The New 128 GB Oculus Quest 2: What to Know

Facebook, the parent company of VR headset maker Oculus, announced a few Oculus-related things in July. The biggest announcement was a new model in the Oculus Quest 2 family! Learn about all the updates in this quick explainer.

Alongside the announcement of a new Quest 2 model, Facebook dropped several other important pieces of news in their July update. One was about a recall for existing Oculus Quest 2 units and a pause in sales for new stock.

Usually, recalls are serious business that can create some big disruptions. Thankfully, this one was something pretty straightforward.

Facebook has identified a problem with the foam face insert that shipped with original Oculus Quest 2 devices. Some users are developing irritated skin after wearing the device with the foam face insert attached. Clearly, that’s not a good look for a device that must be strapped to your face to use!

Facebook’s solution is a silicone cover that goes over the top of the optional face insert. Anyone who owns an original Oculus Quest 2 can request their free silicone cover by going to “My Devices” on their Oculus account page.

Facebook also briefly paused sales of new Quest 2s so that it could get a silicone cover into the boxes of each unit prior to sale. The pause in sales was concerning but temporary — finding a Quest 2 today is as easy as heading to the Oculus website.

As recalls go, this one was pretty mild, thankfully. And now, if you buy a new Quest 2, you’ll get the silicone cover included automatically.

Facebook also announced that they would be releasing a new Oculus Quest 2 model. This announcement has stirred up the user base. Here’s what you need to know.

Although Facebook announced a new model, the company doesn’t appear to have changed anything significant about the Quest 2 — other than the storage space of the base model.

The $299 Oculus Quest 2 shipped with 64 GB of internal storage, and there was no way to expand that storage amount. Once you filled it up, you’d have to offload some installed games to install something new.

Now, as of late August 2021, the 64 GB model is no longer available directly from Oculus’s website. The base model is now a 128 GB Oculus Quest 2, with double the storage of the previous model.

There has always been a pricier 256 GB model as well, and there still is. The price hasn’t changed on that one, still sitting at $399.

As far as anyone can tell, this is the only change. But it’s a significant one: twice the storage means twice the games you can have installed at one time. As VR games grew in size and complexity, 64 GB began to feel pretty limited. So it’s a good change for anyone who hasn’t yet bought the 64 GB model.

Oculus and Facebook aren’t the first companies to make this kind of midcycle release. Apple has done so with a few iPhone and iPod models, doubling the base storage in an off-cycle update.

Officially, there are no differences between the older and newer models other than storage space. But you never quite know for sure. Facebook could have quietly taken the opportunity to shore up some weaknesses.

Conventional wisdom says that — whether you’re buying new or used — buying the 128 GB model is a safer bet now because you know for sure that it’s newer. A 64 GB model is automatically older, and you can’t be sure of the age of a 256 GB Quest 2.

So unless you know you’ll need the maximum amount of space, the 128 GB model is the best bet for now.

For many, Facebook’s Oculus announcement and subsequent release of the 128 GB Oculus is exciting. However, if you’re picking up a new Oculus Quest 2, don’t forget an extended warranty from Upsie. Upsie’s warranties protect your Oculus from accidental damage, dead pixels, defects, and more.

In addition, the cost of an Upsie warranty is often up to 70 percent more affordable than options from other retailers and third-party warranty providers. With Upsie, customers receive premium protection without the premium price tag.