Oculus Quest 1 Will Also Gain Air Link PC Streaming

Facebook and Oculus have retired the original Rift VR system, marking the end of headsets that need to be tethered to beefy PC rigs. Moving forward, Oculus said it would be focusing on the Quest system, notably the Oculus Quest 2, but also left the door still open to PC VR experiences. That door is the Air Link technology it introduced back in April, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg now made it known that even the original Oculus Quest headset will be getting this feature as well.

To some extent, the Oculus Quest and its successor represent what many imagine VR experiences would be in terms of hardware. It could function by itself and didn't need to be tied to a PC. It could, however, also still run Oculus apps and games designed for the Rift VR systems, provided the Quest was connected to a compatible desktop or laptop.

That has always been possible with a USB-C cable but Oculus Air Link removed that requirement. With a compatible PC and a 5GHz Wi-Fi router, Oculus Quest 2 owners could wirelessly stream those desktop VR apps to the standalone headset, freeing them to move as they please. Commenting on his post, Zuckerberg confirmed the requests of owners of the original Quest headset to make the feature available to the first-gen device as well.

That Facebook post showcased the v30 update to the Oculus Quest software. The highlight is an update to the Quest's new Infinite Office that will allow running multiple windows. The new feature will boost multitasking use cases and help make the Oculus Quest look impressive for productivity tasks.

It isn't clear whether the v30 software update will bring that Air Link functionality to the Oculus Quest 1 or if it will come in a later update. The Oculus Quest 2 is also expected to get a bigger play space of 15m by 15m, allowing for new VR experiences that can take place in more expansive physical areas.