What you need to know
- Virtual Desktop allows PC VR games to be streamed wirelessly to an Oculus Quest or Quest 2 via Wi-Fi connection.
- This new alpha build of Virtual Desktop supports the higher 90Hz refresh rate of the Oculus Quest 2's display.
- Games that require fast reflexes, like Beat Saber, will take particular advantage of the newfound faster refresh rate and connectivity.
If you've already preordered an Oculus Quest 2 with the hope of playing PC VR games with it, you're certainly in luck. Virtual Desktop is now testing a new alpha build featuring Oculus Quest 2 compatibility, with upgrades specifically geared towards the Oculus Quest 2's ability to run games at a higher 90Hz refresh rate. That's an 18Hz refresh rate improvement over the original Oculus Quest, and it makes games feel even more buttery smooth than before.
In addition to that, the Oculus Quest 2 supports Wi-Fi 6 routers with higher data transfer rates and lower latency, making your wireless PC VR games higher resolution, crisper, and more responsive than ever. I was able to test out the new version of Virtual Desktop on our Oculus Quest 2 review unit and found the experience to be significantly enhanced when compared to the existing Oculus Quest version. Games like Beat Saber, which require fast response times and on-rhythm beat slices, can now be played wirelessly on Wi-Fi 6 thanks to Virtual Desktop.
Installing Virtual Desktop is mostly straightforward, although you'll have to register for a free Oculus developer account to get started. Virtual Desktop quickly became the method of choice for streaming PC VR games to the Oculus Quest via Wi-Fi connection when it launched the feature last year. Oculus famously forced Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin to roll back the ability for users to stream PC VR games to their Oculus Quest, so you'll have to sideload the app to your Quest if you want to try it out.
While we've not been given an official release date for the new version of Virtual Desktop, it's expected that it'll be available sometime after the Oculus Quest 2 officially debuts on October 13.
The speed you need
The Oculus Quest 2 has Wi-Fi 6 support, which means better wireless VR streaming from your PC than ever before.
