Oculus Developer Hub is a new PC program with features to make Oculus Quest development more convenient with fewer hassles.
When developing for PC-based VR, testing a new change is near-instant, and by default you can see what the VR headset sees on your screen. Developing for standalone headsets like Quest is more challenging since builds need to be compiled and updated on the headset each time. Testing on PC is still possible, but won’t surface performance and Android-specific issues.
Some of the functionality of Oculus Developer Hub is already available through the 3rd party app SideQuest.
Cast Mirroring, Quick Screenshots & Videos
Developer Hub lets you mirror Quest’s view to your PC with 1 click, using the same technology behind TV & phone casting.
You can capture screenshots & videos too. They’re saved to your PC, not your Quest.
You can also enable Wi-Fi mode, so your Quest doesn’t even need to be connected via USB. This was always possible, but required some setup.
Prox Sensor & Guardian Overrides
The proximity sensor of a VR headset detects when you’re wearing it. When you’re not, the app is paused & eventually suspended by the Oculus operating system. This makes multiplayer testing a nightmare, with devs using whatever objects they can find to trick the sensor.
The Developer Hub finally offers a way to disable that sensor, so you can test networking between Quests much more easily.
There’s also a way to toggle off Guardian. Previously this has to be done inside VR- after the Guardian setup if your boundaries weren’t recognized. Leaving the Guardian boundary also causes the app to pause, so this should also be a big boost for convenience.
Install, Uninstall, and Launch APKs
You can see all your installed APKs (other than store apps) and launch or uninstall them.
Dragging an APK from your PC onto this area will install it on Quest- the easiest way to sideload yet.
Performance Summary
The Hub shows a real time view of FPS, how much RAM is free, and the current clockspeeds and load on the CPU and GPU.
While Facebook already has more detailed performance analysis tools, it’s nice to always be able to see the most important performance metrics in a clean graphical interface.
Oculus Developer Hub is available for Windows and macOS from Facebook’s Oculus website. Keep in mind you’ll soon need to use SMS verification or link your payment details to use any Oculus developer features.
