Standalone VR headsets like the Oculus Quest and Quest 2 are great for offering quality VR games free from the tangling mess of PC-tethered VR devices (although they too can suffer from the wired jungle with the Oculus Link). However, these standalone devices are held down by their battery capacity limits; with the original Quest packing a 3648mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery pack while the Quest 2 features a 3640mAh one. 

Adapting the concept of smartphone power banks to the Quest, Rebuff reality, the team behind the VR Shell, came up with the aptly-named VR Power. This add-on is essentially a 10,000mAh power bank for the Quest and Quest 2 that can give you up to 8 hours of gaming time (and up to 10 hours of video streaming) when you start playing with a fully charged Oculus Quest.

While the VR Power is compatible with the Quest 2 (with some extra clips), I tested the peripheral on the original Quest and this review will reflect my experience using the VR Power on this headset.

     

Out of the box, I got the following items:

• VR Power x1
• Clips with velcro straps x2
• USB-C cable with L-side x1
• Instruction manual x1
• Stickers x2

As for the specifications, you can find them below:

• Capacity: 10,000 mAh/ 36 Wh
• Input: 5V / 2.1A
• Output 1: 5V / 3A
• Output 2: 5V / 1A
• Output: 5V / 4A (Total 4A)
• Weight: ~10 Oz

The VR Power itself has a trapezoid shape with a tough plastic shell. As with other power banks, this one also has a heft to it, weighing roughly 10 ounces. The weight that the VR Power carries is actually handy as it doubles as a counterweight. However, the Quest weighs around 20 ounces, so the power bank will not fully take the weight off the front of your face. But its effect as a counterweight is felt while in use and to have an even more pronounced effect, you could pair it up with other counterweights option like the one from Studioform (at least part of it). 

Attaching the VR Power to the Quest is fairly easy. First you have to attach the included clips to the Quest’s central strap. Then you loop the VR Power’s velcro straps to the Quest’s lower strap and to one of the clips. And voilà! the VR Power is secured onto the headset. 

  

Once set up, you can plug the included USB-C to charge your Quest while you game. The cable is well-designed, with the end that plugs into the Quest’s port being L-shaped so that there’s no weird kink on the cable. The other end plugs into the VR power and is a regular, straight one. You can also choose not to plug the VR Power and just leave it as a counterweight. For such use, the clips can hold the USB cable and avoid it from dangling and potentially scratching the Quest’s camera. Such attention to details attests to the thought put into this product from Rebuff Reality.

Moreover, since the VR Power occupies the Quest’s sole USB-C port while plugged in, Rebuff Reality included 3 USB-C ports on the VR Power to compensate. The middle one plugs to the cable that charges the Quest, the left-most one is meant for accessories (I haven’t come across any that uses the USB-C myself to test it) while the right-most one enables dual charging for the Quest and the VR Power (but it will be a slow charge).

However, the VR Power does not pass through data from a PC if an Oculus Link is connected to it, so the Oculus Link has to be plugged to the Quest’s own port. If you have a third-party Oculus Link cable that plugs to your PC’s USB 3.0 port, this will drain your Quest’s battery and the VR Power would be handy in this case if you could connect the Link to its rightmost port to let you game while it is charging.

Regarding VR Power’s function as a power bank, I found that it juices up my headset similar to as advertised. With the added battery capacity, it allows me to enjoy VR games and worry less about the Quest’s battery life. It even doubles as an emergency power bank for other smart devices and I even found myself giving my phone some extra charge with it.

Around Rebuff Reality’s logo on the VR Power is a circular light strip that indicates the device’s battery life in quarters (25%/50%/75/%100%). Even if it only gives a basic indication of the battery left, it’s a nice touch that integrates well into the VR Power’s design. The logo itself acts as a power button where a single press powers it on, indicating the battery level while double pressing it powers it down.

While in use, the straps are a tight fit, meaning that the power bank doesn’t slide on the Quest’s straps it is attached to. I played FitXR (which is quite a physical title) with the VR Power on and it did not interfere with my experience. Naturally, with games that require even less physical effort like Blair Witch and Pixel Ripped 1995 I did not encounter any issues with the peripheral sliding or wobbling.

What I did notice though is that the VR Power can get uncomfortable over extended gaming sessions. This is because after slipping my headset on, the power bank rests on the occipital part of my skull. There is a rubber padding at the back of the device for this reason but the material is the issue. It’s a thick rubber pad, with the texture somewhat akin to what you might find under a mouse or keyboard for anti-slip properties.

A better material would be a memory foam-like padding you find around ear cups of headphones. This option might make the VR Power more bulky-looking but it would have greatly improved the comfort. For a fix, I found that I have to adjust the headset and the power bank’s positioning when I start to feel some discomfort. This does provide some relief but isn’t totally optimal.

This is by far the major downside I found with the VR Power. Since it is meant to be used for extended VR sessions, comfort should be a priority and the device has room for improvements on this front.

Another deterrent might be the price, which is currently at $60. You could use a regular power bank with a 3D-printed mount for the Quest and it will cost you less than the VR Power. However, the latter is designed with the Quest in mind and Rebuff Reality did an overall pretty good job at that. If you want to extend your VR gaming sessions without having to worry too much about your Oculus Quest’s battery life, then the VR Power is an add-on that is definitely worth considering.