SideQuest is widely used across the world inside of the VR community. It is used to side load VR games onto your Oculus Quest that have yet to be approved by the rigorous Facebook curation standards for their standalone headset.
Facebook has turned down a handful of great games, often without an explanation or what the studio could do to fix the problems Oculus sees. This morning, the script changed and the Director of Content Ecosystem at Oculus gave a peak into what devs could be doing better. This is in wake of Oculus rejecting VRigade for the second time, despite having 72,000 SideQuest downloads.
You can check out the entire Twitter thread below.
Focus on polish & quality for Quest has driven real developer success. We’ve found that honest, actionable feedback requires more than a form letter or a checklist of things to fix—devs are most successful when we have an ongoing relationship over the course of development.
That’s part of the reason we ask first for a concept document, rather than a playable build, for the Concept Approval title on Quest. We want to give early signal before the developer has spent significant resources on a project.
We designed Oculus Start/Launch Pad to incubate and support devs, which is why we sometimes recommend it to concepts we’ve declined. These programs are made to nurture promising devs and to provide support and resources to grow their work. https://developer.oculus.com/oculus-start
We also understand that many devs and enthusiasts are looking for easier ways to access and distribute applications outside of the Oculus Store. This is an area we’re actively thinking about (more to share soon!)
Official SideQuest
Facebook has been “actively thinking” about bringing an official way to get devs games on headsets? Not only is this something that is music to thousands of peoples ears, but it also creates a new stream of revenue for both Oculus and developers who aren’t posting on the official Quest store just yet.
This also could mean something of the Early Access feel could be on its way. Letting players play a game and support a dev, with them knowing the game isn’t completely done just yet. This is the way games like To The Top and Pavlov could be on the Quest sooner than many expect.
It is also important to know that if you are crating a VR app, you should be with Facebook through the process for higher odds of getting approved. Its the small and simple steps that will allow you to sell on the most profitable VR store. For more VR news and community updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
