The Oculus Quest 2 is getting a killer feature for PC VR fans: the ability to stream games from a desktop rig to the headset without a cable.
Currently, you can play PC VR games on both the Quest 2 and the Quest 1 through Oculus Link, which requires an applicable USB-C cable to run the VR experience from a PC to the headsets. But the cable can break the VR immersion. It's also a bit of a drag. In a worst case scenario, you can accidentally trip over it, or move too far and rip it out of your computer.
With Oculus Air Link, however, you can instead stream the PC VR experience through your home’s Wi-Fi network.
“Oculus Link cables will still provide a robust and consistent experience, while those with a strong Wi-Fi setup can choose to stream wirelessly through Air Link,” the company writes in a blog post.
The “strong Wi-Fi” means your VR playspace will ideally be located within 20 feet of your Wi-Fi router. The company is also recommending the Quest 2 headset run on a 5GHz Wi-Fi signal on a 802.11ac or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) router. Finally, it's best that the network remain uncongested while the Air Link feature is in use.
Oculus cautions that Air Link will arrive as an experimental feature, so it may not work smoothly. “We’ll work to improve Air Link over time, including performance, visual quality, and the ability to run in less than ideal wireless scenarios,” the company adds.
To enable Air Link, Quest 2 owners will need to first download the v28 update of the Oculus software for both their PC and their headset; the update is poised to roll out soon. “Next, navigate to Settings > Beta in the PC app and enable the Air Link toggle. Then, put on your Quest 2 headset, navigate to Settings > Experimental, and enable Air Link,” Facebook says.
Unfortunately, Air Link is only coming to the Quest 2 for now. "While we haven’t ruled out support for the original Quest in the future, we’re focused on optimizing Air Link to be the best possible experience for Quest 2 first," Facebook tells us.
The other major feature in the pipeline for the Quest 2 is support for a 120Hz refresh rate, a bump up from 90Hz. “Developers can soon begin to ship apps on the Oculus Store that run at 120Hz natively, while Quest 2 users will be able to opt into the 120Hz option via a toggle in the Experimental panel to experience these applications at higher frame rates,” the company says.
Facebook plans on adding the 120Hz option in a future software release for the Quest 2.