Quest Pro Controllers Support On Quest 2 is HERE! Worth It?

Update v47 is out, the last Quest 2 update of the year. Next to a few smaller software changes, it adds support for the Quest Pro Touch controllers. Here’s what’s new in the update, whether Quest Pro controllers on Quest 2 are worth buying, and a quick tutorial on pairing them.

What’s new in Quest 2 update v47

• Background audio. Listen to music or videos while you play VR games, from any website in the browser or from supported 2D apps. I love having music on while I play, so this is a great one.
• Recording passthrough. Capturing passthrough apps used to give you a black background. Now you can record passthrough without jumping through hoops.
• Capture shortcuts. Hold the Oculus button and press the right trigger for a screenshot. Hold the Oculus button and long-press the right trigger to record a video.
• Wishlists. Just in time for the holidays, you can make a wishlist on the Meta Quest Store, create a link and share it with friends and family.
• Mobile app changes. The friends system is more prominent, so it’s easier to see and engage with your VR friends, and a new widget shows your headset and controller battery levels on your phone.
• Avatar hands and a mirror. In VR you now see your avatar hands instead of ghost hands, and your home environment has a mirror to check how you look or to customise your avatar.
• Pinned apps. You can pin apps to the universal menu for quicker access.

The Quest Pro controllers on Quest 2

These are the self-tracked controllers that come with the Meta Quest Pro. You can buy them separately for $300, with a compact charging dock, stylus tips, a short charging cable and a power adapter. That’s a steep price, almost as much as a Quest 2 itself, so are they worth it?

What I like

The tracking. In my Quest Pro review I concluded that the headset isn’t much of an upgrade, but the controllers are. Each one has three built-in sensors and a chip, so it tracks itself independently of the headset. Tracking is amazing: behind the headset, behind your body, maybe even during a forward roll. It seems to track everywhere the old controllers struggled. You feel the difference in fast games like Beat Saber and in games with lots of movement behind your head, like bow and arrow games.

The haptics. There are several motors in each controller now, so you get localised feedback in games where the developers support it. My favourite example, strangely immersive: shaking a spray can and feeling the paint move around inside. If you have the controllers, try it in Painting VR.

The stylus tips. Attach them and the controllers become more like pens, so you can draw precisely on flat surfaces like your desk or a wall. I don’t draw much in VR, but I can see the benefit for architects, for example.

What I don’t like

• Calibration. They take a long time to calibrate when you first pick them up. I’ve had them lose calibration during a game too, and waiting for them to sync while a zombie tries to eat me isn’t fun. It mostly happens after they’ve been put down on standby, rarely during play. Someone in our livestream suggested keeping them in a jeans pocket, and then they synced quickly.
• A standby bug. When my Quest 2 goes on standby (which happens fast), the controllers aren’t recognised anymore until I restart the whole headset. That doesn’t happen on the Quest Pro, so I think it’s a software bug Meta needs to fix. Hopefully it’s not hardware.
• Dark rooms. The sensors need to see, so they don’t track well in the dark.
• Built-in batteries. They’re rechargeable and can’t be removed. When they run out, you wait. They should last about 8 hours at a time, so only really hardcore players will hit that limit, and you have my respect if you do.

I previously mentioned drift in some games, but I haven’t noticed it much since, and I’ve used these controllers for gaming ever since I got them.

There are new features too: a precision pinch using the pressure sensor on the thumb rest, and triggers that can track the curl and slide of your index finger. They’re so new that developers still need to add support, so there wasn’t much to test yet.

Are Quest Pro controllers on Quest 2 worth it?

If you’re on a budget, I don’t think you need them, especially if you’re happy with the Quest 2 controllers. The improvement isn’t big enough for the price. I also expect a new Quest headset to come out, possibly with controllers like these, though that’s only speculation.

They make sense if you lose tracking a lot, maybe because you play competitively, or if you spend lots of time in archery games. Then I’m sure you’ll love them, because they’re good quality.

How to pair Quest Pro controllers with your Quest 2

This assumes your Quest 2 is set up and the Meta Quest app is on your phone. You can’t pair two sets of controllers at once right now, so you have to unpair the old ones first.

1. Open the Meta Quest app and tap Menu at the bottom right.
2. Tap Devices and pick your Quest 2 from the drop-down.
3. Scroll down and tap Controllers.
4. Tap each Quest 2 controller and tap Unpair.
5. Tap Pair Meta Quest Pro Left Controller. If it asks you to unpair the other controller, tap Continue, since you’ve already done that.
6. On the left controller, hold the Menu and Y buttons for about 4 seconds. The light turns blue, then yellow-ish, and it’s paired.
7. Do the same for the right controller, holding Menu and B.
8. Put on your headset. If you see the controllers, you’re ready. If not, restart the headset; the controllers may also need an update first.

Updates roll out gradually, so if you don’t have v47 yet, wait a bit and it will come.

Why I still cover these updates

It’s been a while since I made an update video, because many updates felt smaller than before or came at the worst time. But even small updates can improve our VR quality of life, and this one, with background audio, passthrough recording and Quest Pro controller support, is a good example.