Some users hacked their Quest 3 to use it with an open periphery
Some Quest users have gotten rid of the facial interface altogether. They show off their Quest 3 mods on Reddit.
They copied this design from mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest Pro and Lynx-R1. Both devices do away with the facial interface and offer light blockers as an option instead.
For headsets that are primarily used for mixed reality and productivity, the more open periphery makes sense: the more you can see of your surroundings, the better the headset fits into your everyday (working) life. Another benefit of this design is that the device no longer presses against the face. Some users also achieve a wider field of view by reducing the distance between their eyes and the lenses.
Potential drawbacks include lens reflections, reduced immersion when using VR apps, and nausea that occurs when the passthrough view has a high latency.
Quest fans hack their way to an open design
On Reddit and other platforms, users are showing how they have modified their Quest 3 to comfortably use the headset without the facial interface. Reddit user MultiverseRoamer 3D printed some parts and paired it with third-party paddings. "Fogging is no problem anymore and the FOV is really fine," the Reddit user writes. He says the comfort could be improved with a sturdier strap.
The so-called "Headset Historian" presents another comfort hack on YouTube. His personal Frankenquest 3 consists of a Bobo-M2 strap, 3D-printed adapters and an AMVR overhead strap for Pico 4. He was surprised by the benefits of the open design. "Since doing that, the mixed reality stuff is really starting to appeal to me a lot more. Having that full open peripheral view with the mixed reality in the middle, I'm actually getting quite excited and impressed by MR," says the Youtuber.
Perhaps Meta will design the next generation of Quest so that the headset can be used comfortably with or without a facial interface. Then you could choose and switch between a closed and open design. We already know that Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, is a big fan of the Quest Pro and its open design.
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