Hi everyone!
Cas here, and I’ve been using the Oculus Quest ever since release, so I wanted to share
some tips and tricks.
My personal experiences and things that I do to get the most out of the Quest.
This video is for those who just purchased the Oculus Quest, but even if you already
own one, you might find these helpful.
First, if you like to see more videos about VR, consider subscribing if you haven’t
yet.
We’ll get started with the video, right after a message from today’s sponsor.
During these unprecedented times where we are home a lot, you might have some spare
time left.
Then why not spend this time learning to create your own Oculus Quest game?
Here’s a Udemy course called “VR Development Fundamentals With Oculus Quest And Unity”
by our friend Tevfik.
It includes 5 hours on-demand video, articles, and the resources needed to teach you the
essentials of creating your own VR game in an easy to understand way.
During the course, you will learn while having some fun with game assets featuring Quidditch
from the Harry Potter universe, and you’ll create a Sword & Pistol VR game.
Even if you’re not a developer, it’s worth trying it out as this may turn out to become
something real and who knows, maybe we’ll play one of your games in the future.
Currently, the course is on sale, so if you’re interested, check out the link in the description.
Now, let’s get started!
So, as always, the things that I mention that need accompanying links, I will put below
in the description, so make sure to check that out.
Tip number 1.
Comfort The front-heaviness of the Oculus Quest is
the biggest issue that prevents most from having happy long play sessions.
So people spend a lot on comfort mods, but before you spend any money, you should check
if you are wearing it correctly to see if that helps first.
This is how you do it.
First, loosen the top Velcro.
Then make sure the back strap cradle the base of your head.
This is the most important part that a lot of people get wrong the first time.
Me included.
Your head should kind of hold the backstrap in place and help with the balance.
Once you found the fit, you can tighten the top strap.
Then adjust the side straps while moving the headset up and down until the visuals look
clear.
Don’t over tighten it as that could give you a headache, you want to feel like it’s
floating against your face.
Some people have said that this helps them enough to play Quest games comfortably without
the need for comfort mods.
So it’s for sure worth it to try this out first.
Tip number 2.
Comfort mods If you have some money to spare, then you
can get comfort mods.
We have reviewed a lot of them, so check out the links in the description to see my tips
on them.
Here are two free DIY comfort mod solutions:
Option 1.
Use something heavy like empty batteries, tape it together, and then use Velcro or shoelaces,
whatever you can find, to attach it to the back of your headset.
Some people use a power bank so that they have extra power when playing.
Option 2.
You can also use your hair if you have long enough hair.
Tie it as a ponytail and put it through the hole of the headset.
The hair will act as a counterweight, and it’s comfy!
Tip number 3.
Figure out your IPD IPD is short for interpupillary distance;
this is the distance between the centers of the pupils of your eyes.
If you don’t do this tip, the visuals will be blurry, and it might be motion sickness-inducing.
There are apps online that can help with measuring your IPD, but I prefer just using a ruler
in front of the mirror.
You need to measure this in millimeters, though, so you will need a millimeter ruler.
Once you have the number, you can use the IPD slider at the bottom of the headset to
move the lenses closer or further away from each other to match your eyes.
You can also skip the ruler and estimate it by just using this slider.
Make sure that you are in the headset then and looking at something with text.
When the text becomes clear, you’re close to your IPD.
If you wear glasses, your eye doctor will most likely have your exact IPD number.
You can request it, or go for another eye check.
Tip number 4.
Wrist straps Use the included lanyards in the box and make
sure to wear it every time you play.
It’s just too easy to throw away your controllers by accident and break something in your house
when you are fully immersed in a game.
Trust me, it has happened to me before.
Tip number 5.
Tracking Ok, so you’re ready to start playing.
But nothing is more annoying in VR than losing tracking.
Try it out first, of course, as the tracking works really well out of the box in most rooms.
But in the occasion you do get tracking loss, here are some tips that can help prevent it.
Since the Oculus Quest uses a tracking system that is based on detecting and matching small
clusters of infrared light, you have to make sure that your play space doesn’t have anything
that can interfere with this system.
So make sure there aren’t any reflective surfaces in your room, like mirrors and close
your curtains.
But even things like the presence of external light sources, like a chandelier or anything
else that might be a cluster of lights, could make a problem for the tracking system.
The tracking system will also work better in rooms with furniture, like paintings on
the wall.
If you’re playing in a space with almost nothing in it and a blank wall, it might not
be able to sense depth and cause you to lose tracking.
Tip number 6.
Playing in the dark That said, this brings us to tip number 6.
It’s only possible to play Oculus Quest games in the dark if you get an infrared illuminator.
This can be bought for as low as 10 euros, at least here in the Netherlands.
I haven’t tried this method myself yet, but it seems fun for outside play.
Tip number 7.
Playspace Ok, now you should also figure out your playspace.
With my tips about tracking, you should be able to find a suitable room to create your
playspace.
The recommended space of 2 by 2m is good enough for most games, but the bigger, the better.
If you have little space, get a floormat or cut up a yoga mat and put it at the center
of your playspace.
Tape something on it, like a bottle cap so that you can feel where your front is.
We are using a Proximat, which is built with VR users in mind, but it’s a little more
expensive.
I’ll put a link in the description in case you’re interested.
Tip number 8.
Motion sickness Ok, enough tips outside of playing!
Let’s get into some tips for when you’re actually in the headset, but leave me a like
on this video if you find it helpful.
I find motion sickness an important subject to shine some light on.
Motion sickness is probably the number one cause that scares people away from VR, which
is a shame as from personal experience, I can say it will get better with practice.
So ease yourself into it.
Pay attention to the comfort level of apps and games that you can find in the description
of a game.
Don’t start with games like rollercoaster simulators as those are very intense and are
not representable to other VR games.
Start simpler and try those later.
Also, don’t push yourself tip.
If you start to feel queasy or another strange uncomfortable feeling, stop playing for a
while.
Drink ginger tea and get into it when you feel better again.
Some people think pushing yourself is practicing, but it will actually make you feel worse,
and that’ll stay for many hours.
Taking a break is the best what you can do, and most of the time, you can get right into
it after you feel better.
Tip number 9.
Use your body to play So this is a tip that you might forget about
once you are used to artificial moving with your joystick.
People tend to forget to use their real-life bodies when in VR even though their playspace
is big enough.
For example, sometimes you are standing next to a virtual table, but just not close enough
to pick up an item for examination.
Your first instincts might be just to use your joystick to get closer, but then you
kind of bump on the table, and it can cause a weird feeling.
Instead, try to move in real life to get closer.
The same goes for ducking and crouching.
It’s much more fun to do this in real life, then with a button.
It’ll help against motion sickness too, and make the game more immersive.
Tip number 10.
Controllers When you play a movement-intensive game like
Beat Saber, you might notice the battery covers of your controllers occasionally sliding off
as they are magnetic.
Some people find that very annoying, so if you want to get rid of that, a little bit
of tape can help.
Or you can get one of the Mamut Grip solutions.
Tip number 11.
Settings The Oculus Quest has gotten many updates throughout
this year.
Significant updates were, for example, support for hand tracking and Oculus Link.
These were pretty game-changing, so it’s worth it to check what changed every so often.
Check your software version by going to the ‘settings’ and then ‘about; you may
even have an update available that you haven’t gotten yet.
Then you can scroll through the settings, like the device and experimental settings,
and check if there’s something that you would find handy.
Like the Bluetooth feature here that allows you to connect Bluetooth earbuds wasn’t
there before but it is available now.
Extra options for hand tracking are also here.
Very ‘handy’ 😉
Tip number 12.
Oculus Store & Gametips The Oculus Store has sales every so often
on pretty good games too.
If you’re sure you are buying a Quest, then it might be worth it to check the offers even
before you got your Quest.
You can make an account beforehand on the Oculus website and check it out from there.
If you ever bought games before on the Oculus Rift platform, then it is also worth it to
check the Oculus Cross-Buy Apps list.
These are games you only need to buy once and will be available on both the Rift and
Quest platform.
It’s probably also good to know that the Oculus Store has an excellent refunding policy,
too, similar to what Steam has.
You can refund a game if you played with the content for less than two hours and make the
request within 14 days.
You can initiate your request through your purchase history page.
Tip number 13.
PC VR gaming with Oculus Link One of the best things about the Quest is
that you can play PC VR games too if you have a VR ready PC.
The most stable and easiest method to get started with this is using Oculus Link.
This is a software update that was added after the Quest release and allows you to use most
USB 3 cables to play PC VR games.
You can even use the charging cable that came in the box.
All you have to do is connect the Quest using a compatible cable to your gaming PC with
the Oculus PC app installed and turned on.
It should be recognized immediately.
A pop-up inside the headset will ask you if you want to turn on Oculus Link.
If that doesn’t work, you can just go into the settings and turn it on from there.
If you plan on playing wired, get Velcro to fasten the wire to the strap.
Make it, so it falls at your back instead of your shoulder.
We’ve made a lot of Oculus Link tip videos in the past; I recommend watching it if you
haven’t yet.
Tip number 14.
Streaming PC VR content wirelessly You can also stream PC VR content wirelessly
if you have a good 5Ghz WiFi connection.
You can use the free app ALVR for that or you can use Virtual Desktop.
The latter is my favorite as, since recent updates, it works very, very well.
But it’s not free as you need to buy the Oculus Store version first for 20 dollars.
The confusing part here is that Virtual Desktop from the Oculus Quest store doesn’t have
this streaming feature as Oculus doesn’t want that on their store.
So you will also need to sideload a Virtual Desktop patch for this to work, you can get
it from SideQuest.
If you don’t know how to sideload, I made a guide on it.
All links are below!
Tip number 15.
Stream gameplay to show friends & family If you have a VR headset, chances are big
your family members or friends might try to steal it from you when you show them what
you can do with it.
HEY!
Oh well, maybe that’s not a bad thing as we need more people in VR!
But it might be helpful for you to know that you can stream your gameplay to a Chromecast
or your phone.
[Hold phone]
Just go to the app, and tap the stream-icon at the top right.
You can select which devices it should stream on, then tap start, and it should start streaming.
Now, something I found out not that long ago, Oculus also added options to make it easier
for you to showcase your Quest.
Tap on the stream on your phone, and you will see these options, like recentering headset
view and launch apps.
This is so nice as it’s pretty hard to explain how to do this to someone who has never used
the headset before.
Tip number 16.
Battery & Charging With all those people trying to steal your
headset away from you, you might want to know how to prolong the battery life.
I mean, let’s be honest here, 2 hours of playtime on a full charge is most likely not
enough.
The good news is that powerbanks will work with it.
You can use it as a counterweight as explained in tip number 2.
Or you can use a belt or fanny pack to put the powerbank in.
You’ll get a little cable, but it’s worth it.
Trust me.
Not every powerbank may work though, you need one with enough power delivery.
I will link the one I use below.
As for the controllers, it’s also a good idea to get extra rechargeable batteries for
it.
I always have two spare ones fully charged so I can switch to them anytime.
It’s also a good idea to take the batteries out once you’re done playing.
The controllers can live their own life sometimes and passively suck the battery empty overnight.
Not only the batteries of the controllers can be drained overnight, your headset is
also capable of doing that.
So this brings us to tip number 17.
Tip number 17.
Turning off & Storage One thing that helps against the battery draining
is to turn off your headset all the way when you’re done with it.
A lot of people leave it on sleep mode.
To turn off the headset, you don’t need to put on your headset.
Just hold press the power off button and wait until you hear the turning off sound.
And when you store the headset?
Make sure to never expose your lenses to direct sunlight.
It will burn it.
So don’t place it near a window that doesn’t have curtains.
Tip number 18.
Cleaning After a couple of sessions, you will want
to clean your headset.
So here are tips on how to clean it properly!
For your lenses, never use any liquid or chemical cleaners.
Use a dry microfiber lens cloth instead and gently wipe the lens in a circular motion
moving outwards.
This is what Oculus recommends.
And if you workout in the headset or just sweat a lot.
Please get some silicone face covers or leather ones.
I’ve been using the VRCover ones, and they work great.
Much easier to clean as you can wipe them with anti-bacterial wipes after each use.
Handy if you just show off your headset to friends too.
Tip number 19.
Prescription lens adapters This tip is for those that wear glasses, like
my beautiful Chary.
She uses prescription lens adapters on the Oculus Quest from WidmoVR.
They’re excellent quality.
I’ll put a link below, as always.
😊
Tip number 20.
WebXR games The last tip I got for you is a fun one.
Try out WebXR games!
There are a lot of free games to try out on your Oculus Quest and they work without the
need to install an app.
All you need is the built-in Oculus browser and a link.
I’ve made a video with a couple of WebXR games and apps that you could try.
Check it out if you are interested 😊
So, here we have it!
That was a lot of tips, but I hope it helped you out.
Please do let me know below if it did, and if you have more tips yourself, put them in
the comments too so everyone can get more suggestions!
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As always, VR on!