VR Accessories

Oculus Quest battery pack extends battery life AND improves comfort (updated November 30, 2019)

Oculus Quest battery pack

One of the issues about the Oculus Quest (reviewed here) is that it’s front heavy.  It also has a battery life of around 2.5 hours, which is quite good but could always be better.  Now you can solve both problems with these accessories.

Oculus Quest battery pack extends battery life, improves comfort
Oculus Quest battery pack extends battery life, improves comfort

The Oculus Quest has more electronics in it than desktop VR headsets: not only does it have four cameras, but it also has the processor, storage, and a cooling fan.  Not surprisingly, it is a bit front heavy.  For people with round heads, the back of the strap is designed to cup the base of your head, which relieves some of the weight.  However, the strap doesn’t work as well for everyone.  After wearing it for a while, it can cause some strain, especially when you have to tighten the side straps a bit to hold the weight of the headset.

One solution is to add a weight to the rear strap that would offset the weight of the front of the headset.  But why attach a dead weight when you can attach a battery pack instead, one that was powerful enough to charge the Oculus Quest?

The Omars battery pack (or Topmate Power Bank) is a 10,000mah battery pack that can power up to three USB devices.  It has two USB type A outputs (2.4A and 1A) and a USB Type C output which can provide output of up to 3A, powerful enough to charge a Macbook and yes, powerful enough to charge the power-hungry Oculus Quest (which requires at least 2.5A to charge while using it).  Another option is this Charmast power bank with two 3A USB Type A ports.

Omars battery pack for Oculus Quest
Omars battery pack for Oculus Quest

But how do you attach it to the Quest?  This is a bit of a challenge because the back strap of the Quest is a closed triangle (i.e., you can’t open it or undo it).  Fortunately, after looking through many other possible cases, I found a case that not only fits the Topmate but also has TWO clips that can clip on to the rear strap to ensure it won’t fall off while you’re in VR.

Oculus Quest battery pack holster
Oculus Quest battery pack holster

I also found a flat right angle adapter for the Quest itself to relieve cable stress.  Here’s a pair of two types of right angle adapters.

Oculus Quest right angle USB adapters
Oculus Quest right angle USB adapters

Finally, we’ll need a USB C to USB C cable.  I found one that is only a foot long, which is just enough to connect the Quest to the battery pack.  If you are getting the Charmast power bank, use this cable instead.

Oculus Quest battery pack charging cable
Oculus Quest battery pack charging cable

How well does it work?  It works exactly as I hoped — actually it’s better in a couple of respects.

Oculus Quest battery pack
Oculus Quest battery pack

First of all, it offsets the weight of the headset and balances the headset.  And yes, I don’t have to pull the strap so tightly anymore.  This relieves pain on my cheeks when using it for prolonged periods.

Oculus Quest battery pack balances the Quest
Oculus Quest battery pack balances the Quest

Second, it is indeed powerful enough to charge the Quest even when I’m using the Quest.  Third, I found that I don’t have to use the second right angle adapter for the battery.  I can plug the USB cable directly.  Fourth, to my surprise, I was able to store the Quest with the battery pack attached in my 3rd party Oculus Quest case — I didn’t have to unclip the battery pack.  All I do is disconnect the cable, which can be stored in the pocket of the case. Please note that you should cover the lens to protect it.  I used the cardboard insert it came with.  If you already threw yours away, just cut one from any cardboard packaging.

This case can fit the Quest and battery pack without having to unclip the battery pack
This case can fit the Quest and battery pack without having to unclip the battery pack

Again, to clarify, the 3-amp port is the Type C one.  Put the battery pack in the holster such as the Type C port would be on top so that you can connect the USB cable to it directly.

Here again are the accessories I ordered:

1. Omars 10,000mah battery pack or Topmate 10,000 mah battery pack .  They both have 3A USB Type C ports.

Alternative: Charmast battery pack, which has two 3A USB Type A ports.

2. Short USB C to USB C cable. for Omars or Topmate, or USB C to USB A cable (1 foot, USB 3.1) for Charmast, which has two 3A USB A ports.

3. Holster with two clips.
4. Right angle USB adapters
5.  This case can fit the Quest with these accessories.

Thanks for using these affiliate links to support 360Rumors at no additional cost to you so I can do more tests and reviews!

About the author

Mic Ty

47 Comments

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  • 1 foot cable isn’t very long, are you planning on strapping it to your head? I’ve gone with a 1.2m cable and put the battery pack in my back pocket. You don’t notice it at all in your pocket and neither the cable (I put a velcro loop around the back of the Quest strap so it feeds down from the middle). Just think the extra weight on your head may be a bit too much?

    • You might want to re-read the article. 🙂 . He plans on strapping it to the back of the Quest’s head strap, which is why he chose such a short cable.

      • This is what I had assumed Mike (and thanks I did re-read, just skimmed through it first time so missed that bit). My question was more about the comfort of extra weight on your head, and putting the battery in your pocket with a longer cable might be a better option.

    • Hi Roland. Yup I will strap it to the back of my head to act as a counterweight for the headset while also powering it.

      • Be interested to hear how you go with this Mic, and if the weight isn’t too much over long periods. I already start to feel a little neck discomfort after about 1-2hrs with the Quest.

  • So, you wrote an article with a misleading headline which makes it sound like you’ve already confirmed that this setup works and improves comfort, when in reality this is all just speculation currently, and then you filled it with sponsored links so you can make money directly from your fake news? Yeah, sounds like a great way to be taken seriously. There’re probably a few openings at CNN you might want to apply for.

    • It has a micro USB port for charging via USB. There are LED lights indicating the battery level

  • On the Oculus Quest support page it recommends that you should avoid charging your Quest while it’s in use. Will charging the Quest while it is in use damage the unit or void the warranty.

  • Not sure if this will work or not. My quest will not power on when it’s plugged into a charging cord.

  • I ordered everything via your link, received it all, and can confirm it all works! Thanks for the tip!

    • Hi Juan. You can use that but it will be too heavy I think. If it’s too heavy, my concern is that it might damage the straps.

      • Have you experienced that while using the Quest, it stops charging from the battery pack? Or does it keep charging constantly?
        Some people (myself included) have reported that it charges for some minutes and then it stops. Apparently, temperature related, as the Quest will not accept charge when temperature reaches 43°C. Thoughts and experiences with this situation? Thanks

    • You actually can’t use that battery. It’s only 5 V / 2.1 A and the Oculus Quest requires 5 V / 3 A

      • Lower amp battery is ok but the battery will drain slowly (it will drain faster than it can charge)

    • With a 10,000mah battery, the total battery life is 3.7X the Oculus Quest by itself. If the Quest lasts 2 hours, then the total life with both the Quest and the 10,000mah battery is around 7.4 hours.

  • HAHAHA.. That’s way too big and unnecessary. I added a much small Anker battery pack that only weighs 240 grams and provides the perfect counterweight.

    • *Thinks this is too big, when I’ve been using aprx 620- gram 20,000 pack that’d velcroed to the back!* Hahah!! I might go a little “Lighter” but sure was fun! I registered only like 12 hrs max with that pack though! WHat gives?! It’s legit a quality 20,000 mah pack with 5V @ 3A Qualcom Quick Charge port!! hmmm, maybe something’s draining the battery fast, I had Super-Sampling turned down in most apps like big-screen, I was mostly in Virtual Desktop, I’ll have to check the settings on the graphic detail, I had it set to medium, perhaps that’s still a large 1.75 times super-sample versus the 1.5 or 150% that’s default on most things, that is the Super Sampled resolution.. I’ll give it another test run, but it’s totally “Overkill” and some 32,000 mah packs are even lighter! SO I’d totally be better off going for even those! Time will tell, I’ve some more troubbleshooting / testing & Research to do!

  • Hey Mic, came across your article on doing a Quest search. It setup looks like exactly what I need and the idea of using the battery pack as a counterweight is a great idea. Sorting out battery pack, cable and pack carry case. I’m having a problem though matching them up. The battery packs all seem to have their charging ports on the end. The pack cases I’ve looked at (the one you recommend is no longer available) don’t seem to leave any of the pack ports clear. It’s hard to try and find those that do as most of the images on Amazon don’t actually show the sides. Could you suggest a different case that would allow access to the packs charging ports? Thanks Mic.

    • Thanks David. I’ll try to look for another one. But even in my case, the battery has to be slightly angled up, so it’s not a 100% perfect fit.

  • So how do you use this from a practical standpoint – do you charge the battery pack and quest separately when not using them, or do you only charge the battery pack and let that charge the quest? Do you have it plugged in all of the time, or do you run the quest on its own power and plug in the battery pack when the power gets low?

    I’m thinking about how there are extended battery cases for telephones where the case plugs into the telephone’s power port, you leave it in there, and then you just plug into the case. I’m comparing this to keeping a backup battery in your bag and plugging your telephone in in an emergency when the power gets too low. Are you using this more like the first scenario or the second scenario?

    • Hi Thomas. I charge them separately. I don’t plug them in all the time. The battery pack discharge rate is not that fast.