Oculus Link Software Available: Oculus Quest Can Now Tether to PCs
by Anton Shilov on November 21, 2019 5:00 PM EST- Posted in
- VR
- Oculus
- Oculus Quest
Oculus VR this week started to distribute its Oculus Link software, enabling owners of the standalone Oculus Quest VR headsets to connect them to gaming PCs and play games originally developed with the Rift and Rift S in mind. For now, VR gamers will have to use a quality third-party USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C cable, but later on the company promises to release its own long cable.
From now, a beta version of the Oculus Link application for Oculus Quest is available from Oculus VR as a part of the Gear VR Build 11.0 software update. To connect the Oculus Quest to a PC, one needs a high-quality USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C cable, though since most USB 3.x cables are around 1.5 meters long, you'll want to track down a longer specialty cable. Otherwise, Oculus promises to release a five-meter long USB-C cable in the near future to provide more freedom. Meanwhile, PC users will want to pay particular note to the fact that only NVIDIA cards are supported with the Link software at this time; Oculus will be adding AMD support at a later date.
The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR HMD featuring a display of a 2880×1600 (1440×1600 per eye) and powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 application processor. The device comes with Touch controllers bundled with the original Rift, yet relies on its inside-out 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) positional and controller tracking that does not require any external sensors.
In theory, making Oculus Rift games available to owners of the Oculus Quest and a compliant PC is a big deal for Oculus VR as it expands total available market of VR PC games and therefore strengthens the entire platform. This clearly does not hurt in the light of the fact that the Half-Life: Alyx game is coming and many fans of the series will have to use a VR headset to enjoy it. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how good the actual PC gaming experience offered by the Oculus Quest will be provided that it has a higher-resolution display (when compared to both Rift and Rift S) and uses a different tracking system.
Related Reading:
- Oculus Link Software: Connecting Oculus Quest to a Gaming PC
- Oculus Quest Announced: A 6DoF Standalone VR Headset
- Oculus Rift S VR Headset: An Upgraded Virtual Reality Experience
- VirtualLink USB-C Alt Mode Announced: Standardized Connector for VR Headsets
- Oculus Announces Oculus Go: Untethered VR For $199 USD
- Oculus Announces Six Week Sale of $399 Rift + Touch Bundle
Source: Oculus VR
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timecop1818 - Thursday, November 21, 2019 - link
Oculus should have died years ago, not sure why they're still in business. They have no relevant products in already niche market completely dominated by HTC and Hololens.Every expo I've been to that had some VR tech on display used either some version of vive, or hololens for AR. Haven't seen a single booth with Occulus stuff.
Opencg - Thursday, November 21, 2019 - link
Maybe resarch their market share and dont use "I haven't seen them at shows" as a metric? lolnandnandnand - Friday, November 22, 2019 - link
That guy in the photo loves Occulus stuff.PeachNCream - Friday, November 22, 2019 - link
Nonsense! What you are looking at is hunger. Said person is bearing witness to a virtual weiner and is giving the O face in anticipation of a mouthful of hot dog that is practically dribbling condiments.BloodyBunnySlippers - Tuesday, November 26, 2019 - link
"Not Hotdog"Leonick - Friday, November 22, 2019 - link
Completely dominated by HTC? Steam's own hardware survey says the original Rift is the single most common VR headset. Rift and Rift S combined is more common that VIve, Vive Pro, Index and Microsoft Mixed Reality combined...rahvin - Monday, November 25, 2019 - link
Based on the link below the HTV Vive is 33.07% of the market and the Rift 35.92%. That's not the blowout you claim. In fact all the HTC/Valve headsets add up to 40.1% and all the Occulus headsets add up to 49.9%. That's not a blowout at all.It will be interesting to see what it is by January, the Valve Index was the top selling item on the steam store all this weekend after the new half life game announcement and they are offering Half Life: Alyx for free with the Index through the end of the year. The new game could significantly boost VR sales and remake the ownership percentages as it's the first major VR only title.
jmke - Friday, November 22, 2019 - link
"They have no relevant products in already niche market completely dominated by HTC and Hololens."haha.. hahahahahaha...
hahaha...
https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hard...
HTC Vive dominating the market... hahahaha..
Wackerxxx - Friday, January 10, 2020 - link
Well the price is high. Phones made it to the masses because it's only 21 bucks more a month to get a decent phone. You can have something high dollar by paying over time. Right now you are only selling to people who are in the hobby and can afford a luxury item. If you want mass acceptance you will have to allow the EBT card to purchase it. Or make it really junky and cheap. Sad but true.bmichaelb - Friday, November 22, 2019 - link
"The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR HMD featuring a display of a 3200×1440 (1600×1440 per eye) and powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 application processor."Correction...the display is only 2880x1600 (1440x1600 per eye).