Stream PC games to your Oculus Quest using Virtual Desktop

The Oculus Quest is a fantastic new way to play your favorite VR games. It’s also a great way to play all your favorite PC games, even if that requires extra setup. There are several different apps that can be used to do the job, but we’ve highlighted two of our favorites. One is completely free, while the other offers an enhanced experience for a minor cost.

Products used in this guide

• Streaming to VR: Virtual Desktop ($20 at Oculus)
• On-the-go VR: Oculus Quest ($399 at Oculus)

Note: By following our guide, you can create a gigantic digital display to enjoy all your favorite games on. However, Virtual Desktop does not support crossbuy between versions, so you have to make sure you purchase the Oculus Quest version of the app, which can be found here.

The best quality: Virtual Desktop

Virtual Desktop might cost money but it’s, by far, the best way to play PC games on your Oculus Quest wirelessly. It’s not just about compatibility or ease, but also overall quality. As of this writing, Virtual Desktop provides superior wireless quality when compared to the other two methods listed.

1. First, you will need to purchase Virtual Desktop for your Oculus Quest. Make sure you buy this from the Quest store., and not the Rift store.

   

2. Next, download and install the Virtual Desktop Streamer on your desktop on the Virtual Desktop website.

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3. Make sure both your PC and your Quest are connected on the same Wi-Fi network.
4. Open Virtual Desktop on your Quest.
5. It will provide you with your Oculus username (if you didn’t already have it handy).
6. Open Virtual Desktop Streamer on your Desktop and it will prompt you for your Oculus username.

7. Enter your username.

   

8. Once you have Virtual Desktop Streamer running, your desktop will show up in the Virtual Desktop app on your Quest. Voila! You can now use your Quest as a humongous desktop screen.

   

If you’ve followed these steps, you will be able to enjoy all your favorite PC games through your Quest. Traditional flat-screen games will be played on a giant virtual monitor within the Virtual Desktop space, while PC VR games (on SteamVR or Oculus) will work exactly as you would expect in VR. Since Virtual Desktop works off of your local wifi, there is little to no lag, making it perfect for gaming.

Hosting your own room with Bigscreen Beta

Bigscreen Beta is the best way to experience gaming with friends, making it feel more like everyone is in the same room playing together. I’ve used Bigscreen on several occasions to host virtual LAN parties, which is a lot easier to organize than trying to get several adults in the same household just to game. To use your PC’s desktop in Bigscreen on the Oculus Quest, you’ll first need to start the Bigscreen in client mode on your PC.

1. Make sure Bigscreen is installed on your computer. If you don’t have Bigscreen installed, you can find it on the Steam store or on the Oculus Store.

   

2. Launch Steam or the Oculus desktop experience and find the Bigscreen Beta entry.
3. Right click on the listing and select Run Remote Desktop steaming client.

4. On the Oculus Store, you may need to select the hamburger menu next to the Bigscreen Beta listing and then select Run desktop client mode.

   

5. A dialog box will appear with the room information.
6. Now you can put the Oculus Quest on your head

7. Open up Bigscreen from the Library portion of your Oculus Quest home screen.

   

8. From your virtual couch, select the My Room tab at the bottom of the floating home menu.

9. Click Remote Desktop in the Tools & Toys section.

   

10. Jot down the code you see here and enter it in the Room ID box on your desktop computer.

11. Click Connect when you’re done. Be sure to send this code to any friends you want to join in and then put your Oculus Quest back on.

    

12. You’ll now notice that Remote Desktop shows up as a participant in the Social portion of the home menu from within Bigscreen. That lets you know you’re successfully connected to your desktop.

    

13. Clicking Remote Desktop in the Social window will give you options to toggle desktop video, which hides your desktop from other viewers, as well as your microphone and your desktop’s volume level.
14. Selecting Remote Desktop under the Tools & Toys section will give you additional options for displaying your desktop to the other folks in the room.

The large TV in front of you in Bigscreen works exactly the same as the monitor hooked up to your PC. Your entire desktop computer is displayed here and can be navigated as you would normally navigate your PC. Use the pointer on your controller as you would a mouse on a PC. Once your friends are in the room, use this monitor to navigate your desktop and load up any videos or games you want to enjoy. It’s like having a customizable, floating monitor for your computer right in front of your face!

Something for every situation

While both of these choices are fantastic, they each represent a different goal at the end of the day. Virtual Desktop aims to recreate the seated desktop experience in every way and, surprisingly, even offers the absolute best in wireless VR experiences. That means you can play PC VR games, like Half-Life: Alyx, wirelessly on your Oculus Quest. It provides the best experience, with no perceivable lag, excellent quality, and perfect compatibility with both SteamVR and the desktop Oculus experience.

Bigscreen is best when playing traditional flat-screen games with friends. It provides an amazing virtual space to make you feel like you’re gaming together in the same room.

PC Streaming

Virtual Desktop

$20 at Oculus

PC Gaming in VR

Virtual Desktop is a great way to extend the use of your Quest to PC gaming. Whether you want to experience desktop games in a virtual theater or want the best PC VR games, this is the best wireless pick.

On-the-go VR

Oculus Quest

$399 on Oculus $399 at Walmart
$399 at Best Buy

Experience VR just about anywhere

The Oculus Quest is the best all-in-one device to play in VR, no matter where you are. It doesn’t need a PC or console to run, but you can just as easily play PC VR games, if you want!

Additional Equipment

If you’re going to be using your Quest as a PC display, you may be interested in the following suggestions. These recommendations can further improve your VR experience, and help you care for your headset.