Santa's come early for Meta Quest 2 owners. The headset's latest software update delivers a serious performance boost.
According to Meta's developer blog, the update boosts the maximum frequency of the headset's GPU from 490MHz to 525MHz. That should mean up to 7% faster performance and a much smoother overall experience. "This means your apps' visuals will look even better – without sacrificing resolution quality", Meta says.
When will Meta Quest 2 owners get the performance boost?
You should see the results immediately, because this is a system-level upgrade and developers don't need to update their code in order for their apps to take advantage to it. However, it's not enabled automatically. At the moment, you'll need to take the headset off and put it back on again – what Meta calls a doff/don – or click the power button twice. That requirement will disappear in the next-but-one software update.
Smoother performance is always welcome, but it's particularly so on virtual reality. One area where this will make a significant difference is in your headset's use of dynamic foveation, which is when the headset uses lower resolution textures to maintain performance. According to Meta, this GPU speed boost will enable developers to avoid that more easily, which will mean better visuals for their users.
This is a welcome boost – literally – for the Meta Quest 2, which is pretty late in its life now; the Meta Quest 3 is expected next year.
