Oculus - Meta Quest

Pros

• The software is a free download
• Social events and friend lists are featured
• Packed with virtual reality games and apps

Cons

• It's a 5GB download

The Oculus desktop app is designed to complement its famous, Facebook owned VR generating sibling. Think of Oculus VR as the headset, the hardware that a user wears. The companion app then loads on a PC as a useful utility. It basically acts as a smart interface between the headset and a Windows computer. It also manages other important features, including the Oculus games and application store, where all of those fun VR goodies are hosted.

Downloading as a 5MB file, the desktop app for Oculus seems surprisingly small, but this is just the initial download link. The full program actually occupies over 5GB of hard disk space, so aspiring virtual reality fans should be aware of this fact before they double-click that 5MB installer. Next, just like other gaming distribution services, a gamer can't just jump into the app and grab those VR apps and games. They'll have to create an account first, set a PIN and security settings, then decide upon a profile picture. Also, as if this needs to be mentioned, whoever downloads this desktop app should have access to a compatible headset. An Oculus Quest 2 is a likely candidate here, but there's also the Rift S.

Fortunately, considering the brand behind this gaming platform, it's possible to use a Facebook ID to quickly create the account. This way, an impatient person can skip the half-dozen or so profiling steps normally required to build an online account. The app display that opens once the installation process is over is intuitively arranged, with a menu on the left of the panel and a graphically attractive home page to the right. Users will see the latest games and apps on this side. Back to the menu, it contains links for a Library and a Store. Virtual Reality software is purchased on the Store and saved to the Library. It's really that simple, so there shouldn't be any frustrating searches to impact the experience.

There are several other menu links to explore. These socially focused entries help people connect to one another. Events and Chats headline the list, but there's also a Friends and Notifications section on the menus as well. These aren't new ideas, of course, for consoles and Windows online gaming platforms often include socially targeted tools, too, but it's nice to know that the Oculus desktop app has smartly incorporated a similar feature. Free to download, the software is a regarded as a more traditional approach to the VR experience. After all, this is the last real world interface users will handle before they don their headset. Incidentally, Oculus for Windows is a free download, although the store apps do cost real money.

Pros

• The software is a free download
• Social events and friend lists are featured
• Packed with virtual reality games and apps

Cons

• It's a 5GB download