Oculus Air Link is making its debut for the Oculus Quest 2, allowing wireless connection between the player’s headset and the library of virtual reality games on their PC. As is evidenced by Facebook’s recent acquisition of Onward VR developer Downpour Interactive, that library is constantly expanding, so many fans want to be prepared to take advantage of the liberating new feature.
Launched in 2019, Oculus Link allowed Oculus Quest owners to access Rift games from their PC. Unfortunately, to do so, players would need to stay tethered to the PC via a USB-C cable connected to their headset. Now, Oculus Air Link allows for wireless game streaming to the Oculus Quest 2, but accomplishing this task may be difficult for some.
Before Oculus Air Link can be established for the Oculus Quest 2, players must confirm that their Quest 2 and their PC are both running v28 software. The rollout for the update began on the week of April 19, but it’s a gradual rollout, meaning that some players will have the feature enabled before others.
Once both the headset and PC are running v28, players must confirm that the Quest 2 is connected to a secure Wi-Fi network. This can be accomplished in the Oculus app, or on the headset.
Using the Oculus App to Confirm a Secure Wi-Fi Connection
Players must:
- Turn on the Quest 2 headset
- Open the Oculus app on their phones
- Tap on “Settings”
- Tap on the headset that they are using
- Tap on “Wi-Fi”
- Tap on the Wi-Fi network to which the headset is connected
- Find “Security”
A secured network will display a security protocol (e.g. WPA, WPA2-PSK, etc.). Once a secure connection is established and confirmed, players can proceed to connect their Oculus Quest 2 to their PC via Oculus Air Link. Alternatively, gamers can confirm whether the network is secure by using the headset itself.
Using the Quest 2 Headset to Confirm a Secure Wi-Fi Connection
Players must:
- Press the Oculus button on the right Touch controller in order to access the Universal Menu
- Select “Settings”
- Select “Device”
- Select “Wi-Fi”
- Select the Wi-Fi network that is marked “Connected”
- Find “Security”
A secured network will display a security protocol (e.g. WPA, WPA2-PSK, etc.). Once a secure connection is established and confirmed, players can proceed to connect their Oculus Quest 2 to their PC via Oculus Air Link.
Connecting the Oculus Quest 2 to a PC with Oculus Air Link
Once players have download and/or updated the Oculus app on their PC to v28, they must open the app and click “Settings.” In the settings menu, players must navigate to the tab labeled “Beta” and click the button next to “Air Link.”
Once the PC is ready, players must:
- Put on their Quest 2 headset
- Press the Oculus button on the right Touch controller in order to access the Universal Menu
- Select the gear icon to access the settings menu
- Select “Experimental Features”
- Select the button beside “Air Link”
- Read “Air Link Requirements”
- Select “Continue”
- Navigate to “Available PCs”
- Select the correct PC
- Select “Pair”
- After pairing has completed, click “Launch”
Once a Quest 2 headset is paired for the first time, Oculus Air Link can be established via the Quick Actions menu in Settings. With this connection established, players can wirelessly access the library of VR games on their PC. Additionally, gamers can reference the Oculus Air Link support page for best practices and known issues.
Disconnecting Air Link
If a player wants to turn off Oculus Air Link, they must:
- Put on the Quest 2 headset
- Press the Oculus button on the right Touch controller in order to access the Universal Menu
- Select “Settings”
- Select “Experimental Features”
- Select the button beside “Air Link”
Oculus Quest 2 fans have more freedom than ever with the Oculus Air Link. Perhaps this feature will take center stage at the next Oculus Gaming Showcase, with future games being built with this freedom in mind. However, if not, players can still take comfort in knowing the system won’t get ripped off their heads because they strayed too far from their PCs.
Oculus Air Link is available now for PC and Oculus Quest 2.
Source: Oculus