Oculus Quest 2 is perhaps the first of all the virtual reality headsets I’ve used over the years, which has been more than an expensive paper weight. However, there is still one small problem that makes Facebook VR headsets a bit annoying for those of us who have a lot of SteamVR games: you have to connect the headphones to your computer.
The USB-C cable included in the Oculus Quest 2 case is not very long, so you need to buy it The expensive version of Oculus or pick one up compatible cable (longer) this will make the writing. However, if you can hold on a little longer, you won’t need any either. As long as your wireless network is up to the task, you’ll be able to connect your Oculus Quest 2 to your wireless desktop PC, just as you won’t have to physically connect your Oculus Quest 2 to your desktop. Both will only need to be on the same network (although I recommend a wired connection for your PC, if you can handle it).
The new feature, known as Oculus Air Link, should arrive (in theory) as part of version 28 of the Oculus headset software and the accompanying PC application. I say it hesitantly, as I’m running both right now and I still don’t see the option. (I had to participate beta test of Oculus software to gain access, so the final public version may unlock this feature.)
Before we even start worrying about it, let’s talk about your network. So that your Oculus Quest 2 can talk to your desktop computer smoothly, you want the best possible connection for your headphones. This means a 5 GHz wireless AC configuration (two streams, or AC1200) at least.
You want to make sure your fracture is connected a your 5 GHz network, which may require you to split your home settings into separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks if you let your router use a single SSID for both. With Oculus notes: “Air Link performance could be affected if the Wi-Fi channel changes from 5 GHz to 2.4 GHz during a session.”
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Lastly, know that you’ll probably want to be closer to your router (ideally in the same room) rather than a couple of rooms below your router for the best wireless performance possible. Oculus itself recommends that you be no more than 20 feet from your router, which means that this solution won’t allow you to walk to and from the corners of your extensive home while playing. (Although if you try, be sure to activate the Oculus Quest 2 background that shows your real environment so as not to kill you.)
As a reminder, you will need to upgrade both of us the Oculus Quest 2 and the Oculus PC app to use Air Link. Inside the headphones, it’s as easy as pulling it up Settings> About and checking / installing any available software updates.
You’re likely to be asked to plug in headphones to start the upgrade, so make sure you’re within reach of your desktop PC (and have this USB-C cable on hand).
You’ll need to restart Oculus Quest 2 as part of the upgrade process, but it’ll be up and running again soon.
As for the PC, updating the app is as easy as launching it. When you do, you will receive a notification stating that there is an update to the prepared app, if any. And you can sign up for the public beta to access the features before their official visiting debut Settings> Beta:
Once you’ve done both, you’ll do it (eventually) see an option to enable Air Link within this beta tab. After you’ve done that, plug in your headset and pull it up Settings> Experimental Functions.
Tyours is where you can enable it Air Link too, as soon as the feature is released. Turn it on and you should be fine once you’ve paired your desktop computer with headphones. Remember that you have enabled the experimental feature, as you will need to disable it to disable Air Link, if it is not provided how smooth out an experience like connecting headphones directly to your PC. Up to this point, though, you’ll be able to adjust the Air Link bit rate directly from your Dash, so feel free to play around with the settings to get the best possible wireless VR experience on your network.