Newsletter
Oculus Link is a new feature coming to the Quest headset this year and it’ll basically turn your Quest into a full-blown Rift.
Facebook announced the new feature at its Oculus Connect 6 event yesterday. It also unveiled a general time frame for the feature’s release among other details.
Oculus Link arrives for the Quest in November
Facebook says the feature will arrive in November, though it doesn’t give a specific date. Once it’s ready to go, Quest owners will get a software update for the headset that enables the feature.
You will need more than the software update to use Oculus Link. It was designed to connect the Quest to your PC, and for that you will need a USB 3 cable. Facebook says most “high-quality” USB 3 cables will work.
However, you’ll definitely want to make sure you do your due diligence and pick one that is guaranteed to support it and won’t do any harm to the headset in any way.
Access Rift games without the Rift
The idea here is that you can access Oculus Rift content without the Rift headset. With Link installed and a proper USB 3 cable, you can plug the Quest in and get to playing.
Facebook is even planning on launching a premium optical fiber cable that will give users the best possible experience when using Link. This particular cable will be launching sometime later this year.
There’s no date mentioned, but presumably it will be sometime after Oculus Link itself launches for users.
The best of both worlds
Many people who want to use an Oculus VR headset at home may already have the Rift. And if that’s the case then Oculus Link will make no difference for you. For anyone that wanted the option to use VR in a portable state, this is a huge benefit.
While the Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S headsets are the same price, Quest was limited in its content because of its all-in-one design. With Link in place, Quest owners can enjoy high-end PC games while at home, and then further enjoy VR content built specifically for Quest when on the go.
The arrival of Link also makes the Rift S seem like a less needed device. Especially since it’s the same cost. Those who may have settled on the Rift S instead of the Quest may see this feature and feel like they made a poor decision.
If however, you have yet to buy a VR headset and you were considering one from Oculus, it should be clear that the Quest is now the go-to option.