It’s finally here. In this video, I check out the long-awaited Kiwi design Battery Elite Head Strap.
You can buy the battery strap currently for:
$69.99 from Amazon US ➡️ https://amzn.to/3fp71LH
£69.99 from Amazon UK ➡️ https://amzn.to/3fwMAfJ
€80 from Amazon DE ➡️ https://amzn.to/3h5lLQh.
Or you can buy the battery strap currently for $89.9.9 directly from Kiwi design store ➡️ use their site-wide code for 10% off, and you can also use my promo code OQPLAY for 5%.
This long-awaited battery head strap from Kiwi design takes their already comfortable Upgraded Elite Strap and adds a 6400mAh battery at the back to give up to 7 hours of total playtime on your Quest 2.
In the box, you get a paper user manual, safety and warranty booklets, there’s the main battery head strap, there is the same clip-on rear foam pad that’s attached to the foam padded top strap, a cleaning cloth, and you get a cable management clip to attach the power cable to the side rail of the strap.
Installation
Installation of the head strap is just like their Upgraded Elite Strap. You first clip on the rear foam pad to the back of the rear of the Battery Head Strap, attach the side clips onto the side rails of the Quest 2, remove your facial interface to pass through the top foam head strap, reattach the interface back on, and you’re finished.
Strap features
The side of the head strap carries the same hinge mechanism to tilt the headset upwards during a session and to allow you an easier way to put the headset on and to remove it from your head. This hinge also limits any rotation that’s lower than the horizontal position of the strap, which gives the head strap a level of extra rigidity and added counterbalance due to the extra weight of the battery at the back.
The dial at the back has the same size and smooth adjustment mechanism, which continues to be one of the better dials on a Quest 2 head strap. The rear of the strap can also be pushed inwards for faster tightening and adjustment.
With the strap loose at the back, you can already see the level of counterbalance that the rear battery gives on this head strap. So this helps to reduce the front weight of the headset and the need to have the strap really tight, and as a result, reduces the pressure on the front of your face.
Battery
There is a 6400mAh battery on this head strap, which is more than most straps I have reviewed, but there are similar battery sizes and bigger batteries already released for the Quest 2. But at a total of 7 hours, this is a good enough size and weight combo to offer comfort and increase the amount of gaming you can do between charges.
Unlike the BOBOVR, and other brands I will be reviewing over the next few weeks on this channel, the battery on this head strap battery isn’t swappable, so you don’t have the opportunity to swap between multiple charged batteries to continue playing with this strap. So instead you have to still remember to keep the strap and Quest 2 charged. The Quest 2 will also drain its battery with this strap battery cable attached if you don’t use it for long periods of time. So to counter this, it would be best to shut down the Quest 2 instead of having it in sleep mode if you don’t intend to use it for a few days.
Cable clip
The cable on the side is just enough length to not look out of place or get in the way. Kiwi design has supplied a small velcro-attached cable management clip to insert the power cable into and there is another cable slot on the clip to use with a headphone cable or an Oculus Link cable.
Sadly, like most other battery straps, there is no data passthrough on the USB-C port on the back of the strap. So you will not be able to simultaneously charge and use an Oculus Link cable at the same time. However, with the progress of AirLink and Virtual Desktop, and the soon-to-be-released Air Bridge Wi-Fi dongle, this is becoming much less of an issue these days.
Charging time
Fully charging just the 6400mAh battery inside the head strap took me just under 3 hours 30mins using a 100W wall adapter, and as you would expect, it will charge the Quest 2 first before charging the battery. Charging is done with the rear USB-C port on the back of the strap, and there are four LED lights to indicate how much charge remains in the battery.
Was it worth the wait?
This Battery Head Strap from Kiwi design retails for $89.99 and there is a site-wide code for 10%, and you can try also using my promo code OQPLAY for 5% off your order. And I’ll leave links above to learn more about this strap and to buy one.
It has taken Kiwi a little too long to release their battery strap for the Quest 2, whilst many other competing brands have caught up and have had theirs available for a number of months now.
What advantages Kiwi does have over theirs is the overall level of built quality and design. With its large rear foam pad at the back, its comfortable top foam strap, and its solid side hinge point that allows for an easier way to put on and remove the headset as well as to flip the headset up to talk to someone, take a rest or sip a drink during gameplay.
I found its bundled side clip to be a little over-designed and too bulky for my liking. A more discreet and simpler clip could have done just the same job and not stand out as much as this one does on the side of the strap. There’s also no way to stop or start the battery either via a button on the strap, if you don’t want the Quest 2 to charge you have to remove the power cable.
With a VR cover and foam pad adding more weight to the headset than stock, the headset remained a little front heavy, but not as significant as using the original Upgraded Elite Strap from Kiwi design. The weight of the battery at the back does improve long-term comfort with its added counterbalance. However, the extra weight at the back does mean that the whole headset can move side to side with fast head turns a lot more than a non-battery strap would. So as a result, you might find that you wear the strap slightly tighter to counter this effect when playing games with fast head turn movements.
Headphones and cases
I tried a few headphones with this head strap, and most of the time I had to remove the cable clip, as it just got too much in the way. Once this was removed, all the over-ear headphones I tried fitted ok, with a few minor adjustments to get the foam underneath the side rails.
As fitting in cases goes. The extra bulk of the battery might limit its ability to fit in some cases. The original Kiwi strap didn’t fit in the official case, and neither will its battery strap. It does however still fit in Kiwi’s own smaller carry case that I reviewed. So if you’re also interested in a carry case for this strap, you can check out my review.
If you’ve been holding out for the release of this head strap, then the wait is now over, and the end product is just as I had hoped. Kiwi design didn’t need to change anything from their Upgraded Elite Strap, and just add a battery, and that’s exactly what they have done. With up to 7hours of extra playtime added to the same level of comfort. If you’re looking for an Elite strap with a battery solution, then this should definitely be on your shortlist.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:25 – Unboxing
0:44 – Installation
1:04 – Strap features
2:02 – Battery spec
3:00 – Side clip
3:39 – Charging
4:05 – My impressions
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