The Oculus Quest is a great stand-alone VR headset that enables the full-on virtual reality experience without a desktop PC or any kind of additional hardware. The Quest comes with everything you need to get started, but could the stock experience be improved? Kiwi Design seems to think so with their range of Oculus Quest accessories and they have kindly sent a few of them to us for review.

Let’s take a look at the KIWI Design 5-in-1 Face Cover Set.

This set from KIWI Design is a system designed to replace the foam padding that sits between the headset and your face. The Quest ships with a single foam packed, fabric cushion that while it is removable, it is attached to the plastic bracket that clips on to the headset itself making cleaning it awkward especially when sharing the headset between users.

Unlike the official “facial interface”, the Kiwi Design version comes with two detachable cushions that attach to the replacement bracket with velcro. The bracket itself also advertises a vented design that is intended to increase airflow and prevent fogging of the lenses.

Inside the box you’ll find the separate parts of the 5-in-1 package which includes - 2x face cover pads, 1x plastic bracket, 1x nose cover and 1x protective lens cover. 

The product is simple to install - simply attach one of the face covers to the replacement bracket using the velcro, attach the nose cover (again with velcro) and then detach the official bracket and replace it with the Kiwi Design one.

I found lining up the Kiwi Design face covers onto the replacement bracket took a little more finesse than I first thought as the bottom of the pad has to be aligned in a way that the cushion doesn’t pinch your nose when in use. I feel that some kind of markings that allow you to align them up perfectly would have been a useful addition. Also the velcro on the nose pad that is intended to block light from the nostril area seemed very weak and barely held itself in place. 

Once installation was complete, comfort initially seemed fine but after a long play session I felt a bit more pressure on my face compared to the stock cushion. The replacement cushions are just 8mm thick and whereas the original face cover is foam all the way down to the base of the bracket, the Kiwi Design bracket is all plastic and the only cushioning is from the 8mm foam pads. It’s not actually a huge difference in practice but is enough to notice.

That’s not to say the product is without benefit as the ability to quickly swap between cushions when sharing the headset between people is a great feature and the vented design does seem it would prevent fogging when compared to the completely sealed original for those intense game sessions. Also, the nose cover that is intended to prevent light leakage from the gap between your nose and the cushions does seem to work to a degree though it doesn’t completely block out all light - perhaps 40-50% or so. 

The removable cushions are also a great idea and allow you to quickly clean or throw them in the washing machine without worrying about causing damage to the plastic bracket. 

The last piece included in the 5-in-1 set is the protective lens cover, which is essentially a small padded cushion cut to the size of the headset’s viewport. It’s a useful addition and should help prevent accidental damage of the lenses and dust build up when the headset is not in use.

Thanks to KIWI Design for providing these for review. You can find more from KIWI Design at the links below:

Official website: https://www.kiwidesign.shop/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexbyKiwiDesign/

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