The Oculus Quest 2 is an excellent VR headset. Starting at $ 299.99, the standalone helmet offers a series of immersive experiences that don’t require you to be connected to a PC. However, you still need to connect to play powerful games like Half-life: Alyx, limiting its movement.
That is, unless you are cunning. Quest 2 owners have found a smart solution to make any VR game work wirelessly on the headset. Inverse tested the method on a Quest 2 and was able to obtain Half-life: Alyx running on it without any problems. All that stands between players and wireless freedom is a good PC, a USB-C cable and some applications. See how to play Half-life: Alyx, and any other wireless virtual reality game in Oculus Quest 2.
1. Download or purchase all of the following
To begin, you will need to download some items to make this work. For one, make sure that your PC can really work Half-life: Alyx. You don’t want to define all of this just to realize that your specifications are not good enough. You will run games like this on your PC, not on Quest 2. Stable wi-fi is also essential here, as this is how you will communicate with your PC via the headset.
You will need to make sure that you also have a way to connect your Quest to the computer. If you have an Oculus Link, use it. Otherwise, any USB-C will do. We use the DualSense charging cable that comes with the PlayStation 5, so there’s no need to pay for a Link if you have something else on hand.
Next, you will need to download some applications. To get started, you will need to purchase the Virtual Desktop app at the Oculus Store, which costs $ 20. This will allow you to access your computer via the headset when connected via USB-C or Oculus Link. Next, you’ll need to download the free Virtual Desktop streamer application, the Oculus PC application and a program called SideQuest on your PC. You will also need the Oculus app on your phone and the SteamVR app on Steam, both free.
Finally, be sure to sign in to your Oculus account on the Oculus PC and phone apps, as well as the Virtual Desktop streamer app. Here is a quick checklist of everything you need before moving on to the next step:
2. Enable developer mode
To begin, you will need to set your Oculus account to developer mode. Turn on Quest 2 and open the Oculus app on your phone. Open the settings menu in the app and you will see your headset as an option at the top. Click it and tap More settings. From there, you’ll see a developer mode option you can click on. Simply activate developer mode and ready for the Oculus app here.
3. Download the virtual desktop plugin in SideQuest
Now, you will need to “transfer” a program to your Quest 2, which is much easier than it looks. Connect your Quest to your PC via USB-C or Oculus Link and open the SideQuest application. If your headset is connected correctly, you will see a green light in the top corner of the application, which confirms that it is able to communicate with Quest 2.
When in the app, search for Virtual Desktop. Click on the application page and you will see a button that says Install on headset. Essentially, this app updates Virtual Desktop to allow you to stream games from your PC, instead of just connecting to it. Once installed, you can access your desktop through VR without being connected to it.
4. Connect to your PC
If everything is installed correctly, you are free at this point. Turn on your Oculus Quest 2, disconnected from your PC, and open the Virtual Desktop application. If the streamer application for Virtual Desktop is running on your PC, you should go directly to a menu that prompts you to connect to a PC. Choose your computer and, once connected, you will see exactly what is on your computer screen through Quest 2.
Finally, you need to make sure that SteamVR is working if you want to play Steam games like Half-life: Alyx. Just search for it in your library and turn it on. If you open Half-life: Alyx, you should be able to play wireless in full VR.
Note that this is not an official solution made by Oculus itself, so there may be some trial and error at times. Normally, I had to tinker with the apps a bit to get them to work or relaunch Steam games so they would appear correctly in VR, instead of a flat screen. It is also not a perfect experience, considering that you are at the mercy of wi-fi. However, I managed to play Half-life: Alyx start finishing in Quest 2 wirelessly and with minimal hiccups.
Half-life: Alyx it’s especially fun as a wireless experience, as the extra range of motion allows you to hide behind the lid and get out without tripping over a wire. Try it out if you’re feeling adventurous with your headset.
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