Oculus Link released in beta: everything you need to know

Oculus Link released in beta: everything you need to know

Summary

The Oculus Link cable, allowing you to play games from the Rift catalog on the Quest standalone headset is now available in beta. Everything you need to know about the device.



The Oculus Quest is a very interesting autonomous virtual reality headset. However, due to its limited computing capacity, the games that can be played on it are also somewhat constrained compared to the games available on the Rift which has the computing power of a beefy PC. The idea of ​​a cable and a software allowing to connect the autonomous headset to a PC and therefore to take advantage of the Oculus Rift games catalog is therefore very attractive.. Here's what you need to know to be able to take advantage of this facility.

What is Oculus Link?

Oculus Link is a software update for Oculus Quest that will allow Quest owners with a “VR Ready” PC to use their Quest as a Rift via cable. As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the Oculus Connect 6 speech, “ ". So you should be able to play CPU-intensive Rift graphics and games like Asgard's Wrath and Stormland with a Quest via the Oculus Link, as well as Rift access services like Oculus Home and Oculus Dash.

For those unfamiliar with Facebook's VR efforts, the company basically operates two VR platforms. One runs on powerful Windows PCs and the other is a standalone Android-based platform. Oculus Rift released in 2016 and Oculus Rift S released this year run on high-end (and expensive) PCs with powerful NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel processors. The 2018 Oculus Go and 2019 Oculus Quest are standalone systems that integrate processors and battery into the headset.



Oculus Link therefore essentially connects these two systems. For owners of a compatible PC and Quest, this is a new mode for the Oculus Quest that turns it into something of an Oculus Rift Q.

When will it be launched?

Oculus Link beta is available now. However, not all computers will be compatible with the device, and Quest and Oculus PC App software will need to be updated to version 11.0 or higher and 1.44 respectively. Regarding the exact time of the beta launch today, Facebook said: “”. A full version for Oculus Link will come after the beta, with wider compatibility for different systems and GPUs.

Oculus Link released in beta: everything you need to know

PC requirements to use the system

Oculus Link makes Quest behave as if it were an Oculus Rift Q. Above all, this means that your computer will need to have specifications that make it ready to work with PC VR games. The specifications required can be quite strict. At launch, however, this Beta only supports certain GPUs. NVIDIA Titan X and all NVIDIA GTX 1070, 1080 and 16 cards are supported. Likewise, all new NVIDIA RTX 20 series cards are also supported.

No AMD graphics processor is currently supported, but Oculus provides "". You will also need to be running Windows 10, have at least 8 GB of RAM, have an available USB 3.0 port, and in terms of processor, an Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or better processor..

Oculus Link Cable Requirements

In addition to a computer capable of handling PC VR games, for Oculus Link, you will also need a lanyard to attach your Quest to your PC. Oculus plans to release its own official cable, a thin and flexible 5-meter-long fiber optic cable. It is intended to provide consistent performance and in some cases charge your Quest while playing Rift games via Link, in order to prevent Quest's battery from draining during your gaming session.



According to Mark Zuckerberg, during the Oculus Connect 6 conference, the official Oculus Link cable "". However, the official Oculus Link cord does not have a set release date and is not released today alongside the November beta. It will be available for purchase online in "limited quantities". This means that if you want to use Oculus Link in beta from today, you need to have your own lanyard.

For Oculus Quest beta, you will need a USB 3.0 cable (C to C or A to C) to connect your Quest to your PC. Facebook recommends that users verify that they are using "". Facebook specifically suggested a $ 13 cable as "".

However, you can compare the specs of any cable to the official specs of the Oculus Link cable for more details. The specifications for the official Oculus Link cord, which will be released later this year, are as follows:


Oculus Link released in beta: everything you need to know

Software required

Your Oculus Quest will need to be updated to version 11.0 or higher. You can check your firmware version and try to force download an update from the Settings tab of your Quest. The Oculus PC application must be installed for Oculus Link and updated to version 1.44 at least. If your Oculus app doesn't seem to update to version 1.44 and it's still on version 1.43, you can try going to settings and opting for PTC (Public Test Channel) versions. If you have already switched to CTP, try turning it off and then back on. Users report that this sometimes causes the Oculus app to update to version 1.44, even though it is not a version of PTC. You can disable PTC versions after downloading the update.


How to launch Oculus Link on Quest and on PC

Facebook has provided the following instructions to get started using Oculus Link with your Quest:

  • Open the Oculus app on your PC
  • Turn on your Quest
  • Plug your USB 3 cable into a USB 3.0 port on your PC, then plug the other end into your headset
  • If you are prompted to "Allow data access", select Deny
  • Next, you will be prompted to enable Oculus Link (beta version) and then select Enable to start remote rendering via Oculus Link

What games and services will it work with?

CAs mentioned above, you will be able to play Rift games and access services like Oculus Home and Oculus Dash. During a panel during Oculus Connect on Oculus Link, a main slide stated that Link would allow you to read the “majority of the Rift library” on Quest. Facebook told us that developers can opt out of Oculus Link support if they choose.

Regarding compatibility with Steam VR, Facebook's response is: "".



add a comment of Oculus Link released in beta: everything you need to know
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.