How to Sideload Oculus Quest Apps with Your Phone – No PC Required

When Oculus Quest launches in Spring of next year, it will come pre-loaded with a suite of apps that use the Quest’s unique features, like the two screens that take up the headset’s entire field of view. But for developers, there’s no need to wait until then to dive into the Quest’s immersive world. Now, Oculus has announced that it’s opening up its development tools so that Oculus Quest developers can also build apps for its other platforms, including mobile devices. If you’re developing apps on Google’s Android platform, Amazon’s Android Appstore, or Microsoft’s Windows 10 store, now you know you can also build for Oculus Quest.

The day of the Oculus Quest virtual reality headset has finally arrived, but for it to work, you need to have a phone that’s not only pretty powerful, but also has a lot of storage for Oculus’ apps. The Oculus Quest headset was announced back in May and is set to release this summer. It’s a bit smaller than the Gear VR, but with built-in motion controllers, it’s a decent VR option. The Quest will support both the Oculus Store (games) and the Oculus Apps (apps).

At CES 2018, Oculus announced that its upcoming $200-ish VR headset, the Oculus Quest, will be the first mobile VR headset that you can easily sideload apps on. The Quest is a standalone unit, so this means you won’t need to have a smartphone to run it.

Over the last several months, Facebook’s unmoderated app shop Oculus App Lab has mostly stolen the thunder from the unauthorized Quest app market SideQuest. This is mainly owing to App Lab’s simplicity of use versus SideQuest, which required you to install a PC-based application in order to install programs. SideQuest has now released a mobile app that allows you to SideLoad applications on Quest without the need of a computer. It’s also possible to do it wirelessly.

Today, SideQuest took a significant step forward in its quest to remain relevant as an unmoderated marketplace for Quest platform games and experiences. To connect the phone and headset, you’ll need the free SideQuest mobile software (Android only), an Android phone that supports OTG, any iteration of Quest, and a USB cord.

There’s a great video guide, courtesy of YouTubers ‘Cas & Chary VR’, which we linked below to take you through each step. We’ve also included a text version below the video.

 

1st, turn on Oculus Developer Mode.

Simply go to the Oculus Developer Organization dashboard, sign in with your Oculus account, and establish a “organization” as defined by Oculus. If you’re not a developer, put a random name in there and agree to the terms of service.

Now open the Oculus app on your phone, go to the ‘Settings’ tab in the bottom right corner, touch to expand the choices beneath your Quest, and choose ‘More Settings.’

You’ll discover ‘Developer Mode’ among the numerous toggles, which you just turn on. For good measure, restart your quest immediately.

 

developer-mode-sidequest-2

 

2: Get the SideQuest App & Connect Up

Simply go to the Google Play Store and download the SideQuest Android app. There’s no way of knowing whether we’ll ever receive one for iOS, and given how tightly Apple guards things, we’re not holding our breath.

Connect your Quest to your Android phone now. Modern phones with USB-C connectors make this easier. In the package, Quest provides a short USB-C to USB-C cable that will suffice.

3: Allow USB Debugging & Sideload Wirelessly

When you put on your Quest headset, you should see a popup that reads ‘Allow USB debugging?’ in virtual reality. Simply choose ‘Always allow from this computer’ from the drop-down menu. Also, ‘Allow Data Access’ is now enabled.

You’ll see a green symbol on the SideLoad app from here, indicating that you’re ready to sideload anything. You may also accomplish this wirelessly by turning on Wi-Fi in the SideQuest app and entering your local IP address. When in-headset, click the Wi-Fi icon, pick the network you’re presently connected to, then scroll all the way down to see the string of digits, which usually starts with 192.

4: Put everything on the side.

App Lab is simple, but since App Lab games aren’t available on the Oculus Store, it’s not ideal for keeping up with new and intriguing stuff. When accessible, SideQuest provides direct connections to App Lab and. apk files for natively hosted content On SideQuest, you’ll find a plethora of games, demonstrations, betas, experiences, applications, tools, and more. Now it’s your turn to sideload!

Want to try the Oculus Quest but don’t want to spend a lot on a PC? Oculus is now letting you sideload apps directly to the headset without needing to hook up to a PC. Using a USB-C to HDMI adapter, you can connect the Oculus Quest to your TV and play all your favorite games and apps.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I SideLoad the oculus quest without a computer?

You can use the Oculus Quest wireless adapter to connect your PC wirelessly, and then you can install Beat Saber on it.

Can you SideLoad without a PC?

Yes, you can side load without a PC. Q: Can you play Beat Saber on PS4? Unfortunately, Sony does not allow users to add in custom songs on their version of Beat Saber, Beat Saber PSVR. This is due to copyright restrictions that Sony fears would be leveled against them should they allow something like this.

Do you need a PC to SideLoad Oculus quest?

No, you dont need a PC to SideLoad Oculus Quest.

Related Tags

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