Do you want to know what Virtual Desktop VR is?
Let’s find out.
What is Virtual Desktop VR?
Virtual Desktop is an app for the Oculus Rift / Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive (Windows), Valve Index, and Windows MR headsets that allows you to access your PC from within VR. It is not compatible with the Oculus Quest.
You can browse the internet, stream videos, and play video games on a huge virtual screen.
How To Stream PC VR Wirelessly To Quest 2 Using Virtual Desktop?
If you want to wirelessly stream PC games and applications to your Oculus Quest headset, here’s how.
Oculus Link
Facebook’s official way to play PC VR games on Oculus Quest is through Oculus Link, which requires a wired connection between an Oculus Quest headset and a computer running Windows 10. To learn how to connect and set up Oculus Link, check out our guide here.
Virtual Desktop
However, Virtual Desktop offers an alternative method for playing PC VR content on your Oculus Quest. It’s a wireless and unofficial solution with the downside that reliability may vary from user to user, dependent on their setup. Here’s how to get started.
What is Virtual Desktop?
Virtual Desktop lets you stream your PC’s screen into VR so you can use it just like any other device. You can then access your files, applications, and settings from inside VR.
You need the Virtual Desktop app for your headset and a companion streamer app on your PC.
Availability
Until February 2021, users could download the Oculus Go standalone player from the Oculus Store to stream content to their headsets.
You don’t even have to download the Oculus Store version of VR Desktop anymore.
What You Need For Virtual Desktop?
You will still need an Oculus Rift headset, but you don’t need a computer that supports both SteamVR and Oculus Link.
Oculus PC App
If you’re going to use an Oculus Rift headset, you’ll also need the Oculus PC app, Steam, and Steam VR.
Wired Connection
Make sure your computer is plugged into an Ethernet cable and not wireless — stability and higher speeds are essential.
Reliable Wi-Fi Router
Speaking of routers, in general terms you’ll need a ‘reliable’ Wi-Fi router with a 5Ghz network. Make sure your Quest is connected to your 5Ghz network and not the 2.5Ghz one, again, stability is key.
Copy of Virtual Desktop
You’ll need a version of Virtual Desktop for Quest (or Rift) from the Oculus store.
Virtual Desktop Streamer App
Finally, download the Virtual Desktop streamer application for Windows PCs, which is available here (Windows). Launch the application and enter your Oculus user name into the text box on its main screen.
Streaming PC VR Content Using Virtual Desktop
After all of the steps listed below, you should now be ready to use Virtual Desktop on your Quest. You will see a streaming video of your computer desktop inside the VR environment, which allows you to interact with it.
Menu Button
You can reach the Virtual Desktop menu by pressing the menu button on your left Touch controller, which has three horizontal bars.
You can change settings here and launch VR games from within Steam. Virtual Desktops recommends launching games from this menu rather than manually via your computer.
Respective Client
Make sure that the respective client (Oculus or Steam) for your desired game is open and then click on the Games button in the Virtual Desktop menu.
Once inside the app, you can adjust the setting to get the best experience possible.
Additional Settings
You’ve got everything ready to start, but there are some settings you can adjust that may help increase the reliability and performance of the experience.
Each person will experience different results from using the same network and router.
Turning Everything Down
If you’re experiencing a game that feels close to playable but has some noticeable latency or a few minor glitches, we suggest lowering the settings until you see a level where you feel comfortable playing.
Streaming
When you begin a stream, go to the Streaming tab in the menu of the Virtual Desktop app. You can then choose between Low, Medium, High, Ultra HD, 4K, and 5K settings. Depending on your hardware, these settings will vary.
Lower settings will usually result in less strain on the computer, which means that if you experience any kind of problem, lower is always better than higher. You may need to restart your game for the changes to take effect.
Bitrate of Image Quality
You can also adjust how fast the video plays back by changing its bit rate.
Lowering the bit rate will improve the overall performance of the streaming service, but the lower you go the worse and less clear the resulting images will look.
Find a balance between quality and speed — you can adjust this option mid-session without having to restart the entire application.
Refresh Rate
You can also adjust the frame rate for streaming PC VR content. By default, this setting is set at 72 Hz.
You can increase the refresh rate from 60Hz to 90Hz, but whether this is viable depends on the performance and reliability of the display and whether there is any performance overhead when increasing the refresh rate.
A game restart will be required.
Buffering Setting
By default, the video buffing setting may help improve performance when enabled. However, as the note says, enabling this feature may cause some jittery moments in performance at times. Try it out and see how it goes.
Some Warnings And Performance Tips
Virtual Desktop is an unofficial solution and may not be quite as reliable or comfortable as Oculus Link. Some UploadVR staffers have had no issues using it, while others occasionally get a less-than-perfect user interface.
It will differ from person to person.
Warning
If you’re experiencing high latency, stutter, or blacked-out borders when playing video games at high speeds, you might want to adjust some of these settings.
The risk of poor performance is greater than usual, so there’s an increased likelihood of nausea.
Minimal Interference
You should play close to your router as much as possible, but physical obstacles, such as walls, may cause instability. Unreliable hardware, such as old routers, can also be problematic.
Charging Cord or Battery Pack
Make sure you have a charging cable or battery pack handy if you connect to a wireless network. Playing wireless PC VR content for long periods of time may deplete the device’s battery.
Conclusion
With these tips, we hope they help you enjoy the best possible experience when watching PC VR videos on your Quest 2 using VirtualDesktop.
If you have any further questions about the process, please leave them in the comment section below.
