Elevate Your VR Experience! Best Head Strap Upgrade for Meta Quest 2
When I opened the box from Kiwi Design, what I experienced inside made me mad; and not for the reasons you’d expect.
Today, I had the chance to unbox, test, and review the Comfort Battery Audio Head Strap for Quest 2 from Kiwi Design.
The Comfort Battery Audio Head Strap for Quest 2 is currently on sale for $79.99 USD (Full retail is $119.99 USD). You can purchase one directly through this link, or use the promo code RICHCANADIAN.
The Review
The most common benefits of a head strap like this are extended battery life, added comfort, and improved fit. This add-on device certainly delivers those, but Kiwi always offers more.
The 6400mAh battery provides 2.5 to 5 hours of extra battery life. You can simultaneously piggyback charge your headset and head strap battery with a single plug.
When I opened the box, it looked complicated and intimidating. I needed the manual to assemble it. The good news is that installing this head strap onto my Oculus Quest 2 quickly became easier. The assembly was daunting, but it certainly looked harder to put together than it actually was.
Before I slid on my new Kiwi headstrap, I was already wowed by it but highly concerned about the device’s weight. It certainly seemed heavier than before (and it was). But from the moment I put it on, the materials felt high quality. The fit was comfy, padded, and perfect. Great design and engineering ensured a near-perfect fit every time I wore it. There were no pressure points. It truly feels like a fantastic upgrade (and well worth the price).
It was time to put it on, adjust the on-ear sound speakers, and try it.
Initial (Easy) VR Experience Testing
The first thing I did with the new headstrap upgrade was ride some rollercoasters. I noticed immediately that I could not hear anything else around me except for the VR game experience I was having. The speaker attachments make the VR more immersive. Only after testing it did I look at the Kiwi website and read that they touch on this in the marketing — and that claim is absolutely true.
As I did loops and drops on the roller coasters, my wife, sitting beside me, couldn’t hear anything. Previously, with the stock sound from the Meta Quest 2 (without the on-ear sound), she would have heard everything I was doing. The on-ear sound improves your experience and makes your VR experience less annoying to those around you — certainly not something that most people would expect.
The padding feels like wearing a fluffy, comfy pillow on my head. Plus, it flips up and down on your face so you can check your phone, grab a drink, etc.
Heavy-Duty VR Experience Testing: VR Fitness.
The real test was to put the equipment through its paces with a full-energy 20-minute workout session with my favorite VR fitness game, Supernatural (see my full review here).
I simultaneously tested both the Comfort Battery Audio Head Strap and the Extended Controller Grips. Around the halfway mark, as I was swinging at targets, I noticed the extra weight in my hands and the extra sweat. The one thing that I didn’t notice was the headset itself. I never noticed any additional weight on my head or neck.
After putting it on, the Kiwi Designs headset felt great and comfortable and needed no additional adjustment. It was like magic. While testing headstraps from other manufacturers, I could never get the right fit. Those other ones would slip off my head from being too loose, or it hurt my face because it was too tight. Kiwi Designs makes a wildly superior headset compared to the competitors. From the moment I put the Kiwi headset on, it felt like part of me. I tightened it slightly, adjusted the ear speakers, and never had a problem. Bravo!
As I killed all the targets in my game, I realized something a little concerning. The sound was so immersive with the comfy on-ear speakers, blocking out everything else around me, that I suddenly felt like someone could sneak up on me — and murder me while I played VR.
You see, while I was playing alone at home in the middle of the day, it would have been simple for someone to walk in (or break in) and walk right up to me without me even knowing it. While I admit that the chances of being murdered while playing VR are (probably) astronomically low, you’d never hear your would-be assassin coming (until it was far too late).
That is a testament to how great this product is; it really amplifies the immersion. I actually paused my workout to deadbolt the front door.
And Then Something Strange Happened.
With the headset off, sitting next to me on the floor, I was overcome with a feeling I had not expected while testing one of the best VR products I’ve ever used. The experience had made me angry.
Let me explain.
A few years ago, I made the horrible mistake of ordering a headstrap from Nordquest VR. If you haven’t read that scathing review, you can read the whole story here.
I got angry because the more I tested and reviewed Kiwi’s equipment, the more upset I became that I didn’t buy their stuff in the first place. I wasted hundreds of dollars of my own money on scam products from other manufacturers.
Let me be blunt: Kiwi Design gear actually does what it says it will, unlike some other products on the market. The reason for this is because they are innovators in the VR space. In fact, they own over 100 patents. Thats why they can do what others cannot.
For example, the on-ear speakers on this Kiwi headstrap are real. That sounds really dumb to say in a review, but the last on-ear sound enhancement I tested was totally fake. The competitor’s product didn’t actually do anything to enhance the sound (or its quality) other than to reflect the sound differently. The on-ear sound on this Kiwi head strap is legitimate, and the speakers plug into the Quest audio port for a quality (real) improved sound experience. No bullshit marketing hype.
What actually made me mad was that I had wasted my money on trash Nordquest VR products when the real products existed at Kiwi the whole time. Kiwi makes possible what other copycats only try to do.
Now that that weird feeling of anger has passed, I’m really excited to share with you that the more I experience Kiwi’s dedication to making things better, the more I realize that Kiwi is the real deal. They have provided the experience I wanted in the first place that I could not find elsewhere. For that, I will always be thankful. I love this, and you probably will, too.
The Comfort Battery Audio Head Strap for Quest 2 is currently on sale for $79.99 USD (Full retail is $119.99 USD). You can purchase them directly through this link, or use the promo code RICHCANADIAN.
If you do buy anything from Kiwi Design, they offer an 18-month manufacturer’s warranty, so if something does go wrong you know they’ll stand behind their products.
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Although Kiwi provided the gear for this review (and I receive a referral bonus for anything you buy there) if I thought their stuff was junk, I’d tell you.
