Here’s why you shouldn’t buy the Oculus Quest 2 256GB model
Don’t waste your money on the wrong Oculus Quest 2
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Update:Who’d have guessed? The same day that this piece goes live Meta decides to announce that theOculus Quest 2 is getting more expensive. From August 1, 2022, you’ll have to pay $400 / £400 / AU$630 for the 128GB version and $500 / £500 / AU$790 for the 256GB model. The points below still stand though, there’s no reason to spend more on the larger one.
Original:If you’ve been tempted to pick up anOculusQuest 2 VR headset, you’ve likely seen that there are two models to choose between.
They’re almost identical in terms of specs and capabilities, with the only difference being how much internal storage yourOculus Quest 2headset has. There’s the 128GB version (priced at £299 / $299 / AU$479) and the 256GB one (£399 / $399 / AU$639).
Considering that neither version of the headset comes with any kind of expandable storage, you might think the 256GB version is a must-have for anyone looking to take their VR gaming seriously. But that just isn’t the case.
If you’re dead set on picking up one of thebest VR headsetsout there then there’s really only one choice: you’ve got to go for the 128GB model.
Bigger isn’t better
If you’re a gamer you’ll know that file sizes for your favorite games can get pretty darn massive.Call of DutyBlack Ops Cold War’sXbox Series XandPS5versions came in at136GB and 133GB respectively at launch, and that’s before any future patches and updates.
However, VR games are a whole different proposition, and not even thebest Oculus Quest 2 gamesget anywhere near those file sizes.
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.
Looking at what’s on offer at the official Quest Store, you’re going to be playing games with much smaller file sizes:2.3GBforWalkabout Mini Golf,774MBforWands Alliances, and8.8GBforResident Evil 4 VR, to name just a few. Resident Evil 4 was actually the largest title we could find in our quick scan of the store’s most popular games; most were nearer 1GB or 2GB.
That means that if you opt for the 128GB version, you can comfortably fit 50 amazing games on it and still have room to spare. And, realistically, how often are you actively playing that many titles at once?
And even if you somehow do manage to fill the storage – an unlikely feat, but not impossible if you decide to buy absolutely everything on the Quest’s digital store – it only takes a few minutes to swap games onto your headset. Because the file sizes are tiny it takes barely any time to delete some older experiences you haven’t played in a while, and replace them with all-new options.
So, even if you have the cash to spare, we’d recommend going for the cheaper 128GB Quest 2 headset. That extra $100 / £100 / AU$169 could get you a fair few games, especially during a sale – and what’s the point in dropping loads on a VR headset if you’ve then got nothing to play on it?
Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.
Batman: Arkham Shadow review: an almost flawless VR experience
Batman: Arkham Shadow is the Meta Quest 3 game you’ve been waiting for
Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: A powerful and truly portable projector
