Quest 3 Virtual Desktop Tutorial and PCVR Setup in Under 5 Minutes

[@GameCruton]

Thinking of grabbing virtual desktop today for extra monitors. I read somewhere that there could be a security risk if you leave the group as default or something? This was in reference to having remote access to your PC. Totally ignorant on this subject, but I will be using it for work and such. So I thought I’d ask if this was a thing.

[@VRManCave]

Virtual Desktop has been around for years and years and I've never heard of anyone having any security issues. If you're concerned, just make sure to close the VD Streamer App on your PC once you're done with work.

[@GameCruton]

@@VRManCave Right on. Thank you!

[@richeh79]

Just got my Quest 3 and been using the Meta link desktop app and airlink to play steam games. Is this a better way of doing it? Pardon my ignorance, but I dont see the difference between this and just connecting using the airlink in settings and launching games like Hitman or Metro Awakening from that. Only had it a day so its all new to me

[@VRManCave]

If you're having a good experience with AirLink then you're right, no reason to get this. For me personally and a lot of other people, this is a lot more stable than AirLink and also looks better. It also has a ton more settings you can change on the fly without having to use the Oculus Debug Tool. I go a bit more in depth about the comparison between all these in this video if you wanna check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIXXoaChicype80

[@Rusty_Shackleford02]

Can I do this with a gaming laptop or does it need to be a desktop?

[@VRManCave]

Yup a gaming laptop will work, it’s what I started with too!

[@secondthought2]

Hi! May I ask a question?Is there a difference between setting up wireless vs wired (usb cable to PC) route for playing flat-games(non VR) on Quest 3? almost 100% of info i've found is about wireless route which uses Virtual Desktop as a main tool for this type of secenerio. How would one go about doing this wired. CAn I use Virtual desktop even if i go wired route instead of wireless or Virtual Desktop only works via wifi-streaming (can't use it via usb cable)?

[@VRManCave]

Hi! For wired Virtual Desktop won’t work, but you can use the native Meta Link functionality, and you have a lot of options to optimize it and make it look awesome. I highly recommend this other video of mine that goes through all the settings you should know of: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIXXoaChicype80 . Hope it helps!

[@captainboris]

Fantastic tutorial..! Helped me out a LOT. Do you know if its possible to connect my playstation controller to my quest 3 and use it to play PCVR on Virtual Desktop? I was connecting the controller to the pc directly, but the bluetooth signal is too weak so it keeps disconnecting. Any help would be greatly appreciated!🙏

[@VRManCave]

I'm so happy to hear it was helpful, thanks so much for watching mate! And regarding your question, while you can connect Bluetooth peripherals to the Quest directly, I don't think it streams that input to the PC as far as I'm aware.

[@foltress3177]

Heyyo! Is it possible to have the audio go to a headset connected to your pc? Or does it have to go to the quest 3? (By audio I don't mean intake but output)

[@VRManCave]

Yeah you just select that headset as the audio output in Windows and it will work perfectly fine

[@Dragulex]

I have to many questions xD Air Link VS Cable Link VS Virtual Desktop VS Virtual Desktop Steam So many options Also the normal usbc cable can only load the VR right? because it also says "datacable" Is it always better to have a Cable? Invest 25$ in unofficial Link Cable or Virtual Desktop from Metaquest? Whats differenz between Steam and Meta Virtual Desktop? Where am i able to install VR mods and run Games for "free"?

[@VRManCave]

Happy to help answer your questions. First off, the purpose of all those methods of connecting is the same, which is to be able to play PCVR games on your Quest. As for the difference between them, the cable will always be the most stable and best looking graphically, but you're tethered so it limits movement freedom a lot. Second best and very very close in terms of quality, is Virtual Desktop, which is exclusively what I use. It has a ton of settings and optimizations and is absolutely fantastic. AirLink is the third option, which is Meta's own alternative to Virtual Desktop, but I found it a lot less stable than VD. Finally, SteamLink is Steam's version of the above, but it's still very early days so it doesn't really have many settings available and is the newest of them all. My advice would be Virtual Desktop as long as your networking setup is good(as explained in the video), otherwise if you don't mind a cable, you don't have to get the official Link cable, but just make sure to get one that has good reviews on Amazon for this purpose. Regarding VR Mods and Games, you'll install them on your computer, and there are plenty of good free games, but stuff like Half Life Alyx, BoneLab, Blade and Sorcery, etc. you will have to purchase from Steam. Hope it helps!

[@Dragulex]

@@VRManCave Exactly the info i was looking, for many thanks to you!!!

[@dustinpoissant]

If im using a PCVR link cable is this all the same steps? I dont care about wireless, id rather connect a cable to my PC.

[@VRManCave]

Virtual Desktop is strictly for wireless, it won’t work wired, but you don’t even need it if you like using the link cable.

[@RyanRothey]

If you are on quest 3 but do not have a 4000 series then what should be selected if not AV1

[@VRManCave]

In that case H.264+ is your next best option in my experience.

[@KnowerofThings]

Can I use this app with link cable or is this a wireless solution only for quest 2 ?

[@VRManCave]

It's just for wireless, but you can adjust the settings to get better visuals and performance via cable too, check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIXXoaChicype80

[@ajeezyp]

Now is Ethernet connection absolutely required or could I still do this wirelessly

[@VRManCave]

@@ajeezyp your PC should absolutely be wired for the best performance and lowest latency. It does work without having your PC connected via ethernet but you’ll not have a great time since you’re adding extra latency since your PC also has to communicate wirelessly to the router, not just your Quest.

[@ajeezyp]

@ Thank you for your response! I've been trying to find something where I could just cast my computer screen to my Quest 3. I'm not necessarily wanting to play PCVR games but more or less use my Quest as the screen

[@YuhBoiiiii]

Forgot to ask. In the link for the routers it shows WiFI 6E Gaming router would that be the best choice? Also this is my current router (listed below) with Wifi 6E. Would my current one be good or would the one you listed be better? NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming WiFi 6 Router (XR1000) 6-Stream AX5400 Wireless Speed (up to 5.4Gbps) | DumaOS 3.0 Optimizes Lag-Free Server Connections 4 x 1G Ethernet and 1 USB Ports

[@VRManCave]

Well, technically the one I listed, or even one model up from what you have from Netgear, would be better as it has Wi-Fi 6E, which is the "real" Wi-Fi 6, even though in some cases they list it has Wi-Fi 6, like yours, it's not *actually* a 6Ghz bandwidth. Regardless, I would definitely test it first with the one you have as it might be absolutely fine as long as there's not a lot of Wi-Fi congestion in your area.

[@YuhBoiiiii]

@VRManCave you are the man! Thanks again!

[@seaI.]

I use an ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (5GHz, connected to my PC via Ethernet, and dedicated to my Quest 3). Is this good enough for running AirLink at high resolution and 120hz with an RTX 4060 TI, 40GB RAM, and an i5-9400F?

[@VRManCave]

@@seaI. Sorry for the late reply, KZbin doesn't notify me of replies. Your router should definitely be good enough, provided that there's not a lot of interference in your neighborhood.

[@seaI.]

@@VRManCave Thanks! Currently watching this as I set up Virtual Desktop on my new Quest 3 :D

[@edwardwilliams91]

Legit question from someone who has been PCVRing with a quest 3 for the last 3 days... Why would I use VD over the built in Quest Link App? I have been getting issues getting my SteamVR to launch correctly, usually having to resort to using task manager to force close 3-5 VR apps on my PC OR restarting my PC. Would VD fix this issue? I connect with USB cable.

[@VRManCave]

It's a very good question. First off, Virtual Desktop only works wireless, so your PC will need to be wired to your Wi-Fi Router(internet speed doesn't matter). Secondly, I personally use VD over Link/AirLink because it's a lot more stable and bug free. And also because it has a ton more settings that can easily be changed on the fly. Plus of course for the wireless freedom. To answer your question about if it'll fix the issues, it's possible, as long as they're not related to SteamVR itself or any other reason besides it being a Quest Link issue.

[@edwardwilliams91]

@VRManCave thanks for the follow up! I also asked on the oculusquest subreddit and pretty much got 70 replies similar to yours. I went ahead and got it and it's great!

[@spacelamaglama]

Nice video! Any guide to make Assetto Corsa Competizione works with quest 3?

[@VRManCave]

Thanks for watching! I haven't specifically made a video on ACC, but it just works out of the box, you don't really need to do anything. Just start the game from Virtual Desktop and pick OpenXR/SteamVR as the runtime and it will just work.

[@Faynwulf]

Correction. AV1 can only be used if you have a 4000 series RTX card or AMD equivalent.

[@VRManCave]

You’re absolutely right, yup!

[@edwardwilliams91]

@@Faynwulf for anyone wondering, AMD equivalent is 7xxx series.

[@YuhBoiiiii]

Is this all the same process if i want to play my SteamVR games through Virtual desktop? or is that a totally different process?

[@VRManCave]

It's the exact same process and I've even briefly mentioned it in the video. Using Virtual Desktop you can play both Oculus/Meta PCVR and SteamVR games.

[@YuhBoiiiii]

@@VRManCave Awesome thanks my man! Much appreciated!

[@doesboknow2]

This came up at the perfect time, I've been itching to use my Quest 2 to play Half-Life Alyx, and don't feel like there's enough VR content for me to justify buying a Quest 3/3S. Main question: If I have a Quest 2, is there anything I'd NEED to change in the Oculus Debug Tool (or whatever it's called now), or are these tips for Virtual Desktop enough? Thanks!

[@VRManCave]

I'm super happy to hear you found this at the perfect time! If you're using Virtual Desktop, then the Debug Tool settings will not do anything. Those are only for using Airlink or Wired Link. So TLDR, just setting up Virtual Desktop is all you need.

[@burtleboeuf1429]

What did you enable or press to get pass through to come on? I got hand tracking working and can see my hands in VR but they dont go into pass through and I dont see any of the options you had -?

[@VRManCave]

The menu where you can activate Passthrough Hands only shows up under Input in the VD Menu when you're actually using your hands and not controllers. So if you already have hand tracking enabled, put down your controllers, open up the Virtual Desktop Menu, go to Input and you should see the option called Passthrough Hands.

[@burtleboeuf1429]

@@VRManCave thanks, that worked, I was getting confused about which option did what.

[@EDTheOneable]

Should I go with 1 or 2 gig fiber internet?

[@VRManCave]

Your internet speed doesn't really matter. Virtual Desktop connects over your local network, so technically speaking, if you're not playing multiplayer games, you don't even need an internet connection.

[@EDTheOneable]

@VRManCave but I'm getting a lot of lag in game connecting my quest 3 to virtual desktop streaming Half Life Alyx but my pc is a brand new 4080 rig. My internet currently is 250mbps. Would upgrading to 1gig or 2 gig fiber not change anything?

[@VRManCave]

@@EDTheOneable Sorry for the late answer, KZbin notifications didn't come through. Seeing as your PC is definitely powerful enough, your issue is likely networking related(but not internet related). Meaning you need a better router, ideally a Wi-Fi 6E one or at least a dedicated Wi-Fi 5 one that you only use for VR.

[@Aishu092]

Hey man I just got the 3s and tried Half Life Alyx via Steam Link. It absolutely blew my mind and I’m now planning to buy the Link cable. I haven’t changed any settings yet. Should I still tweak around with VD and the Quest desktop app to try to get better results? My preference is to play wired rather than wireless, but I’m open. I have a 4070Ti Super and 7800X3D so my PC is solid. Thanks in advance.

[@VRManCave]

@@Aishu092 if you like wired, then Virtual Desktop will be of no use to you as it only works wireless. There are lots of settings to play around with for better clarity and performance in the Oculus Debug Tool. I highly recommend this other video that goes through everything: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIXXoaChicype80

[@Aishu092]

​@@VRManCave Thank you man. You're an absolute legend for replying back to me so quickly. I'm definitely going to try out what you mentioned in the linked video. Cheers!

[@FruitLoop2020]

If running a 4070… what vr graphics quality would that come under?

[@VRManCave]

You should be able to use High or even Ultra. Try out both and see what the performance is like.

[@middleagedshred]

you didnt say how to run a dedicated router..would that involve having a second router in the same room as the VR headset such as the ones you suggest and connect it via ethernet cable direct into the one from the internet provider that is connected to the modem..looking for info about this

[@VRManCave]

Yes in a nutshell that’s it. I have another video in the works that goes into more detail about the actual configuration involved, but the ultra simplified version is exactly as you said. Just make sure to put the VR Router into Access Point Mode to avoid IP conflicts.

[@middleagedshred]

@@VRManCave kool..thanks man..hope that new vid going into detail comes out soon..)

[@VRManCave]

@@middleagedshred Almost done, it's been a busy few weeks :)

[@middleagedshred]

@@VRManCave yea man..between 4 tutorials I think I got it setup right but man..:O hope you can simplify it, theres a few different ways of doing it.

[@NothingHereForYou]

I cross bought behemoth and metro on quest 3 so i could play it on the quest and pc, but for some reason it doesnt pick up the headset in virtual desktop.

[@VRManCave]

Cross-play works in the Meta PC app, so while in Virtual Desktop, just open up the Meta Quest Link app and start the games from there once and then they will show up in the Games tab in VD from then on.

[@NothingHereForYou]

@@VRManCave It still didnt work, i ended up fixing it though. I think it was because i had the runtime set to automatic instead of VDXR

[@kdog8787]

You can use Mobile Hotspot in Windows to wirelessly connect the Quest to your computer through a WiFi adapter. You could install a dedicated WiFi 6e adapter in your computer if you wanted the best experience, but it doesn't even have to be dedicated. Using a dedicated router seems like a total waste.

[@VRManCave]

It all really depends on how congested your Wi-Fi is, both in terms of other devices in your house, as well as similar bandwidths from your neighbours. For me not having a dedicated one was absolutely horrible, and once I got one just for VR, my world changed completely :))

[@edwardbuck7233]

I can't get more than 72fps. Even though it's set to 90 in the settings. Any tips?

[@VRManCave]

@@edwardbuck7233 It’s difficult to tell you exactly as I don’t know your exact hardware setup. Make sure it’s set to 90 in the Streaming tab and not just for the desktop view. Otherwise if it fluctuates and never goes over 70-72 then it’s also possible your settings are too high and the PC can’t push more frames.

[@edwardbuck7233]

@VRManCave I have it set to 90 fps in meta device settings. Steam vr settings and in virtual desktop. Should I try debug settings?

[@VRManCave]

@@edwardbuck7233 While using Virtual Desktop, the only settings that take effect are the VD ones. Try switching the framerate to 120 fps just to see if that makes a difference, or even lowering in-game settings a lot just for testing purposes. That should give you more info on what the reason for the low FPS is.

[@djcie1018]

Fantastic tutorial dude, what game do you show at the 01:25 mark?

[@VRManCave]

@@djcie1018 Thanks so much man! The game is AirCar, it’s free on Steam :)

[@djcie1018]

@@VRManCave Cheers mate, for a free old-ish download, it's extremely immersive. I'm kinda new VR and your content look's like the info I need right now, consider me a new sub.

[@VRManCave]

@@djcie1018 Thanks so much for the sub man, appreciate it! And yeah I think they were planning a lot more with AirCar but it ended up remaining in this demo-ish stage, and I'm not even mad bruh :)))

[@jeffpro8472]

So i shouldn't buy the app if i don't have a pc?

[@VRManCave]

Definitely not! The app just lets your Quest communicate with your PC, so if you don't have both, you won't be able to use it.

[@ytdlder]

But how do you setup Steamvr Roomscale playspace? For me its fixed at 2x2 meters. I have setup the space via the Quest settings, but cannot find a way to adapt Steams playspace...

[@VRManCave]

SteamVR will just use the guardian you’ve set in Quest, so you don’t need to do anything special as it’ll be set automatically to be identical to the Quest playspace.

[@ytdlder]

@@VRManCave Yeah, you see the Quest3 boundaries, but as Steam's size is set to 2x2, it may pose a problem for games, that use that space exactly. (there was this cool espionage game, where you sometimes crawled through vents, that looped around your playspace so you never went near the guardian 🙂 That was pretty dope)

[@ozzy1887]

What is the game, with the chopper in the rain?

[@VRManCave]

It's called AirCar, free on Steam. It's fantastic for testing out new headsets or settings, though there's not much to do in the game besides fly around :)

[@ozzy1887]

@@VRManCave Thanks!

[@VRManCave]

@@ozzy1887 Always happy to reply to as many comments as I can :)

[@YuhBoiiiii]

Every time I try to start a steam VR game it crashes virtual desktop…any ideas?

[@VRManCave]

Put the Runtime on Auto in VD, and turn on SteamVR from the VD menu before starting the game, then start it from the Games tab in VD. I’ve never had this issue but try that and see if it works.

[@JohnMSawyer]

I'm still looking for a tutorial on how to install and configure Virtual Desktop on a Quest 3 and a Macbook Pro so that I can see a virtual display sent to the Quest by my Macbook, rather than to play games.

[@VRManCave]

The process is identical, except you install the Streamer App to your Macbook.

[@sizz1e-xl2yp]

what if my PC doesn't pop up for some reason?

[@VRManCave]

Check that you’ve allowed network access for the VD Streamer App on the PC. Otherwise it should pop up as long as your PC and Quest are within the same home network(PC wired & Quest Wi-Fi).

[@sizz1e-xl2yp]

@@VRManCave Thanks

[@YourFriendlyHouseInvader]

​@@VRManCave Do i still need steam vr for this to work?

[@BufordGT]

@@YourFriendlyHouseInvaderyes.

[@YourFriendlyHouseInvader]

@@BufordGT a little late buddy but the app is awesome tho

[@diogolsq5295]

You lost an user case there, the people that use VD for productivity/work in multiple monitors

[@VRManCave]

You're right, I didn't mention that but it's extremely easy to add extra virtual monitors by just hovering your controller underneath your existing monitor, and you'll see a menu appear where you can spawn extra monitors. Thanks for bringing this up!

[@1copyright]

AV1 is the newest, most efficient codec that the Quest 3 supports, only Nvidia 4000 series and AMD 7000 series GPU can encode it.

[@VRManCave]

You're absolutely right, thanks for pointing that out!

[@seaI.]

I have a 4060 TI, but my processor, an Intel i5-9400F isn’t the best for it, but it still works really well. Should I still use AV1?

[@thomas_ger4098]

This explains why I regularly get a freeze in the Quest when I use this codec (4080s and an AMD 5700X3D) I use the HEVC 10-bit and this rund butter smooth

[@TomLehockySVK]

3:25 you say keep "SSW to Automatic" without even giving a proper explanation as to why. I will say clearly TURN THAT CRAP OFF ! If your fps drops even by just one then your actual framerate will be halved and all frames will be interpolated until you get back to a fully locked framerate again. So if your headset is set to 80hz but during play your fps would regularly drop to 79 or 78, it would actually run at 40 instead . With it set to OFF, you will keep the framerate at 78 or 79, losing only a few frames instead of half. It was the very first thing i disabled when i bought Virtual Desktop and am having a much better experience .

[@VRManCave]

The reason I said leave it on auto is because most people don't have a high end PC, and without it they might be getting an extremely choppy experience if their framerate goes from 50-55fps to 75-80 and flunctuates constantly. The SSW algorhythm that VD uses nowadays is much more advanced than it used to be, and in 99.99% of cases you don't even feel when it turns on or off, but you do feel a constantly smooth gameplay experience. I used to have it off all the time as well, but it's gotten way better than the horrible ASW that Meta has. Try it and you'll see it's no longer what it used to be.

[@TomLehockySVK]

@@VRManCave Hmm maybe my opinion is really influenced by how abysmal ASW really used to be where yes it made the framerate smooth by adding interpolated frames but the screen was so insanely jittery that it was giving me a small headache each time. Though i made experiments with the 120 FPS mode and SSW set to Always ON, that made it 60 fps with intepolated frames and really smooth ! But the battery is being absolutely hammered, so not really worth using it that way.

[@gghostvr93]

i need help so i got gifted nitro om discord from snoegiving stuff please give me a tutorial

[@gghostvr93]

its adblocker on browser

[@VRManCave]

I’m genuinely not sure what you’re talking about with the Discord Nitro tutorial and the adblocker thing. I’m always happy to help but you’ll need to be more specific :))

[@gghostvr93]

@@VRManCave i got it thanks anyway!

[@HarlemsFinest21]

this is probably the craziest thing anyones ever asked you.... bro can you donate a meta headset to me for streaming purposes.... its insane to ask but its just a dream of mine... i see you set ....no disrespect just someone tryna be as dope as you with no easy steps its all good either way... im here cause you rock man

[@VRManCave]

Thanks so much for being here and the kind words dude. No promises, but send me an email on [e-mail] and we'll see what I can do.

[@erchin6322]

youre pushing 40 bro get a job

[@fransta2165]

20% doesnt seem applicable?

[@VRManCave]

I just tried the link and it works fine and applies the 20% discount. You should be getting a pop-up on the Meta Store with a button that you can click to claim the discount. Try copying and pasting the link in an incognito window if it doesn't show up.

[@fransta2165]

@VRManCave my luck... I didn't get anything so i bought without unfortunately 😕 😪

[@fransta2165]

Also when you start virtual desktop games they run as a screen in the headset. Do you know how to make the Vr games run in actual VR mode?

[@Varian-Killbot]

I would seriously suggest turning off the color vibrance setting. It sounds like an easy win, but it's not. It messes with the colors of absolutely everything. You know those awful settings that your brand new TV is set to? Like motion smoothing and those color profiles that make everything look strange? This is precisely that. You aren't actually making anything better.

[@VRManCave]

I agree about color vibrance, but the sharpening and super resolution are actually dope and look fantastic.

[@Gatitasecsii]

Buy? Why would i buy software? This is ridiculous.

[@VRManCave]

It’s not ridiculous at all. It offers way more options, better clarity and stability than the free Airlink. But if you’re happy with Airlink then that’s all that matters.