KIWI Design SPC Battery Head Strap for Quest 3
design
If you’ve browsed the KIWI design range before, the Quest 3 SPC Battery Head Strap will look pretty familiar. The latest elite VR head strap in the KIWI lineup sticks to the brand’s existing style guide and matches the Meta Quest 3 perfectly. The off-white plastic is an exact colour match to the headset itself with the same texture and finish too. With just the one subtle KIWI design logo you’d be forgiven for thinking this was an official accessory.
The KIWI design SPC Strap features the same core design as the cheaper Comfort Head Strap with rigid arms that feed into a larger back unit. The top strap also receives an upgrade over the thin fabric band of the stock Quest 3 head strap and it makes a huge difference. On the SPC Battery Head Strap you’re treated to the same thick padded strip as the Comfort Head Strap and it’s considerably more comfortable for longer sessions, switching back to the stock strap is a painful downgrade in every sense of the word.
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While there’s plenty of similarities, It’s the back unit where the KIWI design SPC Battery Strap starts to pull away from the standard Comfort Head Strap and show its real benefit. This rear block now houses a 6400mAh battery along with the click wheel to adjust the fit and a thick padded back cushion. The cushioned ring is wonderful, it softly wraps the back of your head, dispersing the pressure and creating not only a more comfortable fit but a secure one too.
This isn’t KIWI design’s only battery booster for the Meta Quest 3, there’s also a cheaper standard Quest 3 Battery Head Strap that brings the same extra 6400mAh of juice. So what’s the difference with the SPC version and why is it more expensive? While both will double your Quest 3 battery life at the expense of a little extra rear weight, the SPC strap variant introduces single point charging.
Unique to the KIWI design ecosystem, this magnetic connector allows the SPC Battery Head Strap to charge via the KIWI design Vertical Charging Stand. It’s a nice quality of life add for those with the stand, if you’re happy just plugging it in though the standard Battery Head Strap will do the job just as well.
performance
There’s no avoiding the fact the Meta Quest 3 is a power hungry VR headset, the built-in battery only offers around two hours of playtime which just isn’t enough sometimes. Thankfully the KIWI design SPC Battery Head Strap seamlessly doubles this number with just a little extra weight proving the only trade off. The extra bulk at the back of the head strap is definitely noticeable initially, but by the time I was out of the menu and actually started a game I’d already forgotten about it.
A reported shortcoming of some others, the power delivery from this KIWI design battery head strap is strong enough to charge the headset, even while actively gaming, and while the Quest 3 won’t be able to report on the status of the external battery there are a four LED indicator strip to give you a rough idea. When it’s time to charge the speed was fine without being noteworthy, the KIWI design SPC Battery Head Strap filled up at about the same rate as the Quest 3 itself would normally.
I’ve extensively used the Quest 2 equivalent of the KIWI design Battery Strap in the past and commented at the time that it’s a shame there was no compatibility with the brand’s own Quest 2 Charging Dock. That’s the problem the single point charging connector on the SPC variant solves for the Quest 3 and it solves it very neatly.
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The combined right angle single point charging plug simultaneously connects to the Quest 3’s USB-C charging point and the magnetic connection stem of the KIWI design Vertical Charging Stand, allowing both to charge at the same time. It’s a great solution that saves messing about with connections, though it’s not quite as drop and go as the Comfort Head Strap with the same stand.
The extra weight of the battery compartment makes the Quest 3 considerably more rear heavy overall and in testing I found if I left the SPC Battery Head Strap in the extended position I’d taken it off in then the headset would tip back and separate the magnetic connector. There’s a hook on the back of the Vertical Charging Stand specifically to help prevent this and it does solve the issue – you’ll just need to shrink the head strap down each time you put it away. It’s a minor five second inconvenience, but it’s an inconvenience nonetheless.
The KIWI design SPC Battery Head Strap isn’t just about extra gaming time however, there’s a considerable comfort boost to be had too. This is a night and day improvement over the strap included with the Meta Quest 3. The KIWI design SPC Battery Head Strap is more comfortable, more adjustable and more secure – it’s an improvement in every way.
The click wheel makes dialling in the perfect fit super simple and I found it also allowed younger, smaller heads to wear the Quest 3 safely. My seven year old nephew couldn’t use the headset with the stock strap, it just couldn’t tighten sufficiently to be secure – with the SPC Battery Head Strap however I was able to fit this for him and walk away confident it wasn’t going to tumble to the floor.
summed up
Once again KIWI design has come to Meta’s rescue with a third party accessory that solves two of the Quest 3’s biggest flaws in one hit. This is a high quality elite head strap that delivers a more secure, more comfortable VR gaming experience while letting you keep playing for twice as long. For those who invest in the KIWI design Vertical Charging Stand the SPC variant of the Battery Head Strap is a no brainer and the single point connector is a great quality of life add.
However if an improved fit and comfort is your only interest, then you can save a few pounds as the KIWI design Comfort Head Strap will do the job perfectly, it’s the same core unit as the SPC strap just minus the battery.
