The Oculus Quest 2's absorbent foam pads will inevitably become sweat-stained and dirtier the longer you use them. Worse, the foam causes skin irritation, to the point that Oculus recalled the Quest 2 and is offering a replacement silicone cover.
While you can get that for free, there are other options on the market that are worth considering. Alternative third-party covers made of leather, silicone, or other more comfortable materials are easier to clean and have better venting to prevent lens fogging. Starting with our personal favorite, the KIWI Design Facial Interface, here are the best Quest 2 face covers when it comes to coziness and cleanliness.
The best Oculus Quest 2 face covers
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One of the biggest Oculus Quest 2 issues is excess lens fogging. The basic facial interface traps your heat and sweat inside the headset, which inevitably fogs up your POV — especially when playing active games or exercise apps. Thankfully, several third-party replacement covers include vents to allow more air circulation, which daily VR users will find incredibly useful.
Of those alternatives, the KIWI Design Facial Interface wins because it gives you four vents: two pairs on the top and two pairs on the bottom. This allows cool air to flow in from below and warm air to escape up top. In our tests, it did the best job of preventing fogged-up lenses, no matter the temperature of your room. Yes, that includes both sweaty summer days and cold winter nights, if you can believe it.
KIWI even sells an optional glasses spacer that's designed to work with the special shape of this face pad replacement, too. You'll definitely want to make sure to pick this one up, as the default Quest 2 glasses spacer that comes in the box doesn't work super well with KIWI's design.
While I found the KIWI face cover padding to be extremely comfortable, note that its noseguard does let in some decent light leakage. If that does prove to be an issue, the KIWI Design Facial Interface uses velcro strips that are compatible with other face covers! I often use the KIWI interface in addition to padding from VR Cover — another pick on this list — which helped close the gap.
With a similar price to the KIWI interface, this AMVR accessory is your best bet if you want a vented face cover that has a more efficient light-blocking nose guard. Rather than relying solely on large vents, the AMVR model has a combination of "ventilation and exhaust holes" to keep the Quest 2 mostly fog-free in our tests. It doesn't work quite as well as KIWI's four-vent design, but it's far better than the default Meta pad or silicone pads.
The seven-in-one bundle of the AMVR Facial Vent and Pads have the following: the facial interface bracket; two leather face covers sized 8mm and 12mm; two side foam pads to cushion near the straps; a light-blocking nose pad; and a lens cover to protect it during transit and block harmful sun rays.
You'll especially appreciate the multiple face covers, as they'll allow you to pick more or less padding based on your face's size and shape. And the side cushions don't just add comfort; they also prevent light leakage from above your eyes. Conversely, it's entirely possible that some folks might find the extra padding on the sides of their eyes less comfortable than KIWI's padding.
While I don't wear glasses when playing in VR, many users report that the AMVR face cover is fantastic for glasses-wearers thanks to the extra opening width provided by the wider pads. We highly recommend this mode — though we do suggest you skip the orange model and get the black one instead. The orange color will catch the light inside the headset and prove distracting, defeating the purpose of its light-blocking parts.
The third in our trifecta of excellent third-party face covers is the VR Cover Facial Interface. Like the AMVR or KIWI covers, it comes with a gasket replacement and two PU leather pads that are easy to clean or swap. VR Cover includes one regular thickness pad and one extra thick pad for folks with extra-sensitive faces (and boy, does that thick one feel great!). You also get a standard nose guard for blocking light. This face cover is an official Oculus accessory, like the Elite Strap, so you know that it passes Oculus's quality standards at least.
While I vastly prefer this cover over the base Oculus cover, there are a few limitations to note with it. VR Cover's smoother PU-leather design causes sweat to drip down your face (unlike the absorbent foam), so you'll want to invest in a bandanna or sweat guard. Similar to the Kiwi cover, it also has some issues with light leakage getting through. Despite that, it remains one of the best Quest 2 face covers, thanks partly to some of the best compatible accessories that go with it.
You can see some of these in our VR Cover accessories round-up. Among these, you'll find special Cool XG Foam Pads that replace the stock leather padding with cooling gel and a layer of memory foam. The XL glasses spacer (only compatible with the VR Cover gasket) protects your lenses from scratches much better than the stock Oculus spacer as it's much thicker. And for improved padding around your head, the extremely comfy Head Strap Pad adds padding to the straps, while the Elite Strap Pad cradles the back of your head.
Altogether, these accessories add up to something quite expensive and probably will make your headset a bit bulkier. But the total package will probably make your Quest 2 more comfortable than it's ever been! Plus, all of them are super easy to clean thanks to the sweat-repellent material.
Leather replacement covers typically win the day for comfort but require taking apart your headset to install a new gasket, and removing the leather covers to clean them can be tricky; you may want to invest in a few silicone covers instead. They slide directly over the stock Quest 2 foam interface, then come off in a flash when you want to wipe off sweat and germs from your intense Beat Saber session.
Another reliable VR Cover accessory, these silicone covers will provide a cool, sweat-wicking surface for playing active games. In our tests, they stayed secure on your face better than some of the leather pads when moving around fast, so you don't have to readjust your headset constantly.
You can buy three of these for the same price as any of the above options and swap between them after every session, so you're confident it's thoroughly sanitized. Or you can buy these in addition to any of the above picks; a silicone cover will slide over a leather cover in a pinch.
If silicone covers have a downside, it's that their sweat-repelling material will cause sweat to drip down your face and into the headset, so you'll want to pair this with some absorbent headband and other Quest 2 workout accessories. But overall, there's very little downside to stocking up on a few of these. You can even change up the headset color to match your mood!
As we mentioned above, you can request a free Quest 2 silicone cover from Oculus as part of its voluntary recall. You're eligible to receive one as long as you bought your Quest 2 before 8/24/2021; otherwise, you should have gotten one in the box.
Unfortunately, if it weren't free, we wouldn't necessarily recommend this pick. It takes about a month to arrive, is rather flimsily made, and some users say it's a struggle to get it to stick on top of the foam interface. We got our copy on in about five minutes — it slowly molds to fit the gasket — and it seems to be extremely prone to little scratches and scuff marks at the slightest provocation.
On the other hand, it's free! You can never have too many silicone covers, making this the perfect backup when your other covers are sweat-stained and you don't want to wash them right away. It'll slide right over the foam interface and give you the basic protection you need, even if it isn't as colorful or well-molded as the VR Cover silicone covers.
On a quest for the best face covers?
The best Quest 2 face covers aren't just for people who regularly play hardcore exercise VR games. Pressed tight against your skin for hours, the Quest 2 facial interface is bound to absorb sweat, dirt, and bacteria. Oculus' official cleaning guide (opens in new tab) suggests non-abrasive antibacterial wipes, but those may only get what's on the immediate surface and not what has seeped into the stock foam. That's why you'll want a PU leather or silicone cover that doesn't absorb anything, letting you wipe away bacteria.
If you want to pick just one cover that won't let you down, try the KIWI Design facial interface. Its padding will envelop you in a way that'll make the Quest 2 feel much more natural. In addition to that, KIWI's excellent vent design fixes the issue of foggy lenses that plagues most VR headsets by offering superior airflow to the face. Pair it with a Quest 2 head strap replacement, and your headset will become even more comfortable for long sessions.
If you really want to go all-out, pick up the KIWI Design facial interface and a few of VR Cover's Cool XG foam pads. You can drop these cooling pads right onto the KIWI Design facial interface, thanks to similar Velcro adhesive designs, and get both the best ventilation for a fogless play session and the most comfortable pads on the market. That's especially true during the extra-sweaty summer season.
