You can connect an Oculus Quest 2 to a PC in two ways: using an Oculus Link cable (or another high-quality USB-C cable) or wirelessly, using Air Link. This will unlock a range of PC-only VR experiences and let you use the power of your PC to deliver greater on-screen visuals. Show
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Here’s how to connect your Oculus Quest 2 to a PC in just a few steps. Connect an Oculus Quest 2 to a PC: Using Oculus LinkOculus VRIf you’d prefer to use a wired connection, follow the steps below to connect your Oculus Quest 2 to a PC via Oculus Link. This method should work for both Oculus Quest and Quest 2 headsets. You can use the official Oculus Link cable, or a high-quality USB-C 3.0 cable. Do check individual reviews of third-party cables, though, as not all of them are rated for VR performance. Step 1: Review the compatibility requirements to make sure that your PC and headset meet all of the hardware and software requirements. Step 2: Go to the Oculus app on your computer and power on your headset. Step 3: You’ll need to plug in one end of the USB or Oculus Link cable into your PC’s USB 3.0 port. The other end should then be plugged into your headset. Step 4: In virtual reality, you’ll see an Allow Access to Data prompt. Be sure to select Deny. Step 5: When you see the Enable Oculus Link prompt, choose Enable. Connect an Oculus Quest 2 to a PC: Using Air LinkIf you’d prefer to use a wireless connection and you have a Quest 2 headset, follow the steps below to connect your headset via Air Link. This method only works for Quest 2 headsets. You’ll need to make sure that your Quest 2 and that the Oculus app on your PC are both updated to version 28 (v28) or later. Step 1: On your PC, navigate to the Oculus app and choose Settings. On the Beta tab, choose the button beside Air Link. Step 2: Wear your headset and press the Oculus button to open the menu. Choose the Settings gear icon and select Experimental Features. Step 3: Select the button beside Air Link. Select Continue. Step 4: From the Available PCs list that appears, choose your PC and select Pair. After it’s done pairing, select Launch. The above instructions are what it takes to pair your PC with your Quest 2 the first time. After the first pairing, future connections should only require switching Air Link on via the Quick Actions menu in Settings. Editors' Recommendations
Playing Oculus Quest on your PC wirelessly is a possibility, though it does require some third-party software. Unfortunately, playing games over Wi-Fi with Oculus Quest on PC isn’t as easy as just clicking a few options on the settings menu. Streaming games to the Oculus Quest from your PC isn’t officially supported, so you’ll have to rely on third-party solutions to make it happen. Streaming PC games to your Oculus Quest works surprisingly well, and it’s definitely worth looking into if you want to rid your VR experience of any wires finally. The Quest’s inside-out tracking and ability to play PC VR games wirelessly eliminates some of the most immersion-breaking aspects of other headsets. What do I need to play PC games on Oculus Quest wirelessly?You’ll need a few things before you can set up your Oculus Quest to play PC games wirelessly. Most of these prerequisites will already be lying around your house, so there’s not much overhead for most users to prepare their Quest for wireless streaming. Oculus QuestIt’s a no brainer; you’ll need an Oculus Quest, but if you haven’t picked one up yet, you can click on the link below to grab one. Note that there are two models of Quest you can pick up. Both of these headsets are the same except for the amount of internal storage. One has 64GB of space, and the other has 128GB. Both models of Quest work equally well for wirelessly streaming games from PC. You don’t have to worry about how much internal storage your headset has because the games are installed on your PC hard drive and won’t take up any space on your Quest. However, if you plan to use the Quest as a standalone headset, you may want to go with the 128GB model so you can install more games.
Wireless-AC Wi-Fi Router or Wi-Fi AdapterTo connect your Quest to your PC wirelessly, you’ll need to use Wi-Fi. Game streaming takes up quite a bit of bandwidth, and you’ll want to use a Wireless-AC router or adapter to get the best possible experience. You can wirelessly connect your PC and Oculus Quest by simply connecting the Quest to your Wi-Fi router. As long as your PC is also connected to the router via ethernet, you’re good to go. If you experience connectivity issues or you don’t have a Wi-Fi router available, you can connect your Quest directly to your PC if you use a Wi-Fi adapter. A PCI-E adapter is the best, but you can also use a USB 3.0 Wi-Fi dongle. When choosing a Wi-Fi router or adapter for use with the Quest, it’s best to get a quality product with good range. Getting a steady framerate in games requires you to keep a stable connection between the Quest and your PC. So, you’ll want to have a router or adapter with suitable antennas. We’ve got a few recommendations below for Wi-Fi routers and adapters for use with the Quest, but pretty much any Wireless-AC product will work.
USB-C CordBefore you can connect to your PC with the Quest via Wi-Fi, you’ll need to sideload some software (more about that below). To do that, you’ll need to connect the Quest to your PC via a USB-C cable. You can use a USB-C to USB-A or USB-C to USB-C cord to connect your Quest to your PC. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a cable that’s rated for Oculus Link; it just needs to be able to transfer data. However, if you need to pick up a USB-C cable, you may want to go ahead and grab one that works with Oculus Link just to keep your options open. We’ve got a few low-price cable recommendations below that allow you to sideload apps and also work for Oculus Link.
How do I setup my Oculus Quest to stream PC games wirelessly?Once you have all the prerequisite items, you’re ready to set up your Quest for wireless PC gaming. There is a small fee involved for the software to make this possible, but other than that, the process is free.
When your Quest reboots, it’ll be in developer mode. You won’t notice anything different in the menu, but you’re now ready for the next step. Install SideQuest on your PCYou could ADB push .apks to your Quest right now to install the needed software, but that’s needlessly complicated. Instead, we’re going to install a program called SideQuest, which exists as an unofficial marketplace for the Quest. Download SideQuest (link) and install it. After that, open the program and connect the Quest to your PC with a USB-C cable. You’ll now need to check your Quest and allow USB debugging. I recommend checking “Always allow from this computer,” so you don’t have to approve the request every single time you connect the Quest to your PC. Purchase Virtual Desktop from the Oculus StoreWe’re going to be using Virtual Desktop to stream VR games from your PC to your Quest. You’ll need to purchase the Oculus Store version of Virtual Desktop for $19.99. However, do not install this version. We have to sideload a particular version of the program for it to work correctly. The sideloaded version checks your Oculus Store licenses to make sure you’ve purchased Virtual Desktop. So, you have to own it on that service even though you’re downloading it from somewhere else. Sideload Virtual Desktop via SideQuestWith your Oculus Quest connected to your PC via USB, search for Virtual Desktop on SideQuest and install it. The process shouldn’t take too long, and afterward, the virtual desktop app will be available on the Quest. Download Virtual Desktop streamer for PCThe last component in this process is the PC Virtual Desktop streamer app. This program is easy to setup. Just download and install it. Once you launch it, the default settings should work fine. Just put your Oculus username in the blank provided, and you’re good to go. Connect to your PC via Virtual DesktopYou can now disconnect your Quest from USB. Now, put on your Oculus Quest and connect to your PC. Launch Virtual Desktop, and it should find your computer automatically. When you see your desktop, hit the menu button on the left controller, and you’ll see tabs for the VR games installed on your computer. With Virtual Desktop, you can play Oculus Rift games from the Oculus Store and SteamVR games off of Steam. When you select a title to play, it’ll launch into 3D and play just like a native Quest game. Can you connect Quest 2 to PC wirelessly?Meta Quest Air Link allows you to wirelessly connect your Meta Quest Pro or Meta Quest 2 to your PC using a secure Wi-Fi network. Before you set up Air Link, make sure that your computer meets the requirements for using Meta Quest Link, and review the best practices listed below for optimal performance.
How do I link my Oculus Quest to PC?Open the desktop app on your PC. Turn on your headset. Plug your USB 3 cable into a USB 3.0 port on your PC, then plug the other end into your headset.
Can you play Oculus Quest on PC without a cable?Either option will give you the best of both worlds: letting you play the games you want without being attached by a cable to your computer. Oculus' method, which is called Air Link, now comes as a complimentary feature with the headset (if you're running v28 software), while using Virtual Desktop requires a $20 app.
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