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Helpful Quest/VR tips


Stickey

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Seeing that we have some new VR users jumping on board with the Quest 2 I figured I'd make a thread with some helpful tips. Please add your own as I've only been on this journey for a couple months.

 

Dont buy the link cable. Well, you can. But I'd recommend using the Quest the way it was made to be used, wirelessly. Purchasing the Virtual Desktop App from the Quest store will allow you to connect to your PC via WiFi. You will need to set up an Oculus developer account and use a program called SideQuest to get the proper update to Virtual Desktop to trick the PC that you have a headset connected. Here's a link to all the proper instructions

 

Not all games are Cross-Buy. This might not be as much of an issue with the Quest's 2 performance boost, but obviously most of our PC's are vastly more powerful which most of us want to take advantage of. Some games, mostly Oculus exclusives are Cross-Buy allowing you to download from both the Oculus PC store and Quest store with a single purchase. Sadly for most games you would have to purchase the Quest version and PC version separately. This has helped me make better purchasing decisions on what games I'd like on the go and more dedicated games I purchase from Steam. 

 

Get a circle rug. I have to admit, I still dont have this yet but its defiantly something that would make my experience better. Having a fully wireless experience can lead you to stray off which is a great feeling until you run into some oh shit moments in game and you're in the corner of your place space and smack the TV. Having to step back into reality to position yourself, then jump back into the action does take away from the immersion. 

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I’ll second the virtual desktop tip. The wired Link experience is dog shit imo. Not only does it suck having the wire, but these wires aren’t really built for being connected to a device that is constantly moving and the tips will wear out quickly leading to the cable not maintaining a stable connection, which is frustrating as all hell in my experience. 
 

Also, I recommend buying a roll or two of Velcro on Amazon or wherever for cable management. I use mine for my headphones and the power cable when I’m using the headset while sitting or lying down in bed. 
 

Speaking of lying in bed, you can use the Quest in a pitch black room if you disable tracking. I’ve spent countless hours watching shows and movies in VR on my Quest 1 and I think it’s an amazing experience. Like having a fucking full size movie theater in reach at any moment. The Quest 2 with the higher resolution will probably make this even more incredible. And if you have a significant other, you can watch movies or shows in bed without bugging them. 

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Some more tips:

 

There's an app on Sidequest that you can load which will link to your phone and show you your notifications while in VR. I can't remember the name off hand but you can find it in the search.

 

I know none of the upstanding individuals on this site will care about this, but, just in case, most of the main porn streaming sites like Pornhub have a VR category that will stream directly into the native Browser app on the Quest. You just load the video, hit play, and it'll load in VR. Pretty .. handy.

 

One possibility that's often ignored is the ability to play standard games in Theater Mode. If you get Virtual Desktop, you can play all your normal games in a simulated theater experience with a gamepad. It's like playing video games in a movie theater. You can do this in a variety of simulated environments and it's pretty awesome imo. The fact that you're doing it through the Quest instead of a PC-based headset means that the headset and VR rendering isn't taking up many of your PC resources which leaves more for running the game. It's a huge advantage of the Quest. Another great feature here is SBS 3D functionality in games. The headset and Virtual Desktop can handle rendering games in 3d so long as it's SBS. It's not a super common setting but some games (Shadow of the Tomb Raider for one) support this. 3d movies are also awesome in theater mode. 

 

Check out Bigscreen. It has a shared movie theater experience where you can watch a movie in a simulated movie theater with other people. Kind of neat, though maybe a bit gimmicky. 

 

That's it for now but I'm sure I'll think of more.

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41 minutes ago, TheLeon said:

This is helpful stuff. I admittedly ordered the Quest 2 on impulse without being aware of the current state of VR. So with this Virtual Desktop workaround, I can use the Quest 2 to play pretty much any PC VR game (assuming my PC and Wifi are good enough)? 

 

Yes! Half Life Alyx without the cords is a blessing. My system played the game well at low settings, Ryzen 2600 with a RX 580. You will want to use the 5gz band of your wifi, my older ASUS AX router works great.

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20 minutes ago, Stickey said:

 

Yes! Half Life Alyx without the cords is a blessing. My system played the game well at low settings, Ryzen 2600 with a RX 580. You will want to use the 5gz band of your wifi, my older ASUS AX router works great.

Sweet. I think I'm going to use this (and that it seems like almost all next gen games will come to PC eventually) as an excuse to give my PC the biggest upgrades I can afford. 

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18 minutes ago, TheLeon said:

Sweet. I think I'm going to use this (and that it seems like almost all next gen games will come to PC eventually) as an excuse to give my PC the biggest upgrades I can afford. 

 

I'm doing the same thing :D Also of note there is a program called VorpX for purchase that injects 3D/VR into older games.

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3 hours ago, DPCyric said:

 

I'm doing the same thing :D Also of note there is a program called VorpX for purchase that injects 3D/VR into older games.

I'd wait until you get very used to intense VR before jumping into VorpX stuff though. Some of it can make you incredibly sick

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Rez Infinite also releases today on Quest (for $19.99) and I highly recommend it as an early game to get used to VR (plus it's a game that I come back to rather frequently). Pistol Whip looks amazing but I'm going to get some gun controller shells before I dive into that (I want to go full hard mode with no aim assist right from the start so always holding the controller at the right angle will be very important). I've also seen several zombie games that look all sorts of fun.

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10 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

I know you guys are all up in occulus, but make sure you get free things from Valve on SteamVR like The Lab and that free sorcerer game who’s name I cannot remember :p 

The lab, IMO, is still one of the best VR experiences available.

 

I will make that a priority thanks! Maybe some links to popular Oculus physical mods would be good here too?

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7 hours ago, DPCyric said:

 

I will make that a priority thanks! Maybe some links to popular Oculus physical mods would be good here too?

Not really anything at the moment, but the upgraded headstrap, battery pack, and VR cover face pad replacement is probably a must. You can probably get away with cheaper solutions. My Quest is all wired up nicley with velcro and cable covers for the battery pack and headphones.

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On 10/19/2020 at 9:51 AM, Stickey said:

You can increase the resolution and image quality though SideQuest settings! I did this with my Quest 1 and made everything run like poo!

 

 

I don't really understand exactly what changes with this. What all does the Quest 2 not already show at maximum resolution?

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