The Oculus Quest 2 may be the first virtual reality headset I’ve used over the years that was more than an expensive paperweight. There is one more little catch that makes Facebook’s VR headset a bit annoying for those of us with a lot of SteamVR games: you have to plug the headset into your computer.
The USB-C cable that comes with the Oculus Quest 2 isn’t very long, so you’ll need to purchase it either Oculus’ overpriced version or pick up a compatible (longer) cable that will do the deed. However, if you can hold out a little longer, you don’t need to. As long as your wireless network is up to the task, you can wirelessly connect your Oculus Quest 2 to your desktop PC. As in, you don’t have to physically connect your Oculus Quest 2 to your desktop at all. They just need to be on the same network (although I recommend a wired connection for your PC if you can manage it.)
The new feature, known as the Oculus Air Link, should (in theory) be available as part of version 28 of the Oculus headset’s software and accompanying PC app. I say this with hesitation as I am running both of them and do not yet see the option. (I had to choose Beta testing the Oculus software to gain access, it is possible that the final public release will unlock this feature.)
Before you worry about it, let’s talk about your network. In order for your Oculus Quest 2 to communicate easily with your desktop PC, you need the best possible connection for your headset. This means at least a 5 GHz wireless AC setup (two streams or AC1200).
You should make sure your Rift is connected to your 5 GHz network. Therefore, if you let your router use a single SSID for both, you may have to split your home setup into separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. As an Oculus Remarks: “Air Link performance can be affected if the Wi-Fi channel switches from 5 GHz to 2.4 GHz during a session.”
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Finally, you should know that you probably want to be closer to your router – ideally in the same room – rather than a few rooms away from your router for the best wireless performance possible. Oculus itself recommends that you be no further than 20 feet from your router. This means that with this solution, you won’t be able to walk to and from the corners of your sprawling house while you play. (If you try this make sure you turn on the Oculus Quest 2 background, which shows your real world surroundings so you don’t kill yourself.)
As a reminder, you must update both the Oculus Quest 2 and the Oculus PC app to use Air Link. In your headset, it’s as easy as pulling it up Settings> Info and check for / install available software updates.
You will likely be asked to plug in your headset to start the update. So make sure you are within range of your desktop PC (and have the USB-C cable ready).
You’ll need to restart Oculus Quest 2 as part of the update process, but you’ll be up and running again in no time.
On the PC side, updating your app is as easy as launching it. When you do, you will get a notification that an app update is ready, if there is one. And you can sign up for the public beta to get access to features before their official debut Settings> Beta::
Once you’ve done both of these steps, you may see an option to enable Air Link on this beta tab. After you’ve done that, put on your headset and pull it up Settings> Experimental Features.
Once the Air Link feature is available, you’ll find a similar Air Link setting here. Activate it and you should be ready once you’ve paired your desktop PC with your headset. Don’t forget that you have the experimental feature enabled as you will need to disable it to turn off Air Link in case it doesn’t work as smoothly as plugging your headset directly into your PC. Up to this point, you can adjust Air Link’s bitrate right from your Dash. So you can play around with the settings to get the best wireless VR experience possible on your network.
