Meta announced it’s overhauled its aging PC software with a few new features, which should make using Quest for PC VR gameplay a little less 2019 and a little more 2024, as it now includes more modern features such as a higher refresh rate on Quest 3, longer playtime via Air Link, and broadened support for nVidia 4000 series GPUs.
Meta updated its PC software, previously called the Oculus PC app, with “numerous bug fixes and enhancements,” the company announced in a blog post, noting it’s now changed the name to ‘Meta Quest Link’ app.
The newly renamed Meta Quest Link app should update by itself if you already have the PC software installed, otherwise you’ll need to download the app here.
The update includes support for 120Hz refresh rates on Quest 3, bumping it from its previous max of 90Hz. To enable the option, simply head into the PC software with your Quest 3 plugged into your VR-capable computer with a USB 3 cable, select your Quest 3 in the ‘Devices’ tab, scroll to the ‘Graphics Preferences’ section, and choose your preferred refresh rate.
Additionally, Meta has expanded its list of supported GPUs to include nVidia 4000 Series, which admittedly throws out a blue compatibility warning banner when using nVidia 4070, 4060, 4050 GPUs. Not to be worried though. They still work, as the company calls it a “transient error and does not affect usage.”
The company also says it’s enabled the USB Link Auto-Connect toggle, which will let your Quest automatically start Link when you connect it to your PC via USB-C.
One of the biggest improvements overall with Meta’s newly rebranded Quest Link PC app is greater battery efficiency when connected via Air Link. The company says it has reduced power consumption “by approximately 30%,” which should result in extended battery life from 1.5 hours to about 2.2 hours of play time. Meta says we can expect similar results over wired Quest Link, however it depends on your PC’s unique power specs.
It’s good to see Meta hasn’t entirely abandoned its PC app with this overhaul, although it seems in reaction to recent developments by Valve, which launched Steam Link late last year, offering up a direct connection to Steam games through a dedicated app downloadable from the Quest Store on your headset. This comes in addition to Valve’s longstanding native support for gameplay on Quest and Rift headsets over cabled connections, which although not perfect, offered direct access to PC VR games on Quest without having to go through Meta as a middleman.
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Even after updating to the newly named Meta Quest Link app, you’ll probably still see a ton of ‘Oculus’ branding about, including software signatures (OculusSetup, by Oculus VR LLC), Oculus symbols, and even the Oculus name still on the app itself.
It seems the company is still deep into the sanitization process of the name change, which happened back in October 2021. One less ‘Oculus’ in the bunch however it the old Oculus accounts, which the company announced recently will be entirely defunct by month’s end, forcing its early adopters to switch to a Meta account or lose access to all apps, in-app purchases, store credits, achievements, etc.
