ZyberVR successfully sorted out my issues with the comfort of the Quest 3 with their Elite Strap. My next biggest issue with the headset was the battery life, especially if using mixed reality. With all of Quest 2 battery packs just slowing down the discharge of internal battery and not charging it at the same time. So, I was hoping ZyberVR could sort this for me as well with their Quick-Charge Neck Power Bank.
Release Date: October 10th 2023
Brand: ZyberVR
Price: US $69.99
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Product Provided For Review *
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Inside of the box you get the neck power bank, a 35cm and an 80cm USB-C to USB-C cable and a velcro cable-tie.
ATTACHING TO THE HMD
As the name of the product suggests, you will be wearing this battery pack around your neck, so your not going to need to attach the physical battery to your HMD in anyway. All you will need to do is place the strap around your neck and attach one end of the USB-C cable into the top of the strap (on the side of the headset charging port is on), then the other end into the charging port on the Quest, with the length of cable you find best for you.
You can then use the velcro tie to keep the cable out of way of the swing of your arms while playing, or if you have ZyberVR headstrap you can use the handy cable clip on the headstrap itself.
BENEFITS
The obvious benefit of the battery pack is the giving extra time to play your games without the need of having to take a break to re-charge the headset after a couple of hours max (which is covered more in the testing of the product).
Another benefit of it being around your neck is this does not add any weight to the headstrap. Where with the Quest/Quest 2 the extra weight of having a battery inside or attached to the headstrap worked as a great counter-weight, given the form factor and weight of the Quest 3, this really is not needed now.
Also, you can buy an extra battery, meaning if you some extra time you can have one ready to hot-swap once one is depleated.
TESTING THE PRODUCT
In order to test the product properly and get a feel for the comfort and how it performs, I played across a number of styles of games, both Quest 3 enhanced and non-enhanced games, mixed reality and while casting to a Chromecast.
I think I will start with the main feature I wanted from the battery and that is charging while playing and not just slowing down the battery discharge – and I happy to say this will charge your headset as you play, making the sort of longer sessions I wanted achievable.
For the testing I tried the pack with the Quest 3 being fully charged and at around fifteen-percent charged (as that is when the warning pops-up for low battery).
With the battery being fully charged, I found the following results;
- Quest 3 Enhanced Games: The strap lasted about two-hours, but kept the Quest fully charged.
- Non-Enhanced Games: It lasted two and a half hours and kept the Quest fully charged
- Mixed Reality: It lasted around an hour and a half, keeping the Quest fully charged
- While Casting: For games it lasted around two-hours and mixed reality around an hour and fifteen-minutes, both keeping the Quest fully charged.
The with the battery at fifteen-percent, I got the following results;
- Quest 3 Enhanced Games: Again the strap lasted about two-hours, and left the Quest at about eighty-percent changed
- Non-Enhanced Games: It lasted two and a half hours and the Quest was around eighty-percent charged
- Mixed Reality: It lasted around an hour and fifteen-minutes, leaving the Quest at around seventy-percent charged,
- While Casting: For games it lasted around two-hours and charged to Quest to about eighty-percent and mixed reality around an hour, with the Quest having around seventy-percent charge.
When it comes to the comfort, at first I was not sure If having the battery around your neck would be that comfortable but, was happy to find in most cases I forgot it was there, as ZyberVR have made sure it’s counter-weighted perfectly. However, when playing more active games like Samba de Amigo and Synth Riders, if getting in the groove of the music it moves a little and is obvious it is around your neck – even though you know its there, its not uncomfortable or distracting.
THE VERDICT
ZyberVR’s Quick-Charge Neck Power Bank allows you to have those longer sessions, while charging your Quest 3, which is exactly what I have been looking for. With it extending your game time by two to three-hours or your time in mixed reality up to one and half hours. The around the neck design means no added weight on your headstrap and something I found comfortable despite early concerns – and with two lengths of cables being provided it means you can select a length that is best for you. Also, if you wanting to quick-swap batteries, you can buy an extra battery to have ready to swap when needed.
