Technologies

Razer’s Quest 2 VR Strap Hands-on Review: A Mostly Easy Fit

Razer’s first Quest 2 accessories borrow from CPAP headstrap design, with comfort considerations. I like the strap, but not the face plate.

Razer has a lot of gaming hardware and accessories: It’s now in the Meta Quest 2 VR accessory business, too. The first Meta Quest 2-compatible strap and face plate have just arrived after being announced at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year. Trying them both at home, I’m cautiously a fan (of the strap, at least).

The company has partnered with ResMed for the strap design and manufacturing process, which interests me because Resmed happens to make the CPAP machine I use every night. CPAP machines require head straps to get those awkward air masks on and fit snugly but comfortably. A similar goal’s at play here, but for the VR headset on your face.

Razer’s strap fits snugly, for sure (at least on my face), but rests differently than the standard elastic Quest 2 straps. After adjusting the Velcro on the sides and the top strap, the design lets you kind of just lower the headset over your face like a large VR baseball cap. At first, it feels like the back support won’t hold, but it does. It feels a little less fussy, once set up, yet offers enough snugness that it should be good for intense sessions of Beat Saber.

Razer Adjustable Head Strap System for Quest 2

$70 at Razer

I do wish the straps had a little more give, but maybe that’s just me. Or maybe, much like CPAP straps, the elastic, padded strap system will eventually break in and be more fitted to my head.

I also let my 14-year-old son use it to play Beat Saber. (He’s become a VR expert pretty fast.) He told me it fits nicely but a little weirdly: He too felt that the headset was almost strangely balanced on his head. But once you get over feeling like the headset may topple over and then realize it won’t, it actually becomes very comfy. But in intense Beat Saber Expert Plus songs, he felt like it was a bit less secure than the standard Quest 2 strap.

Quest 2 VR headset with a black strap on, sitting on a yellow surface — Scott Stein/CNET

Razer also has a silicone face mask insert that’s designed to replace the foam padded one on the Quest 2. (Meta has its own silicone foam cover included with new Quest 2 hardware.) I’m less enthused about this one. First of all, the regular Quest 2 silicone-covered padding works fine for me. In addition, Razer’s insert seemed to make my glasses fog up more. Maybe it has a tiny bit less ventilation? I don’t know. I prefer less intense padding in my VR headset to help accommodate my thick glasses anyway. It does seem to block out more light, and Razer promises it’s more antibacterial and sweat-resistant.

There’s also the price to consider. The strap costs $70, and the face plate costs $70 too. Considering the entire Quest 2 costs $400, that’s a lot to invest in extras. There’s nothing really wrong with the included Quest 2 strap that comes in the box, which is free. But Razer’s extra level of comfort could be worth it if you’re ready for something else.

What interests me even more than these current Razer Quest 2 products, though, is what comes next. Razer plans to be an ongoing accessory maker for Meta now and will continue its partnership with ResMed. Will that mean Quest 3 accessories in the fall? Could it eventually mean controllers? Or other gaming accessories or VR-compatible peripherals? I’d love to see what’s on deck. This isn’t a bad start.

Technologies

Google’s Pixel 10A Is Coming to Japan With an Exclusive Blue Edition and Special Wallpaper

This model comes with creatively designed stickers and a special look for Pixel’s 10th anniversary.

Don’t be blue: Google is releasing an Isai blue edition of the Pixel 10A to celebrate the Android phone line’s 10th anniversary, setting it apart with its own sticker set, specialized wallpaper and custom icons. But it’ll only be available in Japan.

Announced Tuesday on the Google Japan blog, the Isai blue Pixel 10A has a dark blue look and includes bonus decorations designed in collaboration with Japan’s Heralbony art company. These include an exclusive bumper case and stickers for customization.

This edition of the Pixel 10A will arrive in Japan on May 20, following the April 14 release of the Pixel 10A in its original colors of lavender, berry, fog and obsidian. The Isai blue model costs 94,900 yen, which roughly translates to $595, and includes 256GB of storage.

This makes it slightly less expensive than the US model’s 256GB edition, but it comes with a number of fun extras at no additional cost.

Google’s creation of a country-specific model for Japan may also reflect strong sales in that market. In 2023, the IDC analytics firm (via 9to5Google) reported that the Pixel 7 series accounted for 10.7% of the country’s market share, a 527% increase from 2022.

Technologies

Can’t Wait for New Emoji? Here’s How to Create Your Own on iPhone

Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones can create custom emoji in a few easy steps.

Apple brought new emoji to all iPhones when the company released iOS 26.4 on March 24. The new emoji include «🫍» orca, «🫪» distorted face and «🫈» hairy creature — or as we might normally call it, Sasquatch. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way, including a pickle. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.

Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.

Note: The new emoji may not display correctly for Apple users whose devices aren’t on a 26.4 software version.

How to make custom emoji

1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.

You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.

Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.

Technologies

Save Over 20% on This Handy 10,000-mAh Anker Nano Power Bank

Keep your devices charged on the go with this Anker Nano power bank, now down to just $46.

We’ve just spotted the Anker Nano 45-watt portable power bank for just $46 at Amazon right now. This saves you $14 — a 23% discount on its list price. Though it’s $6 more than the lowest-ever price we saw during Black Friday, it’s still a solid discount when you take the rising cost of tech accessories into account. It also matches the lowest price we’ve seen in 2026. It comes in four colors: black, green, pink and white. They’re all on sale for the same price.

This Anker Nano portable charger weighs approximately 8.2 ounces and measures a compact 3.21×1.99×1.42 inches. Despite its small size, it has a retractable cable and supports fast charging in compatible Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel and other smartphones. It also has a large 10,000-mAh capacity and a smart display so you always know how much juice is left in your power bank.

The Nano can charge an iPhone 17 to up to 50% battery in an estimated 20 minutes, and is powerful enough to charge tablets and laptops. Need to charge your devices while charging your power bank? You can do so safely thanks to pass-through charging so you’ll never have to go without battery life.

We’ve also compiled a list of the best power banks for iPhones and for Android, in case this deal isn’t quite a fit for you.

Why this deal matters

If you travel, have a long commute time or are otherwise always on the go, a portable charger can help you keep your devices fully powered. This 45-watt Anker Nano power bank is compact, includes a loop that lets you keep track of it easily and has a built-in cable so you don’t have to keep up with extra cords. Amazon’s $14 discount makes this a solid deal for anyone looking for a compact power bank.