Meta Quest 2 - For someone in a wheelchair

Quest 2 is the whole package; think of it as whole portable console rather than a screen. Also, behind it you have the full financial power of Facebook/Meta, so it's there that most of the development for entertainment is happening.

In consequence there's a wide variety of type of games and experiences. Some are stationary (i.e. you are locked in a single room) but you are expected to move a bit (think virtual escape game), some are stationary by design (because you are in a cockpit of a car, or a plane, or a spaceship), some offer a wider world to explore (you then move either with the controller stick, or you teleport with a button on your controller). The accessibility options for games depends on a case-by-case basis.

If you look at the top 25 a lot of games are task-focused are you will be expected to move within the confines of a match, a bout or a song. Maybe your companion needs just time to chill out in a virtual world that's bigger than your room but without any constraint ? That said, in the top 10 there's VR Chat, Rec Room and Roblox. All those 3 have a strong social components and places your can just explore (but last time I checked, Rec Room and Roblox is cram full of kids).

If you have a gaming PC that's beefy enough (let's say, post pandemic ?), know that you can use the Quest 2 as a conventional VR headset and use the PC as a gaming platform. You may have to use a wire, but I got suprisingly good result using wifi with my Quest 1.
Half-Life Alyx is of course a must, but outside of official games they are VR mods for conventional games that works very well. This reddit topic mentions Skyrim and Subnautica, and if it's escapism that you seek then you're in for a treat. I can certainly vouch for Subnautica (and locomotion in that game is mostly swimming, so it's less likely to make you motion-sick).

Indeed it can be a great choice, altho i would recommend to look at the quest 3s instead as the quest 2 is no longer being supported (everything still works and every game and program can be installed still, but newer stuff wont be optimized for it anymore)

The quest is one of the safest choices you have for vr, you need no separate computer, if you do buy second hand just look out for damage to the lenses, any scratch can be a big deal because the lens will cover your eyes entire fov

Jeez all above sounds like the normal costumer support advice i see on reddit, they're all absolutely right but i thought i could still write it out with a different style.. guess not

But one thing i can say is, if money is a concern, after buying the headset you can kinda easily enable developer mode and then install apk files (yes the quest is android based) onto it, and finding games for it (even paid ones) for free is possible with a little bit of searching on reddit for guides

As for a list of seated games, i can kinda say all can be done seated, even lying down without too much tinkering, most non-exercise games have joystick rotation and movement, with just hands needed for shooting/throwing/punching/interacting etc, so try to experiment with different styles and see what suits your partner, story games (AC nexus and Batman come to mind for 10-12hour stories) online social spaces games (vrchat) exploration (wooorld and such) even some sports games (all in one sports)

Maybe even some movement based ones are possible? Beatsaber definitely is (with walls disabled), Audio trip and Synth riders too, maybe even Pistol Whip can be done by dodging with movement from lower back only?

If really unsure, you could look on youtube for some vr games, see if he would like to try it, then just give it a go, its a big ecosystem and the headset has good resell value

You'll want a wireless headset to keep things simpler. Wires can get tangled and may be difficult with a wheelchair. External trackers such as from Valve's Lighthouse could also be more difficult if the controllers are occluded, so that's not a good bet.

The Quest probably makes the most sense here, especially since they're heavily subsidized. The Quest 2 is a little bit older now, and are no longer sold by Meta so you'll need to find one second-hand. It's technically the lightest Quest headset, but the weight is frontloaded so it actually feels a little heavier on the face. The IPD slider[1] is stepped, so you need to find the nearest of the available option.

The Quest 3S is the most recent release, but is the next step up in terms of quality. It adds color passthrough cameras and a newer-gen Snapdragon chip for faster processing. Like the Q2 its IPD slider is notched, and it uses the same fresnel lenses. It's like an upgraded Quest 2.

The Quest 3 is a larger upgrade (and more expensive). It uses the newer pancake lenses which are much thinner, at the expensive of a small amount of field-of-view and brightness. Its IPD slider is granular, which improves comfort if you don't meet one of the slotted options from the other models. It also has color passthrough cameras and the newer Snapdragon chip. It's like a Quest 3S but with more premium features.

Personally I'm a big fan of pancake lenses over fresnel, but it's not an absolute requirement if cost is a concern.

There will likely be a discount available for Black Friday, so I'd wait around for that. If not a discount there may be a bundle of games. I'd also expect a holiday bundle closer to Christmas time, so if you need some time to decide there's no immediate rush.

You can start investing in the Meta ecosystem by buying games in their store. They run directly on the device (which is an Android device). Alternatively, you can stream games from a nearby PC running Steam instead. If streaming, you'll need a router that supports recent wifi standards for best results.

Many games support sitting modes, but not all do. Cockpit games especially should work well. In general though, you may need to read the reviews to learn more. In games designed for standing, they may still work fine but the character will just be very "short", since VR measures your head's distance from the ground. This could mess with the overall scale in some cases, but shouldn't be a dealbreaker.

Motion sickness is a concern for some, and it requires a little practice to get used to. While some are completely impervious to it, others are affected more strongly. Sitting may actually lessen the effect. While getting used to VR, I'd suggest taking frequent breaks and drinking water. Don't try to "push through". Having a fan blowing on you can be surprisingly helpful.

I think VR makes a lot of sense for those wheelchair-bound. It won't be a perfect experience as it's still a burgeoning technology, but I think your partner could still have fun.

[1] IPD refers to the distance between your pupils, in millimeters. The screens need to be separated by that amount to maintain the highest comfort. It's best to have this checked by an optometrist, but there are tests to find your own IPD. The options available in the Quest 2 and 3S are 58mm, 63mm, and 68mm. Worst case, you try all three and see which is most clear.

You may also wish to look into prescription lenses, if your partner wears glasses. Some companies sell lens inserts that slot right into the headset.

There are a ton of VR experiences that can be done fully sitting, yeah!

Others have mentioned games with cockpits, but there are also a decent number of puzzle games where you're basically floating above the game area, those are fun.

Highly recommend a Quest! I'm out of that ecosystem now, but I loved my Quest 1, and from what I've heard it's only gotten better since. Also, you can filter Meta's games list by Player Mode > Sitting to see what some good options are.

If he's never played VR, I highly recommend taking it easy for the beginning games. Anything with movement can be very disorienting at first. It's something you get used to over time, but if he were to jump right into, say, a flight sim or racing game, it could be very off-putting or even nausea-inducing.

Here are two good "starter" VR games that I recommend. Each is simple and isn't likely to cause motion sickness since they have no player locomotion:

• Esper is a short puzzle game where you manipulate objects through telekinesis.

• Moss is a narrative combat adventure starring a mouse. The mouse is adorable. Your partner will fall in love with the mouse.

Also, a cool feature of the Quest is that you can cast it to a TV. This means that he could play a game, and you could watch him play it on the TV while the two of you chat about it. This can be fun, because being in a headset can sometimes feel a little isolating, so this turns it into a shared experience.

My husband watched me play Taskmaster VR, for example, and we collaborated on solutions while I played. Meanwhile, I can't do anything close to horror in VR, so one of my friends played Half-Life: Alyx on my headset while I watched him and we commented on the game together.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned are the add-ons that make the Quest 2 wearable and comfortable.

Check out the BoboVR head strap and potentially a replacement face mask with a fan built into it.

VR is super cool but I'd recommend your partner borrow one to see how they like it first.

I'm not familiar with buying them secondhand, but using an old ("old" lol) Rift for like 6 years, the main concerns I'd have are:

• Make sure that the cables all work. The Rift cable is proprietary and supplies are diminishing, but I'm not sure what the Quest uses.

• Check for stuck pixels on the screen and cracks in the lens. I run some protectors on mine and they've kept it OK. Corrective lens inserts sound like a good investment, but I just wear my glasses in mine and I'm fine.

• Check that the audio doesn't get crackly or go out as you move the cable around. Mine's wonky and I had to tape it to the strap for the right angle. (Again, more and more expensive by the minute...)

You may be able to mess with certain games via hacks, settings, or mods to make them more accessible. e.g. Beat Saber or SUPERHOT VR are definitely easier when standing, but depending on his range of movement to move his head down or keep his balance seated, they may still be adjustable.

Anything with a cockpit should work well if there's interest with flight or driving sims - MS Flight Simulator, Elite Dangerous, Assetto Corsa, etc. Remapping controls should help with accessibility if you want to go with a more involved controller like a HOTAS or wheel.

Watch out with cost, the kinda arcade-y nature of VR games means it's easy to spend a lot...

Has he tried a VR headset? The experience varies quite a bit from person to person. Some people are fine, and some get severe motion sickness. If he has a chance to try it first, it would be worth finding out where he and you fall on the spectrum.

I don't have much experience with VR myself, but I do some development for a VR company, so I have picked up some "received wisdom". The word is that the worst experience (for nausea) is turning in the game when you don't turn in real life (or vice versa). I'm not sure how being in a wheelchair would affect that. There are some games you can play seated, but some of them (in my limited experience) do expect you to be able to move around in a stationary location. We also mostly work with the Vive headsets and Steam VR, so I don't know how different the Oculus experience is.

If I might slightly hijack the topic to ask a side question:

For those who have a Quest 2 or 3, how is the experience with Steam Link? I'm considering gifting a Quest 3s to my kids as a sort of wireless upgrade to our Index, but I would want to make sure that their Steam VR games are all still playable.