The Quest 2’s best feature is arguably its ability to play some of the hottest VR games as a stand alone device. The drawback to this is that we have to put up with a limited battery life and long charging times. The Meta Quest 2’s lithium-ion battery is capable of powering it for around 2-3 hours (depending on what you’re doing) and it takes about 2.5 hours to charge.
Thankfully, you can significantly increase your playtime between charges and maintain your Quest’s battery so it retains its capacity to hold a charge just by following the simple tips below.
Power off when not in use
Starting with the most obvious tip, make sure you fully power down your headset whenever you’re not using it. When you stop using the Quest 2 it goes into standby mode which slowly drains the battery over time.
To save battery life between sessions, make sure to hold the power button down until the headset powers off completely. The indicator light on the front of the headset should turn off and you’ll hear a chime to let you know the headset has shut down.
Take care of the battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries will lose some of their capacity over time but there are a few things we can do to help slow this process down.
Always stop charging your Quest 2 headset once it has been fully charged. You’ll notice the indicator light on the front of the headset will turn green when a full charge is complete. Leaving a headset on charge once it’s been fully charged can reduce the capacity of the batteries over time.
Aim to recharge the battery when it’s anywhere between 20-80% capacity. Letting the batteries drain to 0% before charging can also reduce their capacity over time. However, experts do recommend allowing the battery to fully discharge once every 30 charges to avoid an issue called digital memory that also affects the maximum charge.
Finally, only use the official charging plug and cable that comes with the Meta Quest 2. The official charger has been designed to work optimally with your headset and using anything else, especially fast chargers, can reduce battery performance.
Battery saving settings
There are a few settings you can play with to reduce the drain on the battery and extend your playtime. When inside your headset, go into Settings>System>Power to access the ‘Auto Wake’ and ‘Auto Sleep’ options. Disable Auto Wake to prevent the headset from being accidentally turned on and enable Auto Sleep (with 15 second delay) so the headset goes into standby mode when not in use.
WiFi can also be disabled to conserve a little battery power too. On the Quest home screen, go into Settings>WiFi and there will be a toggle switch to disable it. Bear in mind, disabling WiFi is only an option if playing a game or using an application that doesn’t require an internet connection.
Lastly, the Quest 2 supports 72 Hz, 90 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates, which basically refers to the amount of time the screen refreshes per second. Some games and experiences take advantage of the 90 Hz and 120 Hz rates which provides smoother-looking motion but also causes the battery to drain faster. Selecting the lowest refresh rate in the game options will conserve battery and extend your playtime.
Additional batteries
The above tips will help you get the most out of your Quest 2 battery but you’ll still be limited to a maximum of 3 hours playtime. External battery packs can extend this out to give you a few more hours before needing to recharge. You can opt to use a regular power bank as long as it has the right power output (5V and at least 2.4A).
However, it may take a little work or require an additional accessory to attach an unofficial power bank to the headset. A more convenient option would be to purchase a power bank specifically designed for the Quest 2, like the Rechargeable Battery Pack For Quest 2 by AUBIKA which provides an extra 2-4 hours and slides neatly onto the strap arms.
Otherwise, I would also recommend investing in an accessory like the AUBIKA Excellence Head Strap With Battery. The battery is encased in the back of a premium head strap and its weight helps to counterbalance the front-heaviness of the Quest. So it not only extends your playtime and looks sleek, but also provides a more comfortable experience.
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