The Oculus Quest 2 is arguably the first of all the virtual reality headsets I’ve used over the years that is more than an expensive paperweight. However, there is one more small problem that makes Facebook’s VR headset somewhat 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 in the Oculus Quest 2 box is not very long, so you have to buy them The overpriced version of Oculus or grab one compatible (longer) cable that will accomplish the deed. However, if you can keep it going a little longer, you don’t need either. As long as your wireless network can handle the task, you can connect your Oculus Quest 2 wirelessly to your desktop PC. As in, you don’t need to physically connect your Oculus Quest 2 to your desktop at all. Both only 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 Oculus Air Link, should (in theory) appear as part of version 28 of the Oculus headset software and accompanying PC appI say that with hesitation as I’m both running now and don’t see the option yet. (I had to sign up beta testing of Oculus software to access it, so it’s possible the latest, public release will unlock said feature.)
Before you even start worrying about this, let’s talk about your network. To make sure your Oculus Quest 2 can talk to your desktop PC smoothly, you want the best possible connection for your headset. That means at least a 5 GHz wireless-ac configuration (two streams or AC1200).
You will want to make sure your gap is connected to your 5 GHz network, which may require you to split your home setup into separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks if you let your router use one SSID for both. Such as Oculus notesTo: “Air Link performance may be affected if the Wi-Fi channel switches from 5 GHz to 2.4 GHz during a session.”
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Finally, know that you probably want to be closer to your router – ideally in the same room – rather than a few rooms down from your router to get the best possible wireless performance. Oculus itself recommends that you are no further than 6 feet from your router, which means that you can’t walk to and from the corners of your sprawling home while gaming with this solution. (But if you do try, make sure to turn on the Oculus Quest 2 background that shows your real surroundings so you don’t kill yourself.)
As a reminder, you need to update both the Oculus Quest 2 and the Oculus PC app to use Air Link. Inside your headset, that’s as easy as pulling it up Settings> About and checking / installing available software updates.
You will likely be asked to plug in your headset to initiate the update, so make sure you are within range of your desktop PC (and have that USB-C cable handy).
You’ll need to restart your Oculus Quest 2 as part of the update process, but you’ll be up and running in no time.
On the PC side, updating your app is as easy as launching it. Doing so will notify you that an app update is ready, if there is one. And you can sign up for the public beta to access features before their official debut by visiting Settings> Beta
If you’ve done both, you will (eventually) see an option to enable Air Link on this Beta tab. After doing that, flip on your headset and pull it up Settings> Experimental Features.
T.this is where you can enable Air Link too, once the feature goes liveTurn it on and you should be ready to go once you’ve paired your desktop PC with your headset. Remember you have turned on the experimental feature as you will need to turn it off to disable Air Link, if not as ensure a smooth experience by connecting your headset directly to your PC. Up to that point, you can adjust the Air Link bitrate right from your Dash, so feel free to play with the settings to achieve the best possible wireless VR experience on your network.