestingly, the Oculus Quest 2 isn’t even primarily intended for PC VR use. It’s an untethered mobile headset first and foremost. But it’s easily possible to hook it up to a PC using a single USB-C connection, offering the best of both worlds in VR.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (remember, Oculus is owned by Facebook) may have said that theOculus has yet to go “mainstream”, but it’s certainly heading that way. No wonder the company is already eyeing up anOculus Quest 3.
Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site’s home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don’t expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of ‘Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future’, published by Aurum Press.
Batman: Arkham Shadow review: an almost flawless VR experience
Batman: Arkham Shadow is the Meta Quest 3 game you’ve been waiting for
Arcane season 2 finally gave us the huge Caitlyn and Vi moment we’ve been waiting for – and its creators say ‘we couldn’t have done it in season one’
