Oculus Quest sideloading platform, SideQuest, is getting a bit of a redesign soon, and we’ve just got a first glimpse at it.
The below teaser image was recently posted on Reddit and verified by SideQuest’s Shane Harris. “Those screenshots are accurate since we just took them from the current functional system ( locally at least),” Harris wrote. “We have some new discovery tools too we are working on that will boost discovery for developers & users.”
Overall it doesn’t look too different from what we have now. Harris said this design will still work similarly to the current layout, but you can see some options for filtering on the sidebar and smaller thumbnails will fit more apps onto the front page.
SideQuest celebrated its first anniversary back in May, confirming there were now over 500 titles available on the platform, so those additional tools definitely seem necessary. With SideQuest, content creators can bring their VR experiences to Quest without having to be approved by Facebook’s own strict curation guidelines, provided users opt into content from unknown sources on the headset.
Facebook recently announced that it will be launching a new distribution channel for Quest in 2021. This new method won’t require store approval nor sideloading content, to which Harris said he was delighted to hear.
“We hope that we have played a part in showing the real value of the indie developer ecosystem,” Harris said. “We will be working to integrate with the new direct link system as soon as we can and will be encouraging developers to explore the benefits of leveraging the Oculus ecosystem for a smoother user experience.”
