How to Make the Quest 2 More Comfortable (ZERO Pressure)

******Quest 3 modding updated guide: How to Make the Meta Quest 3 More Comfortable

I’m a huge fan of the Oculus (Meta) Quest 2, but I’m not gonna lie… It’s very uncomfortable. When I first bought the headset, I wasn’t able to use it for more than 15 minutes due to the discomfort on my cheeks and forehead.

The good news is, after doing some modifications, I can wear it for as long as I want!

So NO – You did NOT buy the wrong headset. The Quest 2 is amazing!

How to Make the Oculus Quest 2 More Comfortable

Here’s how you can get zero pressure around your face and eliminate the problem of the Quest 2 feeling too tight around your head:

Step 1: Get a soft, leather face padding.
Step 2: Upgrade the stock strap into an Elite or Halo strap (Elite recommended).
Step 3: Assemble the headset and add a counterweight (optional)

A better strap will distribute the weight of the headset around your head more evenly so it isn’t as front-heavy.

Here’s a picture of my modded Quest 2

This is what the final product will look like:

Not much different than the original, but it’s so comfortable I’ve been able to wear this for over 5 hours straight in VRChat without much burden.

The Two Mods You Need:

In short, get these 2 mods:

VR Cover Face Padding Mod

Make the face padding feel like soft cushions so you get 0 pressure on your cheeks.

Elite Strap/Kiwi Strap

Change the headstrap so it distributes the weight evenly on your head. Also, it won’t feel like a rubber band squeezing your head, and it doesn’t touch your ears.

With these 2 mods, all the pressure from your face will be alleviated. I’ve tried several other mods including halo straps and this is the best solution.

Difference Between Elite Strap, KiwiDesign Comfort Strap, Halo Strap and Battery Straps

There’s many comfort mods out there, but which one to get? And what’s the difference between them?

Official Elite Strap

The official Elite Strap from Oculus is one of the most comfortable straps out there, however, it has durability issues.

The advantage of the official Elite Strap is you get to order it officially from Oculus, which has fast shipping.

Meanwhile, other 3rd party straps will have a longer delivery date.

KiwiDesign Comfort Strap

The KiwiDesign Comfort Strap is my favorite one.

In terms of comfort, it’s the same as the official Elite Strap. It’s one of the most comfortable straps out there.

The difference is – it’s a lot more durable.

I’ve had my KiwiDesign Elite Strap for almost 1.5 years now and there’s no signs of it breaking.

BoboVR M2

The BoboVR M2 strap is very comfortable as well, but the distribution of weight differs to the Elite Strap and KiwiDesign Strap. In the BoboVR M2 strap, the some of the pressure is alleviated from your face and It relieves some of the pressure from your face and is distributed to your forehead instead.

Some people might like it, some people don’t.

However, I don’t recommend the BoboVR M2 strap for a very big reason: It’s not very stable.

When moving around in VR, the headset isn’t held in place as well as the other straps, so it will move around. This causes you to lose the “sweet spot” where everything is clear and requires you to adjust the headset again.

Battery Straps

All the above mentioned straps have a battery version.

Some say the battery acts as a counterweight and distributes the headset’s weight better. However, I have not noticed any difference in comfort from using the battery straps.

The battery is too light to act as a counterweight.

With that said – get the battery strap if you want to have longer play sessions.

Best Oculus Quest 2 Comfort Mods

I recommend combining 2 comfort mods together for best comfort. Some people can get away with just one comfort mod, but people like myself need 2-3.

Which ones to choose?

The three main comfort mods you need are:

Softer face padding & facial interface. The original face padding is a rough and felt too narrow for my head, causing my temples to hurt. If you get softer padding, you’ll feel almost zero pressure on the front of your face. The difference is night and day!
A new strap: The original strap is very flimsy and distributes the weight badly, making it front-heavy. They can also be irritating to your ears. A new strap will solve all of this.
For Quest 1 owners: A counterweight. The Quest 1 is so front-heavy that by adding weight at the back, you can alleviate the pressure at the front. There aren’t any custom headstraps for the Quest 1 unfortunately, so a counterweight is your best option.

Best Oculus Quest 2 Headstraps

There are several options for straps, but I found the best ones are:

The official Elite Strap (from Oculus)
The Kiwi Strap (my personal recommendation)

About Halo Straps: There are several halo straps out there as well, such as the BoboVR M2 strap. These might look comfortable, but they have a lot of drawbacks: Mainly all the weight is distributed to the top of your head, so it can cause headaches to some people. Also, they slip around alot, so it makes playing games very annoying as you have to constantly adjust your headset to get a clear image.

If frontal face pressure is an issue, most of it will be solved by getting soft face padding. The Elite Strap will take care of the rest.

How the Elite Strap works:

They distribute the weight of the headset more evenly around your head so it doesn’t feel as front-heavy.
It doesn’t irritate your ears like the original Quest 2 strap. It also doesn’t feel like a rubber band squeezing your head.
It feels more comfortable on the back of your head and allows you to adjust it easily with the knob at the back.

Out of these two straps, I prefer the Kiwi Strap. It’s easily the most comfortable headstrap I’ve ever tried!

The original Elite Strap is just as comfortable, but it has durability issues. The only advantage of getting the Elite Strap is one of the versions comes with an in-built battery pack. This extends the battery life of your Quest 2, at an additional cost.

If you don’t care about the battery pack, then just get the KIWI strap.

Make sure to pair this with a face padding mod for ultimate comfort:

Face Padding Mod

This mod is a must-have for everyone and I recommend pairing it with the KIWI headstrap for best comfort.

VRCover Facial Interface & Foam Replacement

This VR Cover padding literally feels like a cushion on your face – it’s sooo soft! I get no more red marks on my face.

The product comes with two versions: a thicker cushion and a thinner one.

The thinner one allows your face to get closer to the lens (even closer than the original foam) and increases your ‘field of view‘ by a few degrees. The thicker one greatly enhances comfort.

To me, I like the thicker one better because the extra comfort is worth the small decrease in field of view, but both are much more comfortable than the original stock foam.

In my opinion, this is a must-have mod for everyone. Not only does it improve comfort, but it also offers:

Better hygiene & easier cleaning
Reduces light leak into the headset with the nose flaps (as shown above)
Prevents skin irritation in people with more sensitive skin

Combine this with a counterweight, and it should be comfortable enough to wear for hours.

Best Oculus Quest 1 Counterweight Mod: VR Balance Mod

The above picture was from my Quest 1, but they released a new version for the Quest 2. I’m still using the old version, because it actually fits on the Quest 2 as well, but I recommend you order the new version.

This is the slickest design I’ve ever seen for a counterweight mod. It is like a cushion on the back of your head, except it weighs ~539 grams which is the perfect weight for a counterweight in my opinion.

I love this counterweight mod, because it allows you lie down comfortably. Other counterweights such as the battery pack mod makes it difficult to lie down.

It also fits in the Oculus Quest travel case and looks quite nice compared to other counterweight mods.

I reached out to VR Balance and they were nice enough to give us a small discount code:

You can order here and checkout using the code ‘WINSTON’ for a small discount. NOTE: This mod does NOT work with the ‘Elite Strap’ if you have that.

Recommended Comfort Mod Combos:

Without any mods, the original Quest 2’s comfort rating is a 3/10 for me – very uncomfortable. However, with comfort mods, we can bump that to a 7-9/10.

Let me show you the 3 combinations you can use:

Comfort Rating without mods: 3/10

Option #1 (budget option): VR Cover Face Padding Mod

Getting the VR Cover Facial Interface Replacement is pretty comfortable by itself.

Comfort Rating: 7/10

Option #2 (best option): VR Cover Face Padding Mod + Elite Strap/Kiwi Strap

Comfort Rating: 9/10

This is sooo comfortable! I was able to wear the Quest all day with these mods! By far the best option for most people.

Option #3 (for Quest 1 owners): VR Balance Counterweight