In this video, I look at a cheap Elite Head Strap with Battery Alternative for the Meta Quest 2 from AUBIKA.
You can buy this head strap for $64.99 from Amazon US here → https://amzn.to/3umh5bN or for £59.99 from Amazon UK here → https://amzn.to/3NewG5G and for €69.99 from Amazon DE here → https://amzn.to/3L7OX2S.
VR Cover Head Pad→
I finally get my hands on the Aubika Head Strap with a built-in 5,000mAh battery in this video. It’s one of the cheaper Elite Head Straps with a built-in battery for the Meta Quest 2, and a solid alternative to the official Oculus Elite Strap With Battery, it is also much better in a few areas too…
Build Quality
The first is its overall build quality. I don’t have the battery strap, but I can assume its materials match the regular Elite Strap material, and with that, the Aubika head strap feels a little more solid.
It clips in well, and its diamond angled attachment points reach a little further at the end to allow you to easily detach the head straps from the headset without putting too much pressure on the side straps, which could lead to breaking them.
There is a rubber cup head pad at the back that matches exactly the shape and size of the official Elite Strap. Why reinvent the wheel. It fits well at the back of the head and its rubber material will certainly help support many different head shapes. Because it is the same shape and size you can put on the VR Cover or Kiwi Design real foam pad for extra added comfort.
Behind the head pad is the battery compartment of the strap. Both batteries span either side of the rear dial, so the head strap is well balanced in that regard. The dial is smooth to turn and it has a decent quality of feel to it. The length of the whole strap also matches the Elite strap.
Behind the tightening dial, you will find four LED indicators that will tell you the charge rate and charging rate of the head strap battery. Alongside these four lights is a button to turn the battery charging on/off. One press to start, and two presses to stop.
Charging
The battery is able to charge the Quest 2 whilst it is also being charged through its USB-C port underneath the battery portion of the strap – just like the official Elite strap with battery. Sadly you can’t use this port for Oculus Link, but you do have the ability to charge whilst using AirLink instead.
Charging from 50% took under three hours. So expect much longer for both a Quest and Strap to charge. It’s likely that the battery management of its charging will slow down nearer the end of reaching full capacity as to not damage the battery inside. So initial charging for the first 50% at least will be a lot quicker.
The top head strap is permanently attached at one end, just like the two official head straps. Being made of fabric material, it will be prone to absorbing sweat, oils, and any hair products and it will be hard to wash or clean. This is no different to the official Quest 2 battery strap, but personally, I think a rubberised inner portion of the top headband would have been better here and easier to wipe down and clean.
My Impressions
Overall, there is a lot to like about the Aubika over the official version of the battery strap. I do think it is one of the better and cheap Elite head straps with battery alternatives that are out there right now. Is it better than the Kiwi design strap? Probably not, but the Kiwi doesn’t come with a battery (yet!), so you have to factor in which is more important between easy fitting and comfort vs a similar comfortable head strap with a built-in battery.
With its stronger materials over the official, handy visual battery indicators, optional charging button and great overall comfort, if you’re looking for an Elite Strap style head strap with battery, I recommend that you pick up this one over the official option. More so when you factor in its price, which will save you around $30, and you can spend this elsewhere, on things such as a facial interface or controller grips/straps.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:39 – Unboxing
2:14 – Installation
4:51 – Fit & Comfort
5:52 – VR Cover foam pad
7:22- Charging
10:14 – My impressions
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