Summary
Given the lackluster head support provided by the Meta Quest 3’s stock fabric strap, a halo or elite strap should be considered a baked-in additional cost when buying the headset. The trickier question is which to go for, and the answer will differ depending on your needs.
Why You Should Buy a New Strap
TheMeta Quest 3’s fabric stock straphas a lot of issues. It doesn’t provide any counterbalance to the front-heavy headset, which can result in neck strain, it’s prone to slip off, and it gets pretty grody if you sweat.
While the stock strap’s thinness and flexibility make it ideal for lying down in bed wearing the headset, you’ll want to replace it for just about every other use-case. The good thing is that alternatives are available at a wide range of price points, with higher-end models providing superior comfort and extra features like integrated battery packs and forehead fans.
Non-stock straps come in two styles: elite and halo. Elite straps fasten the headset to your face, while halo straps move the pressure to your forehead and hang the headset at an optimal viewing angle. Both approaches are vastly superior to the stock strap but have their own strengths and weaknesses to consider.
Elite Straps Are Great for Fitness and Action
An elite strap adopts the traditional VR approach of locking the headset to your face while providing counterbalance. This typically entails turning a dial on the back of the strap until a clamshell support structure cradles the back of your head. This is buttressed by an overhead fabric strap you tighten and latch with Velcro. Elite straps also benefit from flexible third-party facial interfaces to help find a good fit.
If youuse your VR headset to work outor play games that require extensive body movement, you’re probably going to prefer an elite strap. On top of reducing the image blurring that a loose headset causes, they’re more lightweight than halo straps, giving your forehead space to breathe. If you have long hair, it’s also easier to pull it out without having to contend with a halo strap’s forehead band.
Meta offers afirst-party elite strapthat’s expensive but has the proprietary ability to deplete its battery before the headset taps into its own (something more efficient than other solutions which perpetually charge the headset). It can also recharge simultaneously with the Meta Quest 3 using a single cord or the official charging dock. However, much cheaper third-party options like theKIWI design K4 Boosthave their own advantages, such as plush cushioning.
One word of caution with an elite strap: if worn improperly or fastened too tightly, it puts pressure on your face that quickly becomes unpleasant. It’s easy to miscalculate the tightness of the Velcro strap or not place the clamshell far enough down the back of your head. It’s not rocket science, but there will probably be some initial growing pains.
Meta Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery
An elite-style strap for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S that includes an integrated battery pack that increases the VR headset’s uptime by up to 2 hours. It can be charged alongside the Meta Quest 3 with one cable.
Halo Straps Provide Superior Comfort
Halo straps take pressure off your face and move it to the titular halo that wraps over your forehead. In most other ways, it adjusts similarly to an elite strap, the key difference being that the headset hangs in front of the halo, and you push it into the correct position.
This design is considered by many to be the most comfortable way to wear a Meta Quest 3. At the proper fit, it greatly reduces the strain on your face while still feeling adequately locked in. Fast movement may incur a slightly blurrier image than elite straps due to headset movement, though it’s a trade-off you may be willing to live with in the name of comfort.
Meta doesn’t make a halo strap itself, but many third-party manufacturers do. The most popular option among these for the Meta Quest 3 is theBOBOVR S3 Pro, which swaps an overhead Velcro strap for two adjustable pads and has a fan built into the halo. The fan is a bit of a gimmick as cold air concentrated on your forehead can cause the headaches it exists to reduce and is also a battery drain. Also, this strap supports proprietary hot-swappable10000 mAh cell capacity battery packswhich massively extend the headset’s uptime, though it becomes costly if you want more than the one it comes bundled with.
Two words of caution about halo straps. First, loose hinges holding the headset result in face and nose pressure alongside a less stable image. Even at its best, I find that the headset tends to put a bit more pressure on my nose than a perfectly fitted elite strap. Also, some facial interfaces aren’t compatible with the halo, though manufacturers are beginning to correct for this, and it’s completely compatible with Meta’s stock facial interface. In fact, a halo strap makes the Meta Quest 3 usable without a facial interface at all.
BOBOVR S3 Pro
Halo-style strap for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S with an integrated fan, battery indicator, and hot-swappable 10000 mAh battery packs (one comes included with the strap).
Which Strap Should You Buy?
If we’re purely looking at use-cases, I’d advise fitness fiends and players of movement-heavy games to opt for elite straps, and everyone else to give a halo strap a shot. Unfortunately, these aren’t hard-and-fast rules as even your facial shape may dictate one style over the other.
If you can swing it, the best advice I can offer is to buy both and return the one you end up liking less. Alternatively, you may consider buying a halo strap with a battery for general use and an elite strap without a battery (and thus cheaper) to swap out for fitness sessions. You could even go for battery-free options on both and tryalternative charging methods.
No matter which upgrade path you take, there’s one thing that’s certain: you’re going to have a much better time wearing your Meta Quest 3 than you did with the stock fabric strap.
If you’re interested in other purchases you may need to make when buying a Meta Quest 3,check out these hidden costs.
Meta Quest 3
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