Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it would soon introduce two of the most requested features of Oculus Quest: multiple accounts on the same device and game sharing on that device.
It’s a big deal for the platform, allowing friends and family to keep their progress, friends and other resources separate from others. Combined with the recent addition of gifts in the Oculus Quest store, it makes the platform better to use. But there are still many things that Quest and Quest 2 need to get right.
No, I’m not talking about the same old hardware specs or game wish lists – I’m talking about the list of crucial software and platform features that are incomplete or simply missing from Quest’s experience. We hope Facebook has these things on its checklist.
Best VR Discovery
The Oculus Store in the browser and in the app is really good. It makes it easy to quickly discover new releases, search for upcoming games, and even view an alphabetical list of all the apps launched on Quest so far. But the story is not exactly the same inside the headset.
Click on ‘Store’ in Oculus Home and you will essentially be releasing data about which applications the headset will show you. There are a number of categories to go through, but for the most part they are all driven by what you played before. There is no way to quickly find new releases, browse all titles or pre-order upcoming games. In-device purchase is a key way to discover new content, and Quest does developers a disservice by making new games so hard to find.
Better media sharing
Sharing your screenshots and videos on the first Oculus Quest was so complicated that we couldn’t imagine a second headset coming out without drastic improvements. But Quest 2 still makes us jump through annoying loops to share our VR content, and it often doesn’t even capture that content right.
Somehow, almost two years after the release of Quest 1, the recorded videos are still out of sync with the audio on a regular basis and do not record in 1080p. And when you want to share content, you have the option to upload it to Facebook on your headset or connect to a PC via USB and access it through SideQuest. You can also get 1080p content … again using SideQuest hacks. It is painfully inaccessible – Quest must offer a wider range of options for sharing an easy access point, such as the Oculus app. For now, you can check out our guide on how to send screenshots and videos to your PC here.
An Oculus social home
Have you noticed how many items in the standard Quest 2 home environment come in pairs? Two rocking chairs, sofas, etc. This raises the question; why can’t we share this space with someone else? Oculus Quest has decent party invitation systems, etc., to take you from game to game with your friends, but it’s a great shame that you can’t share any downtime between apps in your personal spaces.
Facebook may argue that you should do this on, say, Venues or Horizon, but the fastest way to find friends in VR should certainly be the first world you boot. Think of something like the features of Rift’s Home in Quest – maybe also introduce some simple board games, etc. (shout out to the Rooms!) And you’re on your way.
This is our list of things that Oculus Quest has yet to get right. What features do you think are still missing? Let us know in the comments below!