examine – I just finished my review of ZyberVR’s Quest 3 Sky Tower Charging Dock and ACE Quest 3 Elite Strap. The only thing missing from the mix of accessories for the Meta Quest 3 is an extended battery. Luckily, ZyberVR also sent us the Neck Power Bank for review, which they claim adds 2 to 3 hours of runtime to the Meta Quest 3 (you can also use it with the Quest 2 or any other device that accepts up to USB-C power) ). 20 watts).
What is that?
The ZyberVR Neck Power Bank is a neck-worn power bank that can charge/operate your Meta Quest 3 headset for an additional 2-3 hours. Features a replaceable battery design (if you purchase an additional battery pack or a set with additional batteries, you can easily replace the power bank even while wearing it around your neck).
What’s included?
- neck power bank
- 35cm USB-CC cable
- 80cm USB-CC cable
technical specifications
Click to expand
- Capacity: 10,000 mAh (5,000 mAh built-in, 5,000 mAh per replaceable battery pack)
- Output: 5V⎓3A, 9V⎓2.22A 12V⎓1.67A 20W max
- Input: 5V⎓2A max 9V⎓2A 18W
- Extended average play time (for Meta Quest 3): 2-3 hours
- Fully recharges Meta Quest 3 in 1.5 hours.
- Weight: 730 grams
Design and Features
The ZyberVR Neck Power Bank has a mostly plastic enclosure with a silicone non-slip surface on the area that touches your neck. The power/status button and USB-C output are on one side, and the replaceable battery pack is on the other.
The power bank can be stretched wider or smaller and retains its shape thanks to the “elastic memory steel”. It feels very flexible but is very unlikely to break.
The charging port is located on the bottom of the device and supports up to 18W input. The replaceable battery pack itself also has a charging port so it can be charged standalone.
Assembly, installation, setup
Setup is as simple as connecting power to a power bank. Four white LEDs indicate charging status and overall power level during use (light up when you press the button).
If you have the ZyberVR Sky Tower Charging Dock, you can connect an additional USB cable to this power bank and charge your headset at the same time, making for a great combo.
Performance
I tested the ZyberVR Neck Power Bank through several three-hour VR sessions that included both gaming and media viewing. The auxiliary battery will keep Meta Quest 3 fully charged until the auxiliary battery is completely depleted, then Quest 3 will continue to operate on its own power. Some power banks may not be able to keep up with the amount of power drawn by the Quest 3 and the headset will operate slowly. It powers off throughout the gaming session.) I liked that there was no power loss at all until the neck power bank emptied. Even while playing various games and just watching a movie, the neck power bank lasted for about 2 hours before registering as zero power.
I really like the way they designed the removable battery pack. When using a spare battery, the removable battery pack is discharged first (the other half, which contains the removable battery pack, is kept in reserve). Non-separable packs begin to drain when 50% power remains. At this point you can easily take out the removable pack (replace it if you have additional packs). Even if you haven’t purchased any additional packs, you can take out the removable pack to charge it (there’s a USB-C input port right there) and keep playing, and when the power bank is completely discharged and the headset starts to work, you can just pop the charged removable pack in when the battery runs out. You can add it back to get 50% more battery. The recharge rate is slightly slower than the discharge rate, so charging the removable pack will take longer than simply depleting the last 50% of the power bank, but the headset itself has enough power to go from almost full to slightly depleted. Increases the lifespan of your VR headset.
What I Like About the ZyberVR Neck Power Bank
- The design of the removable power pack is clever. With a two pack, you can play/work indefinitely with simple battery replacements approximately once an hour.
- Very comfortable. During my second testing session, I completely forgot I was wearing them.
- Longer battery life than our Elite Battery Strap.
What needs to be improved?
- Being able to remove and replace both battery packs makes the system more versatile.
- For most of the game I never noticed I had it on, but there were a few moments where it fluttered a bit when bouncing a lot or spinning very quickly. It wasn’t a deal breaker, there was no risk of falling or being unplugged, but in extreme cases it was a bit of a knock on my collarbone.
final thoughts
If you’re looking for a way to extend the run time of Meta Quest 3 without spending too much money or adding more weight to your head, we recommend the ZyberVR Neck Power Bank. I like the counterweight that their Elite Battery Strap provides, but I also like how comfortable the ZyberVR Neck Power Bank is, and I especially like that it’s cheaper and has a much longer battery life.
price: $79.99 ($69.99 discount at time of review)
Where to buy: ZyberVR and Amazon
source: A sample of this product was provided free of charge by ZyberVR. ZyberVR does not have the final say on reviews and does not preview reviews before they are published.