Oculus Air Link is one of the most important updates to ever come to a VR headset. The function is still in beta, but lets you wirelessly stream your PC VR games to your Oculus Quest 2 headset. That means you can now play games like Half-life: Alyx completely wire-free (assuming you own it on PC and a powerful enough PC to run the game in the first place).
Some folks will note at this point that the excellent Virtual Desktop app has been offering this functionality for a while now, but it takes a little bit of tinkering for it to work perfectly, and it makes sense to have a first-party solution integrated into the headset. More options is always a good thing!
Here’s how to enable Oculus Air Link on your Quest 2.
Note: this feature is still in beta at the time of writing so might not work as well (or at all) for everyone across the board. You should also use a 5GHz wireless connection and have your PC connected to your network via an Ethernet cable.
Also read: How to Play PS1 Games on your PC with Retroarch
Install Oculus PC App
If you’re a Quest 2 owner but haven’t connected it to your PC via Oculus Link to play PC VR games, then it’s possible you haven’t yet downloaded and installed the Oculus PC app. You need to download and install it now because the PC app will act as the conduit between your headset and your PC VR games collection.
At the time of writing, the version of the Oculus app in the link above is v28, which will enable Air Link as an experimental feature in your headset.
Once you’ve installed the Oculus PC app, connect your headset to your PC via a USB 3 cable (the charging cable that came with the headset should do), open the Oculus PC app, then follow the instructions to sync the headset with your PC. (Click Devices in the app if nothing happens automatically.)
When you’re in the Devices section of the app, you’ll know your headset is properly connected if you have a green circle next to your headset with the “Connected” notification.
Enable Air Link
Next, in the Oculus app, go to “Settings -> Beta,” then switch the Air Link slider to on.
Put on your headset and make sure you’re running software version v28 or above by going to “Settings -> About” and checking your software version there.
If you’re not on v28 yet, there should be a message next to Software Update saying “Update Available.” If it’s not there, then you may have to wait for Oculus to roll out the update in your region. Sorry!
Once your headset is on v28 (or above), go to “Settings -> Experimental Features” and switch on Air Link there. (You may need to reboot your device for the option to appear.)
Next, go to “Settings -> Quick Actions -> Oculus Air Link.” Follow the instructions to pair your device with your PC through Air Link, then hit Launch.
And that’s it! If you want to do more with your headset, see our list of the best SideQuest games and how to sideload games to your Quest 2.
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Robert Zak
Tech writer at Make Tech Easier. Enjoys Android, Windows, and tinkering with retro console emulation to breaking point.
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