When the consumer-level VR revolution came in 2016, it left behind a lot of potential consumers. That's because, as Ars editor Sam Machkovech puts it, "a lot of [existing VR] is very expensive or very underwhelming."

Oculus' upcoming Quest headset is setting out to be the middle ground between these two poles. Unlike most cheap, untethered headsets, the Quest offers full motion and hand tracking with its built-in cameras and included Touch controllers. Unlike high-end tethered headsets, it doesn't require external cameras or a connection to an expensive computer tower or game console; $400 will get you "all in" for self-contained VR starting in the spring.

Fresh from demoing Oculus Quest at the Oculus Connect conference in San Jose last month, Ars has put together a short video taking you through the pros and cons of the headset's compromises. Click through to hear some nitty gritty details about the system's hardware, comfort, frame rate, and what kinds of games we expect to see on the standalone device.

This is the first installment in a new video series we're calling "Professor Gamer," wherein Machkovech opines on games and game-centric topics (like VR!). You can also catch his sharp wit and opinions in our other culture-focused video series "The Unbearable Critic," which kicked off last week with a look at the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man. We'd love suggestions for both ways to improve the videos and also for potential subjects to discuss, and we'll be keeping an eye on the comments. Thanks for watching!

Listing image by Oculus PR