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Oculus Link, a feature which allows VR users to connect their standalone Oculus Quest headsets to their gaming PCs to play Rift games without buying additional hardware, has entered its open beta, allowing anyone with the necessary hardware and a USB 3.0 cable to give it a try.
The Link software will work with “most high quality USB 3 cables,” so no expensive or add-on hardware will be necessary to use this feature.
“To use Oculus Link starting today, Quest owners who own a compatible gaming PC can simply plug their headset into a USB 3 port, then use the Oculus desktop app to browse and purchase Rift apps and games to play on Quest — plus access Rift’s Oculus Home and Dash,” the official blog post states.
Not every PC will be supported at launch, you need to make sure your specs are compatible with the beta currently, and Oculus states that more PCs that reach the minimum requirements will be supported by the time the beta ends.
The blog post also seems to indicate that some cables may work better than others by hyping up Oculus’ own cable, that will reportedly offer a smoother overall experience.
“Later this year, we’ll release a premium, custom optical fiber cable to provide a best-in-class experience with maximum throughput while using Oculus Link,” Oculus explains. “It will be 5 meters (16+ feet) long to provide more freedom of movement than any other cable on the market. We’ll start rolling out our cable with limited quantities in select regions this year, and continue to expand availability in 2020.”
Quest owners with a USB 3 cable and port on their compatible gaming PC can access the Oculus Link beta starting today. We’ll also be testing the use of Rift games on the Quest using Oculus Link very soon and will share our experiences.
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