Oculus today announced that Link is officially in beta, the company’s compatibility software so that Quest users can play Rift titles on PC. If you have an AMD GPU, you’re going to have to wait though.

If you have a supported GPU (see more here) and a compatible VR-ready gaming PC, Quest owners can simply plug their headset into a USB 3 port, then use the Oculus desktop app just like you would if you owned a Rift, which includes to Oculus Home and Dash.

Oculus says most high-quality USB 3 cables should work, although you’ll probably want one long enough so you can play unencumbered. Unfortunately you won’t be able to buy the company’s premium five-meter (16+ feet) Link cable just yet, although Oculus says in a blog post it will initially be rolled out in limited quantities in select regions this year; availability in more regions is said to come in 2020.

SEE ALSO
Hands-on: Oculus Link Makes Quest Feel Like a Native PC VR Headset

The company says it’s using the beta period to test, iterate, and validate GPUs. See this article for a full breakdown of Oculus Link minimum specs and requirements.

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We went hands-on with Link when it was unveiled back at Oculus Connect 6 in September, and were impressed with the experience, finding that it genuinely felt like using a native PC VR headset.

We’ll be testing Link in the coming days to give you a rundown on just what it can do, and where its limitations lie. We still haven’t had a chance to see if it will work with SteamVR to play non-Oculus platform titles, which would significantly open up the number of games and apps available to it, but make sure to check back soon for the full details.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • dk

    AK-A8167011 $13 cable

    • Andrew Jakobs

      that’s only 3 meters (10ft)…

      • dk

        and only $13 :P …people should add comments with longer cabels

  • mfx

    The charging cable they provide is only a charging cable or it can transfer data ?

    • Jacob Christianson

      Only for charging.

      • Groo Gadgets

        It does work for data. I develop on the Quest and I can upload builds using the included cable. I guess it’s not able to keep up with the amount of data required for streaming.

        • Sven Viking

          This is true, but apparently it only supports USB 2.0 so won’t work with Link.

  • JesuSaveSouls

    I got my cable two weeks ago on amazon and I use only a gtx 970 but its working.

  • William Alexander Attaway IV

    **Desktop NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is supported** https://support.oculus.com/444256562873335/

  • Xron

    So, will I be able to play “The Climb” pc version on it aswell? if I have bought it for oculus rift like a year ago.

    • impurekind

      From everything I have read, yup.

  • Michael Hill

    Well… looks like I need to upgrade my 970

    • Greyl

      I assume they will add support for it. The 970 is still one of the most popular GPU’s on Steam and is above the recommended spec requirement for Rift.

      • Andrew Jakobs

        But the Quest has a higher resolution (ok it also has a lower fps screen) than the Rift. And I can imagine they will render to the original resolution of the Quest instead of the Rift..

        • Greyl

          The 970 can actually handle 4K30fps medium settings in a lot of games; it’s really not that weak.This is still a beta, and the 970 is still in the top 10 most popular GPUs on Steam, so they’re most likely working to add support for it.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Ah, didn’t know the 970 was that powerfull.So it sure would be powerfull enough to drive the 970 with decent visuals.

    • JesuSaveSouls

      My 970 works but steamvr doesnt recognize my headset.

      • Davo

        Jesus may be able to help you out with that

      • dk

        so it doesn’t work

  • impurekind

    I expect longer 3rd party cables to be available very shortly and at a fraction of the price Oculus is asking. . . .

    • Born2Die007

      it would be pretty close to $80. highly doubt you will get a 5m cable for a fraction of that price.

  • Andrew Jakobs

    I wonder if they really have their own cable hanging down the front like in the video, that can’t be feeling ok with the cable tugging on the front..hmm but then again, it’s an USB-C so you can also turn it around..

    • Mei Ling

      Oculus intend to sell their own solution in the near future that comes packaged with a cable strap that attaches to the side of the headset.

  • The Bard

    “PC” VR. It is a nice, extra option, but no way PC VR…

  • fuyou2

    WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T THEY DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE??????

    • MeowMix

      Because it’s only a streaming option?
      It still doesn’t replace a a newer class PC headset (2019). Although, users are reporting it looks a little bit better than the old Rift CV1, but it has more latency(lag with controllers).

    • Even if they had the capacity to do this in the first place, it would, and likely will now cannibalize the sales of the Rift S.

    • kontis

      Because it’s a hack. Quest’s hardware cannot accept actual video feed. They are converting it into non-video data and getting around the limitations with special compression. It was part of research that was quite risky.

  • dota

    If I want to play only @720p wirelessly, why do I need a cable?

    • Sven Viking

      A cable is essential to play wirelessly.

  • David

    Worked great with 3m USB 3.1 passive cable but it was a little too short so I tried adding a 2m USB-C 3.1 extension cable which did not work and the link failed.
    In the end I tried a 7.5m active USB 3.0 cable with the 3m USB A to C 3.1 cable which worked great. I did not notice any latency at least no more than with the 3m passive cable only.
    If you are struggling to find a long enough cable perhaps try a 5m USB 3.0 active cable, I got one from amazon for about £20 and it does the job, no doubt it creates some lag but I did not perceive it.
    Hope this helps,

    • Marc-André Désilets

      https://www.amazon.ca/CableCreation-Meters-Extension-Extender-Female/dp/B0179MXKU8

      Do you think this would do the job, can you send the link to the one you are currently using ?

      • David
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  • I can’t wait to test it! I think that’s a fantastic idea giving PC VR superpowers to the Quest, that now becomes even cooler than before

  • Ardra Diva

    WiGig is really the solution for VR visors and streaming content. It’s blistering fast, but was considered ill-suited for most because it’s got short range. VR doesn’t need range. It needs speed. It’s perfect for that.

  • Adam Wells

    This is a great addition to the quest, also are people aware you can play for longer using a power brick attached and clipped to your belt or in your pocket.

    BUT….when are they going to include multiple user accounts on one device, I still can’t believe they omitted this. This means only one person can a certain game at a time otherwise the saved data gets wiped?

    Come on Oculus please sort this out quickly, it’s a must for a family, you can’t expect all the family to have their own set.