I want to like PCVR, I really do. I have incredibly fond memories of the early days of modern consumer VR (particularly the HTC Vive) and its experiences powered by SteamVR. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on pure PC headsets over the years, and while they all use different tracking methods, controllers, displays, and other components, they all suffer from the exact same problem: they need as much The data. Spend hours troubleshooting when you plan to play with them.
and Thursday
Android Central Senior Content Producer Nick Sutrich takes a deep dive into all things VR in his weekly column, from new hardware to new games, upcoming technology, and more.
I may well be cursed with certain aspects of computer gaming, but my efforts have never been easy. I know I’m going to get a lot of flak from the hardcore community for this post, but I know I’m not alone. Computer games rarely work for me, and even when they do, the effort to make them work is often not worth it.
Last week, Meta relaunched its Meta Quest Link software for the Meta Quest 3, Quest Pro, and Quest 2, which made me wonder if these new improvements would make a significant improvement on my past poor experience.
As it turns out, that’s not the case.
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
I have a 15-year IT background as a help desk technician and system administrator. I have been very familiar with computers and their various components since I was a child. I built my first computer from scratch when I was 12 years old and have been an avid computer gamer most of my life.
But years of tweaking and troubleshooting made me increasingly nervous. Things got worst when I was immersed in a PCVR scene with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift S, two PC headsets that I love but don’t love. I remember spending an hour almost every night troubleshooting audio issues while my wife and I were playing Beat Saber, but as the headphones improved, the issues never improved.
Today, PCVR is easier than ever. In fact, all you need is the Steam Link app on your Meta Quest headset to play PCVR games wirelessly with almost no setup required. That is, as long as you have one of the best routers that can provide low latency and high bandwidth between your PC and Quest.
Somehow, even the tethered PCVR experience fails me because it’s supposed to be the easiest way to use it.
Unfortunately for me, my old Wi-Fi 6 mesh router stopped working, and I’m using an old router with wireless speeds that aren’t quite suitable for PCVR use. This means that if I want to play PCVR games, I have to connect a headset like it’s 2016.
You said, it’s very simple. Just plug it in and launch the Quest Link app, right? I hope.
Over the weekend, I jumped into Contractors Showdown’s latest beta to see how the game differs on PC compared to the native Quest version. There are some noticeable differences between the two, but I was surprised by how soft the image was compared to the native Quest version.
I tweaked a few settings but could never get rid of that distinctly “compressed” look. It was a good enough experience, but I was at least a little disappointed with the outcome. Still, it worked pretty well… that is, until I went to play another round with some friends the next day.
I plugged in the cable and heard that nice “da dunk” connection sound that Windows makes when it plugs in and recognizes something. But the Quest Link software shows that the headset is not connected. Then I opened Quest, clicked the Quest Link button on the dashboard and it said PC not found.
So I did what any self-respecting IT pro would do: I turned it off and on again.
Then I unplugged it, waited 20 seconds, then plugged it back in. Wash, rinse, repeat. I even tried another cable since I had two or three lying around, but the computer refused to recognize the headphones I had connected.
Playing games on Quest is much easier than any other way to play VR.
Ironically, Air Link immediately started working when I flipped the switch in the headset, but I quickly remembered why I couldn’t play it that way. The lag between my movements and those of the in-game characters made the game completely unplayable. The fact that the VHS tapes offer better quality than my wireless streaming setup doesn’t help either.
Instead, I unplugged everything and fired up the native Contractor Showdown game running on the Quest. Guess what? efficient.
It always works when it’s on the Quest – aside from a few hiccups here and there – which is part of why I love the Quest experience so much. This is a console. You just put it on your head and play.it is this When I got my hands on the original device in 2019, I instantly fell in love with the Quest, which is why I almost never play VR games with any other headset.
I fully realize the advantages of PCVR gaming. I just hope this technology works for me.
I’ve given up on PCVR more times than I can count, so why do I still seem to come back for more? The answer is, I fully recognize the huge advantages PCVR games can have over Quest games.
Better graphics are just the start. Many SteamVR games support Steam Workshop and can be easily modified. Half-Life: Alyx is a deal not only because of Valve’s excellent storytelling, but also because the modding community has made some truly wonderful art with it.
But I rarely encounter this situation because PCVR is not suitable for me on a technical level. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, things never seem to get better. At least, even if I succeed once, I rarely repeat the experience two days in a row. Therefore, I will probably give up on PCVR for good.
Does anyone want to buy a computer? I might sell one.