The Meta Quest 3 has awesome controllers. They are light, fit well in any hand size, and are comfortable to hold for long periods of time. However, they can be a little… slippery, especially if you use VR for fitness. Sure, the controllers have a tether you can use around your wrist, but that isn’t always enough.
Or maybe you’re like me, with permanently damaged tendons from too much Beat Saber (true story), and you need controllers strapped directly to your hand for ergonomic reasons. Either way, finding good controller covers with hand straps is difficult, especially if you want battery access. Luckily, KIWI has designed controller grips that solve all of these problems. Let’s take a look at them.
What’s in the Box?
First, let’s get these grips out of their box! You’ll get the controller grips, black open battery door covers with pull tabs, and a bunch of extra pull tabs (something I have noticed other battery door grips don’t include) just in case you need to swap in a new one.
There is also a set of very clearly-written installation instructions. These will come in handy for people who have never used battery door grips before – they install a tiny bit differently than standard slide-on grips!
Easy Installation
Putting the grips on is straight-forward and quick. You’ll first remove the stock white battery door, and then put on the supplied black replacement that leaves the battery exposed instead.
Notably, the black cover is a perfect fit, seemingly right down to the last millimeter. It fits just like the original stock white cover does! Personally, I have tried other similar grips and the replacement piece that exposes the battery has always been a little off, which made me worry about damage to my controllers.
I always ended up returning them and using the kind that cover the battery door. These ones don’t concern me at all, and that’s exciting!
Anyway, after that plastic piece is on, you’ll slide on the silicone grips just like any other. They go on easily and fit like a glove while adding a layer of much-needed protection to the controllers.
Then, the magic happens.
Convenient Battery Access
And by magic, I mean the ease of changing your controller batteries. The cover pushes down and fits right in to the black plastic piece we put on earlier, then holds securely shut thanks to a ridge. It flips open easily though.
That means you never have to remove the silicone grip to swap batteries. How awesome is that? With many Quest 3 controller covers, you are forced to take off the entire thing when your batteries need a change. That can get very annoying very quick, and it can make the silicone sleeve wear out faster because it is being stretched all the time.
None of that is an issue with these grips, because you can get to the battery by just opening the silicone flap. How amazing is that? It’s like music to my… eyes.
Holding On Tight
Now when it comes to gameplay, these grips are wonderful. The controllers feel a lot less slippery even if you don’t tighten the hand strap thanks to the added texture. No more throwing that controller in to your TV.
With the hand strap tightened however, you won’t even need to hold on to the controller at all. It will simply just stick to your hand like magic. This is a much more ergonomically-friendly way of gaming in virtual reality, especially if you tend to grip your controllers really tight. You can hurt yourself doing this; ask me how I know.
Final Thoughts
Overall, KIWI’s controller grips solve a lot of problems. They reduce your chances of hurling your controllers in to the sun while you play Gorn, protect them from small bumps, and improve ergonomics all while allowing you to quickly swap batteries out on the fly.
These grips are another fantastic KIWI product, and I personally recommend them to anybody with a Quest 3. They’ll add a touch of comfort and convenience to your VR play time without a doubt. Check them out on KIWI’s website!
