If you want a Quest 3 head strap with battery, check out the new and bizarrely-named JHZWD head strap. At $59, it’s affordable, comfortable and is better than the popular BoboVR M3 in several ways. I bought one myself (it wasn’t sent to me) and here’s my honest, unbiased review.
Do you need to replace your Quest 3 Headstrap?
The Quest 3 is the best mobile VR headset for consumers right now thanks to mixed reality capabilities, best-in-class optics and a powerful processor that unlocks better graphics in games. However, the biggest complaint about the Quest 3 is its comfortability.
The Quest 3’s standard headstrap can rub over your ears. Moreover, the Quest 3 is front-heavy and many users compensate for this by tightening the headstrap. This causes the Quest to press hard on your face, which can make your face hurt after a while.
The best solution is to have a counterweight to balance the weight of the headset, and one of the most useful counterweights is a battery, which is why headstraps with batteries are almost a necessity for the Quest (and most mobile VR headsets).
Introducing the JHZWD headstrap
The JHZWD headstrap is a halo-style headstrap similar to the Playstation VR and Playstation VR2. Instead of having the headset pulled backward on your face, this type of headstrap is like a welding mask that suspends the weight of the headset on a halo-like band that rests on your head.
Advantages
1 – Easier to install. The JHZWD is very easy to install. It attaches to your Quest 3 arms using covers that go over your Quest arms, similar to the way the original strap attaches to your Quest.
2 – Comfortable. It feels balanced and the weight of the headset is evenly distributed on my head like a crown. I’ve been able to wear it for a couple of hours with no discomfort.
3 – Closer to my face. One issue with halo-style headstraps is that the headset floats in front of your face and can be farther away than on the standard strap or Meta’s Elite headstrap. However the JHZWD allows the headset to be positioned close to my face, resting on it with light pressure.
4 – Arms won’t slide. Some 3rd party headstraps clamp on the original arms, and the clamps can be nudged forward or backward. The JHZWD clips onto the Quest in only one position and won’t slide forward or backward.
5 – Battery level indicator. No need to guess the remaining battery life. The JHZWD has an LCD indicator that indicates the battery level on a 100-point scale.
6 – Passthrough charging. You can charge the JHZWD’s battery while it is charging the Quest. This means that you’ll only need one USB cable to charge both the headset battery and the JHZWD’s battery.
7 – Clip for the USB Type C cable. I like how they included a clip to hold the USB Type C cable so it doesn’t dangle out so much.
8 – Multicolor LED light. There are two multicolor LED lights at the back of the strap. Could look nice at night.
9 – Available now.
Disadvantages
1 – Battery doesn’t last very long. It’s supposed to be 6000mah and the manufacturer claims that the battery adds 3-4 hours but the battery doesn’t seem to last very long. You can even see the battery indicator dropping in front of your eyes.
2 – Battery is not replaceable. The battery is fixed and not replaceable, unlike the BoboVR M3 has batteries that can be hot swapped.
3 – Smallest size is not so small. The JHZWD strap is adjustable but at its smallest setting, it is not very small, which could be an issue if you plan to let younger kids use the headset.
Summary
If you want a headstrap that will make your Quest 3 comfortable enough to wear for hours, the JHZWD is a very good option. Its weakness is that the battery is nowhere near the advertised battery life but should be plenty for casual users. The JHZWD is currently in stock at the time of this post (check here).
The link doesn’t take you to the head strap
Hi Bob. Did you try this link? https://amzn.to/3SjEwAa Maybe it works only for Amazon US…?
What is the point of this article if the single most important piece of information is missing? “Battery doesn’t last very long” what does that even mean? If its claimed 3-4 hours, how long does it actually last? 2 hours? 1? 30 min?
Hi Vic. The battery life varies too much depending on what kind of apps you use. For example, if you just use Netflix VR versus Resident Evil 4, the usage will be very different, so it’s very hard to say how much time you’ll get.