Meta’s $130 Elite battery strap for the Quest 3 has main reliability points

From flagship smartphones to VR headsets, first-party equipment are usually costly. Apart from the excessive value, customers normally count on distinctive high quality. In spite of everything, the product designers had a head begin, so Day 1 equipment needs to be as nicely, if not the case The very best There, not less than prime quality. Meta sells a spread of helpful equipment that match this description, though a number of the costliest first-party merchandise – particularly the Elite Strap – nonetheless have reliability points as we speak, with a number of Elite Strap with Battery for Quest 3 customers reporting defective items.

For those who’re trying to make use of the headset long-term, ditching the default fabric strap is among the single greatest methods to enhance your total consolation. The Meta is aware of this, and in case you’ve been sporting a Quest 2 or Quest 3 with the inventory strap for greater than an hour, you most likely understand it too. Relying in your viewpoint, you possibly can name it product modularity, Deliberate outdated, and even Exploitative equipment.

Because the launch of the Quest 2 in 2020, Meta has produced its personal model of aftermarket head straps: the Elite Strap and the Elite Strap with Battery, the latter of which comes with an exterior battery on the again that provides about two hours of further energy. Sure. They’re $70 and $130 respectively for the Quest 3, and $10 much less for each variations of the Quest 2. They enhance ergonomics by a big margin, and the additional battery is sweet, too.

Granted, you positively do not Owns To purchase them — one look on Amazon reveals that Meta’s first-party merchandise are normally good and greater than double the present asking value of third-party options — however Meta is betting you will not less than contemplate them earlier than hitting the checkout button.

And that may be advantageous in the event that they did not stick out of the field for a couple of months like the primary batches of Quest 2 Elite Straps did, or refused to work in any respect, which is the case for a lot of who presently personal an Elite Strap with Battery for Quest 3. Once more, a $130 accent. To be truthful, Meta did challenge a two-year prolonged guarantee on the Elite Straps for Quest 2 as a result of many customers had been reporting extreme and unexplained breakages of the plastic struts, however at this level the manufacturing line was beginning to really feel cursed.

Since its launch in October, a number of customers have reported throughout Reddit and the Meta boards that Quest 3’s Elite Strap with Battery is just not working. The battery lasts a short time, however it will not cost the Quest 3 in any respect, making it an costly counterweight.

We ran Informal polland 43 % of members with a Quest 3 strap reported that they skilled related charging points, suggesting that it isn’t simply person error both, however moderately some form of producer defect.

so what? The reply needs to be straightforward. Simply ship it again and get a brand new one, proper? Nicely, Meta doesn’t mean its purchasers try this.

“Though we usually supply RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) for faulty items, Changing the belt could not essentially repair the issue. We’re conscious of an rising challenge the place the headset doesn’t acknowledge the Meta Quest 3 Elite strap with battery or fails to cost. The highway to digital actuality. “Our engineering workforce is actively engaged on an answer to this challenge. As soon as we discover a resolution, we are going to contact you with an replace.

Some customers have reported efficiently getting by way of the RMA course of, solely to need to undergo it a number of occasions to get a unit that truly works.

I would say it is best to suppose twice earlier than shopping for it, however simply as we speak Meta has canceled the supply of the Elite Strap with Battery for the Quest 3 in all supported areas.

Though it is out of inventory straight by way of Meta, you possibly can nonetheless get it from taking part retailers, like Greatest Purchase and Goal, each of which function their justifiable share of one-star person opinions stating this very challenge.

At the moment, Meta has not shared any further details about what precisely the difficulty is, whether or not it’s software program or {hardware} associated. Till the corporate addresses this challenge, we strongly advise you to not buy an Elite strap with battery for the Quest 3, because it may pose a critical hindrance on holidays.

We’re following this story because it develops. Test again quickly for updates.