AMVR BS1 Review: An Essential Upgrade for Long Sessions

While I just crowned the Globular Cluster CMQ3 the new king of Meta Quest 3 head straps, another strap hit my desk this past month that has me questioning which one is the right choice long term. The AMVR BS1 is the new battery + fan headstrap from AMVR, one of my personal favorite VR brands. The CMQ3 and BS1 took two vastly different approaches, and it became obvious to me that one market is definitely better suited to the AMVR option. Let’s dive into my AMVR BS1 review to see if this one is right for you.

Comfort & Material Quality: Long-Term Comfort

While the Globular Cluster CMQ3 opted to become the most versatile head strap on the market, the AMVR BS1 aimed to solve one problem: long-term comfort. The padding and materials are super comfortable; the fan actually cools the face and defogs the lenses, and the entire package was very obviously aimed at hardcore VR gamers and VR fitness enthusiasts. If you spend a long time in your headset, or tend to get hot while in VR, I don’t think another option on the market can match AMVR in pure comfort.

Even better, the headstrap is very easy to install: just undo the old strap and slide this one on the arms of your Meta Quest 3. You can then articulate the back of the strap and adjust how far the headset sits from the rest of the strap via two small rails. All of the adjustment points feel very secure, and I noticed no slipping during my testing of I Am Your Beast VR and NFL Pro Era. I’m honestly quite impressed with the AMVR BS1 build quality.

Does It Fix Long Sessions? Battery, Balance, and Cooling

Between the quality battery, the comfortable faux leather materials, and an impressively quiet yet powerful fan, the AMVR BS1 finally delivers a Quest 3 battery headstrap with fan that’s actually worth using. I’ve heard quite a few complaints about other options on the market not providing much fan power, resulting in a pretty useless gimmick. That isn’t the case here. I went into this review not expecting much from the fan, but I immediately noticed a reduction in the fogging my lenses tend to get during intense sessions, and my face felt noticeably cooler even after an intense 45-minute session.

Thanks to the battery, the headstrap also achieves a nice counterbalance so the Quest 3 on your face doesn’t feel quite so heavy. I would say it’s pretty comparable to the BoboVR options on the market in this department, which is great since I personally feel the BoboVR M3 has the best counterbalance on the market. AMVR matching their quality is great, especially when their fan performance is quite a bit better than the BoboVR S3 Pro. I have had very limited exposure to the S3 Pro, however, so please take my word with a grain of salt.

Pros and Cons

The Verdict: An Essential Upgrade?

Simply put, the Globular Cluster CMQ3 is still the best strap for MOST people. That said, the AMVR BS1 is my new top pick for my VR power users out there. While the CMQ3 is super versatile, it cannot match the battery + fan combo for hardcore VR gaming sessions or intense VR fitness routines. While the price is definitely high, it’s easily worth it if you find yourself spending a lot of time in VR.

Grab Yours Here

Check the links below for the most up-to-date pricing. Make sure to use code “MXR” for 10% off on AMVRShop, or “5NFLCQ38” for 20% off on Amazon!