Facebook’s latest update to the Oculus Quest 2 software will add an Air Link mode to play PC VR games wirelessly.
The v28 update will also include 120 Hz support for Quest 2 as well as Infinite Office updates that include bringing your desk into VR and the ability to see a bluetooth-enabled Logitech K830 keyboard synced to its real location in your room.
Update: Facebook confirmed to UploadVR that some features, including Air Link, will be exclusive to Quest 2 at launch and won’t be available on the original Quest. “The ability to bring your physical desk into VR will be available on Quest 1,” Facebook said in a statement. “The other features in the post (120Hz, Air Link, and physical keyboard tracking) will be on Quest 2 only at launch.” The original story continues below.
According to a blog post from Facebook here are the steps to activate Air Link once you get the v28 update, which will happen gradually:
While Air Link is an Experimental feature, not every network and PC setup will be ideal. We’re continuing to improve Air Link’s performance and compatibility for different configurations, but in the meantime, check out our guide for best practices, known issues, and to see if your setup should work well with Air Link. We recommend following the guidelines we’ve provided to ensure the best experience, including: Only use Air Link on a secure WiFi network that you trust; use a 5Ghz network on an AC or AX router, connected via ethernet cable to your PC; and make sure your PC meets the Oculus Link requirements.
Here’s how to get started with Air Link once it rolls out: First, download and install the Oculus PC app if you haven’t already. You’ll need PC software v28, which is rolling out soon. Next, navigate to Settings → Beta in the PC app and enable the Air Link toggle. Then, put on your Quest 2 headset, navigate to Settings → Experimental, and enable Air Link. To disable Air Link and go back to using Link with a USB-C cable, you’ll need to disable Air Link from the Experimental panel.
We’ll work to improve Air Link over time, including performance, visual quality, and the ability to run in less than ideal wireless scenarios. We look forward to hearing the community’s feedback while Air Link is in Experimental mode. You can submit feedback and bug reports via support.oculus.com.
The Air Link PC VR streaming feature is similar in functionality to the work popularized by Guy Godin’s Virtual Desktop. The developer was blocked from release of his feature on the Oculus Quest store for quite some time — requiring sideloading to activate — until February of this year when Facebook accepted it into store release. We reached out to Godin for comment about the Air Link feature.
Godin’s full comment via direct message to UploadVR:
“In 2017, Facebook copied the base functionality of Virtual Desktop on Rift and incorporated it in their platform, essentially making my app obsolete. I’m not surprised to see them do this again on Quest. They copied the fitness tracking app YUR last year and released Oculus Move; essentially killing the company. They also released App Lab as they saw how popular SideQuest was. That’s what they do. If you have a popular app on Quest today, expect Facebook to copy you and leave you in the dust. As for the fate of Virtual Desktop on Quest, we will have to see how Facebook’s solution competes. Judging by the number of issues plaguing Oculus Link today, I’m confident Virtual Desktop will remain a valuable solution for a while. I’ve also got a lot of cool features in the works that I can’t wait to share with the community.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted to his account “Quest v28 software update is landing soon with Air Link (stream games from your PC wirelessly), 120 hz, app subscriptions and Infinite Office updates. Lots of progress towards building the metaverse.”
