{"id":3341,"date":"2024-04-12T22:25:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T22:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vrlowdown.com\/?p=3341"},"modified":"2024-04-13T11:33:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-13T11:33:17","slug":"bobovr-s3-pro-battery-strap-for-quest-3-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vrlowdown.com\/bobovr-s3-pro-battery-strap-for-quest-3-review\/","title":{"rendered":"BOBOVR S3 Pro Battery Strap For Quest 3 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"BOBOVR<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

I’ve been testing the BOBOVR S3 Pro Strap for Meta Quest 3 over the last few weeks to see how it stacks up as a battery strap solution for Quest 3. This article is going to cover everything you need to know about this head strap, my experience of using it, all the pros and cons, and help you decide if this is a good head strap for you to choose for your Quest 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of the main drawbacks of the Meta Quest 3 are the limited battery life and the mediocre comfort level of the default head strap. There are a growing number of battery strap solutions for Quest 3 that aim to fix both these issues. I’ve tested quite a few options over the last few months, but I was really interested in testing the BOBOVR S3 Pro as soon as it was announced, as BOBOVR has a great reputation for making comfortable head straps for Quest 2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven’t previously used any BOBOVR head straps for Quest 2 or Quest 3, so this was my fresh take on their products. I haven’t had any communication with the company and I purchased this head strap myself, so I hope the following review will be as impartial as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BOBOVR S3 Pro Battery Strap For Quest 3: First Impressions <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The BOBOVR S3 Pro is a pretty bulky and heavy head strap, with a significantly different design from the head straps I have previously tried, including the official Quest 3 Elite Strap With Battery<\/a><\/strong>, the KIWI Design SPC Battery Strap for Quest 3, and the Yoges VR battery strap for Quest 3<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than securing the headset in place by tightening it against your face, it uses a halo design that tightens around your forehead and the back of your head, letting the facial interface of the Quest 3 rest gently against your face. The aim is to provide a much more comfortable solution that can be worn for long periods without discomfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst it is a more complicated design, the improvement in comfort was immediate when I first put this head strap on. The front forehead cushion is made of a wide band of PU leather with a thick foam layer ensuring that it feels soft and comfortable against your forehead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rear head support has similarly comfortable cushioning and a flexible head support that is able to conform to the shape of your head. This does a noticeably better job at comfortably cushioning the back of my head whilst ensuring a secure fit that won’t move around during use of my headset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a ratchet wheel at the back of the head strap that is used to adjust the fit, and this is easy to adjust in small increments with one hand to achieve a very precise fit. The rear part of the head strap can be lifted up to allow you to more easily position the headset against your face and you can then pull the strap down and adjust the fit with the ratchet wheel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hinged rear portion moves smoothly when you lift it up, but also has ratchet-like movement close to the neutral position to help maintain it in the desired position for a great fit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The front part of the head strap is also adjustable, and you can move the forehead cushion up and down, closer to, and further away from your headset. All of this adjustability gives you enormous freedom to fit the headstrap and your Quest 3 in the most comfortable way for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had worried that the headset itself would wobble around in front of my face while in use due to the fact that it is not being pressed against my face, but I actually found this head strap hold the headset really steady, and there is very little movement, even when turning your head rapidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the right side of the head strap, on the side with the power connector, you will find a small LCD screen on the arm of the head strap and a scroll-wheel button. The cable management of the BOBOVR S3 is really good, as the power cable first travels from the back of the head strap to the arm with the LCD screen integrated, and then a shorter cable comes out and can be connected to the USB-C port on the side of your headset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes cable management very neat and limits some of the issues with cable management that arise with other battery straps due to having to accommodate a wide range of head sizes. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The LCD screen gives you a precise reading of how much battery life is left in the head strap battery, although you obviously can’t see this whenever you have the headset on. This is a very welcome feature, as it’s good to get a precise reading of how much battery life you have left before starting to use your headset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there is no way to tell how much battery life is left in the battery strap while wearing the headset, you will of course be able to see the headset battery indicator while wearing the headset, so once your headset starts draining, you’ll know the head strap is drained and you’ve only got about 2 hours of battery life left from the headset battery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another interesting feature of the BOBOVR S3 Pro strap for Quest 3 is the integration of a cooling fan. You can turn this on by pressing the scroll-wheel button and then the fan power is adjusted from 0-100% by turning the scroll wheel. The fan blows air out from the top and bottom of the forehead cushion to help keep you cool while you use your Quest 3. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are pros and cons of the fan integration. When you keep the fan below 50%, it runs fairly quietly, but the airflow is somewhat limited, and when you boost the power up to close to 100%, the airflow does a pretty good job of cooling you down, but it is rather noisy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can definitely see myself using the fan at 100% when using fitness games, and in particular during the summer months, where hot weather and lack of air conditioning means that there are often days or weeks when I just can’t use my VR headsets due to the heat. The addition of a fan is likely to mean I can still use my headset on hot days without getting too uncomfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst the noise of the fan at full blast is quite noticeable, it’s not actually particularly distracting when you’re playing sports or fitness games. I’ve tried using it while playing Golf+<\/a><\/strong>, Thrill of the Fight<\/a><\/strong>, and Les Mills Bodycombat, and I’d much rather have the fan on than not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BOBOVR S3 Pro Battery Strap Video Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to this article, I’ve made a detailed video review of my impressions of the BOBOVR S3 Pro Battery Strap For Quest 3. I’ve been able to compare it head-to-head with the other three battery straps I own for Quest 3 to get a really good idea of where its strengths and weaknesses lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n