SideQuest announced on Twitter that Virtual Desktop passed 200,000 unique downloads on the sideloading platform, the first app to do so.
I'm sure it's frustrating, at OC6 and recently at Facebook Connect it was pretty clear you have an appreciation for what @VRDesktop has done, and rightly so because it's pretty amazing.
VD just passed 200k unique downloads on SQ. First app to do it too. ššš
Virtual Desktop allows you to bring your computer’s display into VR, providing you with a streamed version of your desktop that you can interact with and control from within VR. It requires the Virtual Desktop app on your headset, along with a companion streamer app installed on your computer.
The app is available for purchase on the Oculus Store for Quest, however, an alternate version is available to be patched onto your device from SideQuest. This patch enables wireless streaming of PC VR content, including SteamVR and Oculus games, to your headset from your VR-ready PC. It works similarly to Oculus Link, but is a fully wireless solution.
This feature initially launched for the official version of the app on the Oculus Store, but Facebook forced its removal shortly after launch. Now, the feature can be enabled through SideQuest by downloading and installing the patch — however, the patch needs to be installed over an official version of Virtual Desktop, so users still need to purchase the app through Facebook first.
Reaching 200,000 unique downloads of the sideloaded version is a significant milestone for Virtual Desktop and SideQuest, and proof that there is strong demand for a wireless PC VR streaming solution for Quest. Virtual Desktop won’t necessarily work for everyone, however — the reliability of wireless PC VR streaming to Quest is dependent on the strength of the user’s local network and the layout of the area, as walls and other elements may cause disruptions.
This is one of the reasons Facebook told Godin to remove the feature from the Oculus Store version, as an unreliable connection could cause discomfort for users when streaming PC VR content. Facebook is working on some kind of native version of the technology as well, which John Carmack recently referred to as ‘Air Link’.
Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin recently got 90Hz PC VR content streaming on Oculus Quest 2 using the headset’s 90Hz mode, but later provided an update that the mode will be disabled at launch but will be re-enabled in a future update from Facebook.
ViRTC allows you to stream your PC screen to your Oculus Quest entirely through browsers on both ends. It’s free and you don’t install anything on either end.
To use it, simply navigate to ViRTC.app in a browser on your PC. You’ll get a 6 digit code. Now load up that same website in Oculus Browser on your Quest and enter the code. It’s really that simple.
You don’t need to install anything, and the streaming quality is surprisingly great. This article was written using it. Annoyingly though, ViRTC doesn’t send input- you need to use your PC’s mouse & keyboard.
Oculus Browser treats ViRTC as a fullscreen video, so you can actually use it to watch 3D or 360 videos from your PC too.
So what is this sorcery? ViRTC leverages WebRTC, the open source real time communications framework built into every modern web browser. If you’ve used voice or video calling in a browser, it was very likely powered by WebRTC. It operates peer to peer and your PC connects to your Quest directly.
Of course, streaming is only one of the many features of Virtual Desktop. The $20 app is a result of years of work. Virtual Desktop lets you precisely customize the size, position and curvature of your screen. It lets you use your Touch controllers or hands as a mouse pointer. It passes through Bluetooth gamepads and keyboards. It has special environments like a cinema. It works even outside your LAN. It supports multiple monitors. And with the patch on SideQuest, it even turns your Quest into a wireless PC VR headset.
But if all you want to do is view your PC screen in VR, ViRTC can do just that.
What Virtual Desktop doesn’t have though is passthrough support. Since ViRTC uses Oculus Browser, you can set your Oculus Home to Passthrough+ to stay aware of the real world. Facebook doesn’t yet let apps support passthrough, but plans to next year.
Virtual Desktop’s lone developer Guy Godin doesn’t have an Oculus Quest 2 yet. Nonetheless, the creator of one of Oculus Quest’s most downloaded pieces of software already enabled wireless PC VR streaming at 90 Hz on the upcoming headset.
More than two weeks before Facebook officially launches the headset on October 13 I’ve been in an Oculus Quest 2 Facebook sent me running an early version of Virtual Desktop from Godin. His software reported streaming the PC to my headset at 90 Hz both in regular desktop PC mode and while streaming PC VR games, with the latter reporting motion to photon latency as 26 milliseconds.
For those unfamiliar, the original Quest runs its visuals at up to 72 Hz while the Oculus Rift S operates at 80 Hz. The original Oculus Rift and Vive from 2016, however, both ran at 90 Hz for a fairly smooth visual experience. One of Oculus Quest 2’s most touted features is the ability to match that frame rate. Generally, the higher the frame rate that you see in VR the more solid and believable your virtual world is likely to appear to you.
Earlier today I asked Facebook about the rollout of the 90 Hz feature for Quest 2. A company representative explained the unit they sent me has 90 Hz enabled already and, at launch, buyers of Quest 2 will be able to use system software such as Home and the Browser at 90 Hz after turning it on in Experimental Features. It’ll be on by default later this year.
Facebook told me today it expects to open up the ability for developers to ship apps running at 90 Hz “soon after” Quest 2 launches. In addition, “we’ll soon ship the ability for users to select a refresh rate of 90Hz while using Oculus Link with Quest 2,” the Facebook representative explained in an email.
Oculus Link is Quest’s wired PC mode which compresses content to send it over a USB connection. Virtual Desktop, though, relies on existing Wi-Fi networks and Godin says he simply changed a line of code to enable PC VR content to run wirelessly at 90 Hz on Quest 2.
Wireless PC VR streaming is a much-loved feature among some Quest owners, and Facebook is working on its own wireless “Air Link” as well. The feature is a major point of contention at Facebook internally, however, because being subject to existing Wi-Fi networks might introduce discomfort for some Quest owners in some situations. Facebook, for example, won’t let Godin release the feature in the version of the app for Quest he sells through the Oculus store. Instead, he uses the sideloading service SideQuest to distribute a patch that enables the feature for people who want it.
Virtual Desktop’s lone developer Guy Godin doesn’t have an Oculus Quest 2 yet. Nonetheless, the creator of one of Oculus Quest’s most downloaded pieces of software already enabled wireless PC VR streaming at 90 Hz on the upcoming headset.
More than two weeks before Facebook officially launches the headset on October 13 I’ve been in an Oculus Quest 2 Facebook sent me running an early version of Virtual Desktop from Godin. His software reported streaming the PC to my headset at 90 Hz both in regular desktop PC mode and while streaming PC VR games, with the latter reporting motion to photon latency as 26 milliseconds.
For those unfamiliar, the original Quest runs its visuals at up to 72 Hz while the Oculus Rift S operates at 80 Hz. The original Oculus Rift and Vive from 2016, however, both ran at 90 Hz for a fairly smooth visual experience. One of Oculus Quest 2’s most touted features is the ability to match that frame rate. Generally, the higher the frame rate that you see in VR the more solid and believable your virtual world is likely to appear to you.
Earlier today I asked Facebook about the rollout of the 90 Hz feature for Quest 2. A company representative explained the unit they sent me has 90 Hz enabled already and, at launch, buyers of Quest 2 will be able to use system software such as Home and the Browser at 90 Hz after turning it on in Experimental Features. It’ll be on by default later this year.
Facebook told me today it expects to open up the ability for developers to ship apps running at 90 Hz “soon after” Quest 2 launches. In addition, “we’ll soon ship the ability for users to select a refresh rate of 90Hz while using Oculus Link with Quest 2,” the Facebook representative explained in an email.
Oculus Link is Quest’s wired PC mode which compresses content to send it over a USB connection. Virtual Desktop, though, relies on existing Wi-Fi networks and Godin says he simply changed a line of code to enable PC VR content to run wirelessly at 90 Hz on Quest 2.
Wireless PC VR streaming is a much-loved feature among some Quest owners, and Facebook is working on its own wireless “Air Link” as well. The feature is a major point of contention at Facebook internally, however, because being subject to existing Wi-Fi networks might introduce discomfort for some Quest owners in some situations. Facebook, for example, won’t let Godin release the feature in the version of the app for Quest he sells through the Oculus store. Instead, he uses the sideloading service SideQuest to distribute a patch that enables the feature for people who want it.
Virtual Desktop is adding support for macOS, allowing you to stream and interact virtually with your Mac computer while using your Oculus Quest, Oculus Go and GearVR.
Virtual Desktop allows to you to bring your computer’s display into VR, providing you with a streamed version of your desktop that you can interact with and control from within VR. It requires the Virtual Desktop app on your headset along with a companion streamer app installed on the computer that you want to bring into VR.
The streaming app currently only supports Windows 10 systems, however Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin announced on Twitter that he will be adding macOS support this fall. If you just can’t wait, a beta is available now for Mac users to try out and provide feedback before the full release.
Virtual Desktop is coming to #macOS this fall for Oculus Quest, Oculus Go and GearVR. Iām releasing a Beta today, compatible with macOS Mojave or later. Join our Discord to give it a try and give some feedback: https://t.co/lF0zPDbv0B
The macOS version of the streaming app will not support streaming PC VR content to the Oculus Quest, a feature that is available to Windows 10 users who sideload an alternate version of the Virtual Desktop app onto their Quest.
Godin aims to support macOS Mojave (10.14) and higher, however an issue is preventing the beta version of the streamer app working on Mojave, so you’ll need to be on macOS Catalina (1.15) or higher if you want to give it a try. You can download the beta version of the streamer app for macOS by joining the Virtual Desktop Discord server.
A new Virtual Desktop update adds a crucial new feature that simplifies getting better performance when streaming PC VR games on Oculus Quest.
Mobile update 1.15 is now live and introduces a ‘VR Graphics Quality’ option. This setting won’t change the native graphics settings of a given app itself but instead alter the quality of rendering and streaming between three presents – Low, Medium and High. So, if you’re finding streaming a VR game from PC to your Oculus Quest a little taxing, you’ll be able to easily switch to a lower setting to see if you get better results (though you will need to restart SteamVR and the game for it to take effect).
New Virtual Desktop Update Arrives
Mobile update 1.15 is live! It adds a VR Graphics Quality option which changes the render and streaming resolutions of VR games. The Desktop and VR bitrates can now be changed independently through sliders. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/6faoXyzRRl
Going deeper, the update allows you to independently change bitrates between PC and headset. Again, you can use a higher bitrate for better streaming, but a lower bitrate on PC will help your headset’s battery life. On your headset, a lower bitrate will help reduce latency in your movements, but also have overall less image quality, so it’s a bit of a trade-off.
This update still supports the Oculus Go, even though Facebook is gradually winding down its own support for the headset. The app has been a huge hit on Quest, though, so far having made over $3 million in revenue on the Quest version alone. Developer Guy Godin continues to add intriguing features to the platform, like the recent introduction of hand-tracking to mimic virtual controllers.
Will you be checking out Virtual Desktop’s new update? Let us know in the comments below!
A new Virtual Desktop update adds a crucial new feature that simplifies getting better performance when streaming PC VR games on Oculus Quest.
Mobile update 1.15 is now live and introduces a ‘VR Graphics Quality’ option. This setting won’t change the native graphics settings of a given app itself but instead alter the quality of rendering and streaming between three presents – Low, Medium and High. So, if you’re finding streaming a VR game from PC to your Oculus Quest a little taxing, you’ll be able to easily switch to a lower setting to see if you get better results (though you will need to restart SteamVR and the game for it to take effect).
New Virtual Desktop Update Arrives
Mobile update 1.15 is live! It adds a VR Graphics Quality option which changes the render and streaming resolutions of VR games. The Desktop and VR bitrates can now be changed independently through sliders. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/6faoXyzRRl
Going deeper, the update allows you to independently change bitrates between PC and headset. Again, you can use a higher bitrate for better streaming, but a lower bitrate on PC will help your headset’s battery life. On your headset, a lower bitrate will help reduce latency in your movements, but also have overall less image quality, so it’s a bit of a trade-off.
This update still supports the Oculus Go, even though Facebook is gradually winding down its own support for the headset. The app has been a huge hit on Quest, though, so far having made over $3 million in revenue on the Quest version alone. Developer Guy Godin continues to add intriguing features to the platform, like the recent introduction of hand-tracking to mimic virtual controllers.
Will you be checking out Virtual Desktop’s new update? Let us know in the comments below!
We’ve got a big number to report from the sole developer of Virtual Desktop, Guy Godin. Today Godin told UploadVR he’s cleared $3 million in gross revenue (that’s before Facebook’s cut of sales) on just the Oculus Quest standalone headset.
The figure establishes his software, which allows owners to operate their entire PC in VR wirelessly, as one of the most successful on Quest. In May, Facebook said more than 10 titles cleared $2 million in revenue on Quest alone and named several games to the list.
When combined with Virtual Desktop’s availability on Steam, Oculus Go, and Rift, the figure establishes the utility as one of the most successful pieces of VR software ever developed primarily by a single person throughout its entire development cycle. Godin says he brought on some contractors from time to time to help primarily with art.
Virtual Desktop’s Wireless Connection
Last year, Godin slipped a feature into Virtual Desktop which allowed buyers to play PC VR games on Quest wirelessly. Facebook pressured Godin to remove the feature from his app, though, citing comfort concerns. The feature co-opts your existing Wi-Fi network to make the connection from PC to Quest, and that makes it vulnerable to congestion and other factors which could create comfort issues for some users. Godin worked around Facebook to offer a patch for Virtual Desktop through sideloading platform SideQuest. This allowed anybody who bought Virtual Desktop to still access the feature, and the release helped anchor SideQuest as a useful tool for lots of Quest owners. Godin rebuilt the feature and improved its implementation considerably over the course of the year. In recent weeks Godin even added hand tracking support to the software.
“I donāt have an exact number but I estimate about 90% of users have patched it through SideQuest,” explained Godin in a direct message, who says he doesn’t use any analytics software to track app usage. “I could be wrong however, just guessing based on the numbers provided by SideQuest and the amount of support/help questions I get; itās always about the VR feature.”
Here’s an interview we did we Godin in February if you’d like to learn more about his journey:
Oculus Go is already gone from certain areas of Facebook’s official site for virtual reality products after the company confirmed it would cease sales of the headset.
The entry level standalone headset’s retirement after two years of availability marks the end of an era for virtual reality. One of Facebook’s technical guides in VR, John Carmack, was a driving force behind the Android-based optimization efforts at the company and commented that “it was not the VR headset that most of Oculus wanted to build, and it faced internal headwinds the entire time.”
“Go was about ‘do more with less’. Cheap, passively cooled silicon, smaller batteries,” Carmack wrote on Twitter. “I’m still a bit wistful about the unexploited potential — almost nothing maxed out the quality of experience that the existing hardware could provide. I can get a little down thinking about might-have-beens, but playing some Beat Saber on Quest always makes me feel better!”
His voice joined a chorus of comments from across the VR industry reflecting on the loss of the entry-level standalone VR system. Darshan Shankar, the CEO of virtual movie theater Bigscreen, said his company plans to drop support for Oculus Go by September of this year in light of the announcement. Late last year Facebook dropped support for the earlier phone-powered Gear VR and, shortly after, Bigscreen followed.
“The Oculus Go was an excellent entry point for people seeking a media consumption device. A large number of our active users continue to use the Go (>5%). Weāve commonly seen someone fall in love with Bigscreen, say on a Rift or Quest, and buy their friends or family an Oculus Go in order to hangout with them and watch movies,” Shankar wrote in a direct message. “Itās been tough to support the Go, as itās the only 3DOF device we support and its performance capabilities are heavily restricted. Weāre excited to standardize Bigscreen: now, all headsets we support have 6DOF controllers and we can create awesome interactions and avatars with that in mind. This also allows us to push the bounds creatively and visually, as the Quest is now our lowest-end device (and itās very powerful, nearly 2x more capable than the Go).”
Virtual Desktop‘s sole developer, Guy Godin, commented in a direct message that “it was expected to happen at some point. The Go did provide a good transition from GearVR to Quest.”
Oculus Go Game Developers Move On
When it comes to games, the CEO of Resolution Games Tommy Palm explained over email “we still have games on the Go that are selling well, including Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs. But 6DoF is here to stay, and anything 3DoF was always just a stepping stone. ”
“The market will ultimately benefit from a more unified market though,” Palm explained. “We saw many examples of consumers as well as professionals misjudging the state of VR because they couldnāt quite understand the difference between the Quest and the Go, so this is ultimately another step in the right direction for the industry.”
Stealth game RĆPUBLIQUE VR was an Oculus Go launch title from Camouflaj — the same company behind the upcoming PSVR title Iron Man VR — and founder Ryan Payton remembers “fawning over how frictionless it was to just strap the darn thing on and play VR. (Compared to the arduous process of loading up a Gear VR, previously.) I ended up getting really into watching NBA via NextVR from my Oculus Go until I graduated to Oculus Quest.”
“Oculus Go felt like a pivotal connecting point in the evolution of virtual reality,” Payton explained over email. “I think Facebookās move to discontinue the product should be celebrated because it means that itās time to move on to bigger and better things.”
Justin Wasilenko, Director at Orange Bridge Studios, wrote in an email that Oculus Go provided a “huge revenue stream” for their game End Space space fighting game.
“The Oculus Go was understated in it’s popularity,” Wasilenko explained. “End Space was one of the more successful apps on Go. Its success even saw myself and some other developers flown down to Oculus headquarters where they first showed us Quest and what the future was going to be for the company. It was clear 2 years ago after that visit to Oculus HQ that this was going to happen. Quest is superior in every way except price. 3 DoF headsets provided an entry point into VR, however I feel they did more damage than good. I definitely profited from it but I have met many people who tried a Go or something similar and experienced motion sickness because of the lack of positional tracking or were just underwhelmed by the whole experience. As a media viewer the Go was great, but as a VR platform it was extremely limited. I think it’s not until you experience full 6 DoF with tracked hands that VR becomes truly magical. Go just isn’t good enough to make people believers in VR.”
“In the future you are going to see more Quest-like products come out at a cheaper price point and that will drive more VR sales and convert more people. I feel Cardboard / GearVR / Go might have done a lot of damage in convincing people that VR truly is awesome because they just weren’t good enough. Quest with the Link capability is such an amazing value now, there is no need for a product like Go. When there’s a wireless Quest that is more comfortable and cheaper, that’s the future of VR. Better headsets and better content will drive the future of VR.”
You can operate your PC in VR with nothing but your bare hands in the open air while wearing an Oculus Quest headset.
Hand tracking support rolled out recently in the latest update to Guy Godin’s Virtual Desktop app. The feature turns what’s already an enormously powerful VR-based utility into an even more flexible tool. While Oculus Quest hand tracking still features major limitations, the freedom to be able to log onto your PC from anywhere with Quest on a Wi-Fi connection without even controllers required means that you can do things like stream movies to your headset from your PC without first ensuring that your Oculus Touch controllers are present and have charged batteries.
The feature works by emulating your hands as Oculus Touch controllers and mapping gestures like flinching the index finger like a finger gun to the trigger on the emulated controllers.
Hands Emulated As Oculus Touch Controllers
For those looking for even more flexibility in their VR setup — and willing to deal with whatever performance issues come with streaming PC VR over a shared Wi-Fi network — people who sideloaded a patch for Virtual Desktop can even use an experimental feature that emulates their hands as Oculus Touch controllers for PC VR games.
Using this experimental feature I was able to complete an easy difficulty Beat Saber song in the PC VR version of the game on a wireless Oculus Quest. The PC was wired to an 802.11ac router and I was just about six feet from the router in my Quest. I played as if I was Edward Scissorhands, simply swinging my arms through the air with no controllers in my grip. To be clear, it wasn’t a great or even a good experience — but it was remarkable that it worked at all.
Godin continues to update Virtual Desktop ($19.99 on the Oculus Quest store) with new features and optimizations on a regular basis and he plans to keep working on the hand tracking feature, so we’ll keep updating you as the app changes.
