3 Things To Consider When Choosing a VR Gunstock

Whether you just got a Meta Quest 2 or have been using your Valve Index for years, you've probably come across a virtual reality gunstock at some point. There's numerous terms for these tools including: VR stock, VR rifle, VR gunstock, VR stick, VR blaster. If you're thinking about picking yourself up one of these game-changers, we're here to present three things you always should consider.

VR Gunstock Concept with Magnets

VR gunstocks are a tool to help steady your hands in-game by providing a stable platform to attach your controllers to. Utilizing the form-factor of a real-life rifle, VR rifles enable you to steady your hands by attaching your controllers to the body of the stock and also a butt-stock which is pressed on your chest. The controller mounts snap to the stock body via magnets. There are magnets located at the top of these mounts which snap to the magnetic underside of the stock body.

The Most Popular Design Choice

This magnetic stock concept has been the dominant form in the market for the past couple of years. The simplicity and reliability of this design keeps everyone coming back and we have yet to find another, more reliable form of stock body.

A VR Gun Stock Provides Precision

If you've ever watched videos on people in a shooting range, you'll notice a common theme among all the different arms they use. Weapons without any butt-stock to press against your chest is almost always less precise, especially with ranged targets. This advantage comes from the 3-points of contact you get with a butt-stock. This advantage is also taken with a VR stock.

Simulating Real-Life Weapons

A Quest 2 VR Gunstock gives you the ability to shoulder your in-game weapon in real life, and the steadiness of your VR tool will translate to your game. Your hands/controllers will instantly be more steady due to your weapon and you being a single unit. Your controllers are mounted to a steady flat frame, which is connected to a butt-stock that is pressed against your chest tightly. Everything comes together to provide a single solid unit of precision.

Using a stock like our SPINE provides the most accurate representation of using a real-life rifle while still working flawlessly wearing a VR headset. The sharp drop from the stock body to the butt doesn't look entirely accurate to IRL, but this is for a good reason. When you want to aim-down-sights you don't want your headset hitting the top of the stock body. This clearance allows you to have more freedom with having larger head-room due to the virtual reality headset like the Oculus Quest 2.

 

Cross Compatibility is Important

A stock is a fantastic tool to have when you want to increase your precision as well as immersion. However, it can be disappointing going from using your stock in a game like Onward to not being able to use your stock in a phenomenal game like VAIL. Luckily, our SPINE Quest 2 gunstock works with any FPS game which uses 2-handed weapons. Some stocks are non-adjustable and unless you the game you like has a stock-calibrator you're out of luck.

Using Multiple Weapons In-Game

Cross-weapon compatibility is just as important as game compatibility when figuring out what type of gunstock you want. Some stocks keep your hands in fixed positions or are very tedious to adjust your controller positioning to match the in-game weapon you're using. Make sure to consider how adjustable the stock you're choosing is, along with how easy it is to adjust.