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UPDATE May 26, 2022: Complete revision of the article:
With Air Link and Virtual Desktop, you can stream PC VR games wirelessly to your Meta Quest 2. I explain how to do that in the following guide. With the launch of the Meta Quest in May 2019, a long-held wish of VR fans comes true: For the first time, you could experience a full-fledged virtual reality without a PC, cables and external sensors. However, the decoupling from the PC also has disadvantages. Since the Meta Quest and its successor run on a mobile chip, the VR headsets have tight performance limits. As a result, VR games usually do not look as good as on the PC. PC VR streaming remedies this by combining the best of both worlds: the graphical power of the PC with the wireless freedom of Meta Quest.
What solutions are available?The paid VR app Virtual Desktop offers high-quality PC VR streaming since 2019. Wireless data transfer to VR headsets existed before with other apps, but developer Guy Godin has optimized PC VR streaming and made it more accessible, allowing his solution to reach new user bases. Today, Virtual Desktop is one of the most popular VR apps on the Quest platform. Due to the huge success of Virtual Desktop, Meta released its own free solution called Air Link in April 2021. Air Link is an evolution of the 2019 Oculus Link wired PC VR streaming solution. What’s the difference between Air Link and Virtual Desktop?Air Link and Virtual Desktop work on the same principle. Similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages are listed below:
If you are trying PC VR streaming for the first time and are only looking for wireless streaming, you should try Air Link first. If you run into problems, you can always consider buying Virtual Desktop. If neither of these works, you can use Oculus Link to establish a USB cable connection to the PC. What do I need for PC VR streaming?For the most latency-free PC VR streaming, you need the following:
For best results, the router must be connected to the PC via an Ethernet cable, within sight of the VR headset, and at least one meter above the ground. If the router is located in another room, it is possible to use a dedicated router for PC VR streaming only. In this case, the dedicated router has to be configured as an access point. The following, comparatively inexpensive AC router like the TP-Link Archer C6 should be completely sufficient for these purposes. AX routers like the ASUS RT-AX55 are newer and support Wi-Fi 6, but cost more and are not necessarily better than the older AC routers when it comes to PC VR streaming. It is worth buying an AX router if many users in a household access the same network at the same time, since Wi-Fi 6 regulates the data transfer better. If you want a setup with a dedicated router only for PC VR streaming and want to save money, you can safely use an AC router. How to set up Air Link for PC VR streaming
To exit Air Link, you need to select the leftmost menu field in the same user interface. Here you can make further settings for Air Link or quit Air Link. If you prefer to use Oculus Link instead of Air Link, deactivate the option under Settings > Experimental. How to set up Virtual Desktop for PC VR streaming
Tips & tricks for optimal PC VR streamingGeneralBesides image quality, latency is crucial for good PC VR streaming: If it is too high, there are noticeable delays in virtual reality between an action (head rotation, room movement, button press) and its representation in VR, which can dampen the gaming experience and cause nausea. The expected latency for wireless streaming is between 25 and 50 milliseconds and depends on factors like network setup, graphics card and software settings.
Air LinkYou can adjust settings on Air Link by pressing the Oculus button and selecting the menu field on the far left in the user interface that appears. Here you can choose between a dynamic and fixed Air Link bitrate. For starters, it is better to choose the dynamic bitrate. The bitrate determines the image quality. If you choose the dynamic bitrate, the latency is prioritized instead of the image quality and the bitrate is automatically adjusted depending on how good your network connection is. If your connection is poor, this setting could negatively affect the image quality to ensure good latency. If you choose the fixed bitrate, the image quality will be prioritized instead of the latency. If your connection is poor, this setting could negatively affect latency to ensure good image quality. In principle, latency is more important than image quality for a good VR experience. Of course, both are important. Virtual DesktopVirtual Desktop lets you view your latency in real time. To do so, open the Virtual Desktop menu by pressing the system button on the left touch controller and select Streaming > Advanced Options. Here you should be able to enable the Performance Overlay, which shows all the essential values in VR apps. Also experiment with the settings in the Streamer app as well as in the Virtual Desktop under “Settings” and “Streaming” to achieve optimal PC VR streaming. The final result also depends on the performance of your PC. The setup is too complicated for me. Are there any alternatives?If it has to be wireless, then there are currently no alternatives. But there is hope: According to rumors, Meta is working on a USB dongle for Air Link, which could make the router superfluous and thus simplify the setup significantly. For those who can live with a cable, the simple Oculus Link is an option. I have Windows 11 and my Air Link is juddering. What’s the problem?The Oculus PC app does not yet support Windows 11 (as of May 2022) and an issue with the operating system is causing judder with Oculus Link and Air Link. Meta is working on an update that should fix the problem. In the meantime, there is a workaround for the judder on Windows 11. Virtual Desktop does not have judder issues on Windows 11. Where can I find more information and help?For more information about Air Link, visit the Oculus support page. For Virtual Desktop there is an official FAQ on the website and a Discord server where you can ask questions. Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change. Do you need Virtual Desktop on Steam or Oculus Quest 2?You'll need the Quest 2 desktop software, available for free from the official website. It would be best if you had the Steam client-ready as well. The former is necessary no matter if you're playing wirelessly or not.
Is there a free Virtual Desktop for Oculus Quest 2?Download Virtual Desktop Streamer
There's yet one more application to download for your PC: Virtual Desktop Streamer. It's free, and made by the same folks who made the Virtual Desktop app you purchased on the Quest or Quest 2.
How do I play Steam VR games on Oculus Quest 2 with virtual desktops?Firstly, you should download the Oculus software to your PC and install it according to the instructions. And next, to be able to play SteamVR games, you need to do a SteamVR install, which is totally free. Now, you can connect the Quest 2 headset to your PC with Oculus Link Cable.
How do I access virtual desktops?Connect to your desktops and applications
Open the Remote Desktop app on your device. Double-click one of the icons to launch a session to Azure Virtual Desktop. You may be prompted to enter the password for your user account again, depending on how your admin has configured Azure Virtual Desktop.
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