Meta Quest 2 vs Valve Index: Meta is just on another level with its virtual reality headsets

Set up

It's night and day. Let's start with the Valve Index, since there's a lot more to say there. The Valve Index requires three separate outlets for you to get it going – one for the headset itself, and two for what Valve calls Base Stations.

Those are two box-shaped devices that help the Valve Index track your movements, and must not just be plugged into the mains, but positioned in a good way so as to always see your headset and controllers, too.

Once you've got those three cables sorted out, the Valve Index headset has two more that go into your PC – a USB one and a DisplayPort, and not all PCs have DisplayPorts, mind you.



So that's five plugs sorted out – time to fire up your expensive gaming PC and launch Steam on it, as well as SteamVR. Because yes, this is not a standalone headset, meaning it requires a gaming PC to work whatsoever.

Once you install SteamVR, you have to input your height, then you get to enjoy a really cool Portal-inspired tutorial on how to use your controllers.
Around that time you'll start noticing that the Valve Index's Base Stations make an infuriating, high-pitched whining noise, all the time. They don't even stop automatically when you turn off SteamVR; you have to dig into the SteamVR settings to make the Base Stations go quiet when the headset is not in use.

In any case, after all that, you're ready to play any VR games that you want, on your Valve Index.

And now for the Quest 2's set up process – you just turn it on. As long as it's charged, you won't have to deal with a single cable. There's nothing to install, or any Base Stations to plug into outlets and position around your room. And since the Quest 2 is a standalone headset, you don't even need a computer for it to work.

The Quest 2 can track your position without any Base Stations, it measures your height automatically, plus can detect objects in your play area that you may want to remove. Its intro tutorials are a bit more simplistic and dare I say corporate and uninspired, but it works, and it's vastly simpler to set up and start using.

Design and comfort

The Meta Quest 2 is made out of matte plastic, with a soft and comfortable head strap, and as a whole, it feels sturdy and substantial. It weighs 501 grams (1.10 lbs), and feels quite comfortable to use for a long time.

The Valve Index is also made out of matte plastic, but has a magnet-attached glossy plastic lid on its front side, which can be removed (and lots of people do, as it can get warm after a while). Its head strap is more intricate than the Quest 2, with a sturdy plastic frame that goes behind the user's head, and a nice, soft mesh on the inside.

The Valve Index's more complex head strap doesn't make it feel notably more comfortable to use, however, and its heavier weight of 807 grams (1.78 lbs) doesn't help.



And while the Quest 2's soft head strap can be used comfortably even when you're lying in bed, the Valve Index's hard head strap can not, as you'll always have hard plastic right behind your head.

In my experience, and this is subjective and depends on your head shape and size, the Quest 2 is much more comfortable to wear, while I never got the feeling that the Valve Index was strapped to my face in an optimal, perfectly comfortable way.

It's worth noting that the Valve Index comes with a foam padding accessory that can be slotted into the back of its head strap, and is meant to help people with smaller heads wear the headset, but that just made things more awkward and uncomfortable for me, so I don't think the head size is the issue, it's that the head strap just isn't that comfortable, and the headset is pretty top-heavy.

The Valve Index has other extras that the Quest 2 doesn't – its IPD range is higher (58-70 mm, compared to 58-68 mm on the Quest 2) and even the depth of the lenses can be mechanically adjusted. You can move them further away from your eyes, which can not only help you with focusing better, but leaves space for glasses too, in case you wear any.

Display (FOV, resolution, refresh rate, IPD)

The Quest 2 has a "nearly 4K"-resolution display, at 1832 by 1920 pixels per eye, as well as a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The Valve Index offers 1440 by 1600 pixels per eye, and its display can refresh at up to 144Hz.

Now that resolution difference might not sound like much on paper, but the Quest 2's screen looks way more detailed in person. The Valve Index's display is a bit more archaic, with its pixels visible, and that dreaded screen door effect older headsets used to have.

Meanwhile the Quest 2 has none of that. Its display feels like a whole, big step forwards from the Valve Index, which is particularly hard to believe, considering how much cheaper the Quest 2 is. But it's true.

In terms of IPD, the Valve Index has a slightly higher IPD range (58-70 mm) than the Quest 2 (58-68 mm).

The Valve Index also wins when it comes to FOV (field of view), as it has a higher one of about 108 degrees, while the Quest 2 feels a bit more narrow and cramped to look through, due to its 89 degree FOV.

I expected the Valve Index to feel way more immersive thanks to that higher FOV, but it turns out 10 degrees really don't make much of a difference, and since its screen is lower resolution and pixelated, you're really not gaining much worth bragging about.

But hey, Valve Index users can definitely brag that their headset has the brighter screen. Indeed, the Index can get a lot brighter, while the Quest 2 feels a bit dim sometimes.

At the same time, Quest 2 users can brag with the fact that there's no glare (or barely any) inside of their headset. The Valve Index does suffer from lens glare, and in my experience it's so distracting sometimes, that I just have to stop using it. There's lots of room for improvement there, Valve.

To explain what the lens glare entails a bit better – it's a phenomenon caused by light from the Valve Index's screen reflecting into the lenses, which are right in front of your eyes. So while you're playing your VR game, you'll be noticing ghostly lights moving around in your field of vision constantly, especially if it's a dark game, but with passing light sources, say street or car lights. Again, it gets very distracting, and it's not an issue with the Quest 2, only the Valve Index.

Games

The Meta Quest 2 has countless games available on its app store; games that are perfectly optimized to work on the device standalone. Those include highly popular titles such as Beat Saber, Gorilla Tag, VRChat, BoneLab, Job Simulator, Among Us VR, Resident Evil 4 VR, Gorn, and many, many more.

Only when you jump up to big budget PC VR titles, such as Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR and Half-Life: Alyx, will you finally need to have a computer around. The Quest 2 is just not powerful enough on its own to run AAA virtual reality games like those. You can still play them with it, though, but again, that's as long as you also have the decent gaming rig that such games inevitably require.

It's also worth noting that the Meta Quest 2 has apps too – Netflix, YouTube, web browsers, it's a full-blown Android-based little standalone computer, after all.

Meanwhile the Valve Index requires a powerful gaming computer to run any games whatsoever, but this means its library technically consists of the same games that the Quest 2 can play either standalone or via a PC.

Basically all modern PC VR games will work perfectly whether you're using a Quest 2 or a Valve Index, so long as your PC is powerful enough, but the Index does have its flagship title – Half-Life: Alyx. And Valve gives you that game for free, when you buy the headset, which is pretty cool.

Software / User interface

The Meta Quest 2 is a standalone VR headset that comes with its own operating system, based on Android. Its user interface is friendly and intuitive, and the headset has a lot of power user features like multi-window app support for multitasking, and hand tracking.

Of course, the Quest 2 has the basics too – a built-in web browser (which supports YouTube playback), an app store for buying and downloading apps and games, and even file viewers.

You can download different themes for your home, meaning the virtual location you'll be in while you're in the main menu can change, or you can even set it to Passthrough – which will show you the real world around you, like an AR headset would. Passthrough is pretty cool, it uses the Quest 2's cameras, although since they're low-rez and monochrome, it's not exactly a high-quality experience, but it's still pretty handy, and I personally always use it for my home. This way I can multitask on the Quest 2, seeing its windows floating around, while I also get to see my real-world surroundings.

The Quest 2 can also become from a standalone VR headset to a PC VR headset – it can connect to a gaming PC either wirelessly via a feature called AirLink, or wired, with a sold-separately Oculus Link cable.

If you do that, you get a different interface, with simple buttons to launch your most recent games, to open the app store, or to see your PC's desktop and control it from the headset.

As for the Valve Index, since it's purely meant to connect with a PC, its interface comes from SteamVR, and what it can do is a lot less. It's basically waiting for you to launch a game, so it can be the basic VR headset that it is, but you can also use it to see and control your desktop, if you wish to.

No Passthrough feature on the Valve Index, unfortunately, even if it too has cameras. As a non-standalone VR headset, it's just way more barebones like that.

Head tracking and cameras

The Meta Quest 2 has four cameras that do all the tracking without requiring any extra accessories. They're infrared and low resolution, but as mentioned earlier, they can also be used for Passthrough, a feature that lets you see your surroundings through them.

Head and controller tracking on the Quest 2 has been flawless in my experience, over the last couple of years, and it's very impressive that it all just works without any special tracking devices placed around your room.

Nope, you can go into any new room, a hotel room, a crowded bus, whatever, and easily set up that new place as your play area, whether room scale or sitting down, in a matter of seconds.



As for the Valve Index, it has two cameras, and those require the two included Base Station gadgets to be set up in your dedicated VR play area, in order to track your head movements. So this headset is nowhere near as flexible, but since it's not a standalone headset, and has tons of cables to worry about, that should be obvious. You need one room to be your play area, and that's it.

In any case, the Valve Index is great when it comes to head and controller tracking too, and I haven't noticed any issues. Despite its more intricate set up, I didn't exactly notice its tracking to be any better than the Quest 2's tracking, however, so again – the fact that those Base Stations are required feels like it shouldn't be a thing nowadays. And it probably won't be with the Valve Index 2.

Controllers

The Meta Quest 2's controllers are as simple as it gets, and that's a good thing. They're compact, with comfortable thumbsticks, buttons and a trigger, all easy to feel for and memorize the location of. Their design is comfortable to hold and use for many hours on end.

However, the big minus with the Quest 2's controllers is the fact that they use AA batteries, so you'll periodically need to replace them with new ones. If you don't spring for alkaline batteries, the battery life of the controllers isn't too long either. But with decent alkaline ones, I usually get over two weeks of use.

The Valve Index's controllers are larger and more complex, with huge guardrail things on the sides, plus extra straps that can hold them against your hands when tightened. Unfortunately, all that just makes them more awkward to hold and cumbersome to put away, and that extra strap, while it seems like a good idea on paper, when tightened, moves my hand too high, where the controllers' buttons stop being reachable with my thumbs, so I wouldn't say the execution is flawless. Perhaps this works better for people with smaller hands and shorter fingers.



While the Valve Index controllers also have the usual buttons, thumbsticks, and triggers, they also sport a touch-sensitive area that usually serves as a scroll wheel in some games, and most menus. Now that seems like an unnecessary gimmick, and I never found it useful in most games, not to mention it was the first thing to stop working properly once I dropped the controllers enough times.

Hopefully Valve will simplify things with the next Index, like Meta has done with the Quest 2's controllers.

The Valve Index controllers do have something going for them, though, and it's the fact that they have built-in rechargeable batteries. Each of the controllers has a USB Type-C port on the bottom, so you can change them with the same cable that charges your (non-iPhone) phone. And charging is quick too. So that's convenient – no need to constantly buy and swap AA batteries on these.

Audio quality

Both the Meta Quest 2 and the Valve Index have great-sounding speakers, but the ones on the Index are way, way lounder too. And since they are flexible and can be positioned right over your ears, you really get a loud, rich, and immersive gaming experience that, impressively, people around you will barely hear, if at all.

Again, the Meta Quest 2 has great speakers with impressive bass for how thin they are, but they're positioned in the frames of the headstrap, and can't be moved closer to your ear. If that was the case, I'm sure they'd sound even better and bassier, but then again, Meta probably opted for simplicity, and decided on removing yet another potential breaking point by not making the speakers adjustable. So, compromises, compromises.

In any case, when it comes to sound, it's hard to pick a winner here. Both VR headsets have great speakers, and while I do appreciate how much louder the Valve Index ones can get, I do personally prefer the simplicity of the Quest 2's speakers – meaning you don't have to move them around every time you put on or take off the headset. They're always in the "right" spot.

Battery life and charging

As a standalone VR headset, the Meta Quest 2 is packed with a lot of hardware to keep it going on its own, including a built-in battery. Now that battery charges with a USB Type-C cable, rather slowly, but lasts a respectable 2-to-3 hours, depending on the games you're playing.

And it makes the Quest 2 extremely portable. You can take it and use it literally anywhere you go, as it's fully wireless.

I ended up using the Quest 2 as a PC VR headset more so than as a standalone one, because yes, it can be a PC VR headset too if you buy a Link Cable or use AirLink. I opted for the former, so now since the Quest 2 is always plugged into my PC, I never worry about battery life.

But if you use it the way it's mostly meant to be used – as a standalone VR headset – expect to have to charge it after every play session. You'll just make the habit of leaving it plugged in when not in use.

As for the Valve Index, it has no battery, and thus no charging. It always needs to be plugged into both an outlet and your PC in order to work. This makes it so there's wires all around, but on the upside – you never have to think about charging it, so once again – compromises, compromises.

Meta Quest 2 vs Valve Index specs comparison

Specs	Quest 2	Valve Index
Display resolution	1832 by 1920 pixels per eye	1440 by 1600 pixels per eye
Display technology	LCD	LCD
Refresh rate	90Hz by default, can go up to 120Hz	120Hz by default, can go up to 144Hz
IPD range	56-70mm	58-70 mm
FOV (field of view)	~89º	up to 130º
Storage options	128GB, 256GB
RAM	6GB
Processor	Snapdragon XR2
Battery size	3640 mAh
Battery life	1.5 - 3 hrs
Charging time	Up to 2.5 hours
Operating system	Based on Android 10	Requires a Windows PC
Weight	501 g (1.10 lbs)	807 g (1.78 lbs)
Cameras and sensors	4 cameras	2 cameras, 2 Base Station tracking devices
Sound	Stereo speakers Positional audio 3.5mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers Positional audio 3.5mm headphone jack
Controller battery	Replaceable AA Non-rechargeable	Rechargeable, built-in
Announcement date	September 16, 2020	April 30, 2019
Release date	October 13, 2020	June 28, 2019
Price at launch	$399.99 for 128GB of storage $499.99 for 256GB of storage	$999 for the full VR kit

Frequently asked questions

Which one is better for gaming – the Meta Quest 2 or the Valve Index?

Both headsets are great for gaming, but the higher resolution of the Meta Quest 2, as well as the fact that it can run most of the popular VR games without needing a computer, gives it a significant edge.

The Valve Index needs a computer, and uses cables and motion sensors that have to be plugged into outlets and positioned at visible spots in your room, for you to use it, while the Quest 2 has none of that, making it more convenient, and portable too.

Which one is more comfortable to wear – the Meta Quest 2 or the Valve Index?

The Meta Quest 2's soft head strap is more comfortable to wear than the bulky, plastic-housed head strap of the Valve Index. You can even use the Meta Quest 2 in bed, as the back of its head strap is soft and thin. The same cannot be said for the Index.

However, it's worth noting that there are third party head straps available for both headsets. So you can always buy one, replacing the default one, in order to make things more comfortable for yourself.

Can both the Meta Quest 2 and Valve Index be used for PC VR and standalone VR experiences?

While the Meta Quest 2 can indeed be used for both PC VR, and as the standalone VR headset that it is first and foremost, the Valve Index cannot be used for both.

The Valve Index is simply a PC VR headset; it is not a standalone headset. It requires a gaming PC to run.

Which one is better suited for social VR experiences – the Meta Quest 2 or the Valve Index?

Meta definitely leans heavy on the social aspect for its VR headsets, so this is a pretty strong win for the Quest 2. Although both the Quest 2 and Valve Index can be used to play games such as VRChat, the Quest, being a standalone headset, is vastly more comfortable to use for such experiences.

Since you're not tethered to any cables or relying on a computer for your social gaming, it's just more convenient on the Quest 2.

Also, Meta even has its own social app that's exclusive to its headsets – Horizon Worlds.

Verdict – which should you buy in 2023, the Quest 2 or the Valve Index?

While both headsets are deservingly at the top of our best VR headsets list, using the Valve Index after I've been accustomed to the Quest 2 made me realize just how much Meta has changed the game over the last couple of years.

Compared to the Meta Quest 2, the Valve Index just feels extremely archaic, not to mention grossly overpriced.

It's absolutely impossible to justify spending $1,000 on a Valve Index, when the $400 Quest 2 does everything that really matters better, and is infinitely simpler to set up and get going. Portable too.

Unlike the Valve Index, the Quest 2 has no visible display pixels, no infuriating lens glare, no noise from any motion tracking devices (because yes, the Valve Index Base Stations make a noise), and no tangling yourself up in five different cables… You don't even need a computer.

So although the Valve Index is a respectable VR headset for dedicated PC VR gaming, with some neat quality of life features that the Quest 2 lacks, overall, it's very hard to recommend it over the Quest.

Whether you want an affordable and simple, standalone VR headset, or a PC VR headset for powerful AAA gaming – the Quest 2 can be both – and it'll do it all better and cheaper than the Valve Index.

On a side note, Meta is preparing to release a Quest 3 later this year. So you may want to consider waiting for a bit, instead of buying either VR headset now, and getting the Quest 3 when it comes out, as it would inevitably be even better than the Quest 2 already is.