By Chinedu Nwosu

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, is powering better-than-ever virtual reality (VR) gameplay and experiences with the launch of Oculus Quest 2, the first-to-launch VR device powered by the QualcommÒ Snapdragon™ XR2 Platform. Oculus Quest 2 is a culmination of years of collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and Facebook to create the most advanced and immersive gaming VR experiences for consumers to-date.

Purpose-built for extended reality (XR), the Snapdragon XR2 Platform unlocks staggering improvements including twice the CPU and GPU performance compared to its predecessor[1] which powers the original Oculus Quest headset. The Snapdragon XR2 Platform delivers significant performance enhancements in Oculus Quest 2 including:

• Powering the highest resolution display yet in any Oculus headset, with 50% more pixels than the original Oculus Quest headset.
• Delivering more than 11x the AI processing than its predecessor[2], the Snapdragon XR2 Platform allows more perception algorithms to work concurrently with the many other tasks, resulting in more immersive experiences for the end user.
• Incorporating the Engine for Visual Analytics (EVA) computer vision dedicated processor which helps to offload key VR-related tasks for tracking to enable low latency and reduce overall power consumption.
• Cutting-edge heterogenous compute architecture that is designed to help preserve Oculus Quest 2 battery life of 2-3 hours of playtime meaning users can have even better VR experiences on the same charge.
• Premium Wi-Fi 6 performance of the Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 6800 connectivity system that enables Oculus Quest 2 to achieve truly wireless VR with faster download speeds.

“We built the Snapdragon XR2 Platform from the ground up and designed it to push the boundaries of what is possible in XR and enable our customers to create a new generation of experiences and devices,” said VP and head of XR, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, Hugo Swart. “Qualcomm Technologies’ worked closely with the team at Facebook to enhance and tailor the Snapdragon XR2 feature-set in Oculus Quest 2 and today marks an incredible milestone in VR.  We look forward to our continuous collaboration with Facebook to offer the best possible, all-in-one VR experiences to the mass consumer.”

With a deep catalog of premium and unique gaming experiences at the heart of Oculus Quest 2, the product also provides a variety of engaging non-gaming experiences for all to enjoy, including fitness apps, unique entertainment and social places to connect with friends. It’s also helping to redefine the future of work with enterprise and productivity applications that can transform collaboration and training, despite distance.

“For Facebook, this collaboration represents our commitment to accelerating the VR industry,” said VP of Hardware for Facebook Reality Labs, Rafael Camargo. “We won’t just wait for the key technologies that power next-gen VR experiences to develop over time. We want to be part of defining the future and helping it to move faster, and we’re proud to be doing this hand-in-hand with our innovative partners at Qualcomm Technologies.”