At the Oculus Connect 6 event back in September of this year, we saw Oculus announce the upcoming Oculus Link. The Oculus Link will connect your Quest to your PC via the USB-C cable, effectively turning your Oculus Quest into a Rift S. This is capable through both the technology being deployed in the cable, the software update that comes with this, and the hardware that was already baked into the Quest upon release. The Link is going to further the virtual environment and the reach of the virtual worlds.
As more developers get involved inside of making virtual reality games and experiences, more people are going to be pushing for the Quest to get high-end games. Starting today, the Quest is capable of becoming an Oculus PC headset. You can sign up today for the beta program and you can also check out what kind of hardware you’ll need to perform well with your headset during the beta program. Oculus is aiming to, at the end of beta, support every PC the Rift S can be played on, but makes no promises as of right now. As of now, the support you’ll need for your Quest is on the high end of PC’s and the market.
The Link is going to turn your Quest into an incredible virtual gaming rig. The Rift S is going to have more fidelity and better graphics, but the Quest is still going to provide a gaming experience worth playing. This doesn’t mean that it is going to replace the use of your Rift S, but it is going to make the Quest much more worth the price you paid for it originally.
Oculus Link software will work with the most high-end USB-C cables on the market. To get started with the beta and test out your cables and your PC compatibility, it is pretty simple. Plug your Quest into your computer and go to the Oculus app. If your Quest is recognized, congrats, you made it past the first wall. If you are able to play games on it after that, you are going to be in the minority.
Not all high-end AAA games are going to be incredible today, but some will. You are going to find a lot of success playing the lower-end titles that don’t require as much strain on your PC. These types of games will give you the best experience, especially while this software is still brand new and in beta.
As for the official cable, Oculus is saying that they will be releasing their custom optical fiber cable later this year. This will be a best-in-class experience and will only be optimized for providing the best Oculus Link experience. This cable will be over 16 feet long so it can provide the most movement and mobility to the users, regardless of the experiences they choose inside of VR. The cables will be rolled out in select countries and regions this year, and Oculus will continue to expand their reach in early 2020.
Oculus has also released the specs of the cable to third-party companies so they can evaluate the tech and decide if they want to try to make the same quality and release one in the future. Oculus wants to be able to let all Quest users use the Link tech, and affordable cables are the first step. Oculus’ official cable is rumored to be in the $60-$80 range, and third-party complies would likely undercut that price, giving the community many more options.
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