SideQuest is an app distribution project that gained popularity last week on Oculus Quest, particularly following Oculus decision to block SteamVR streaming on Quest.

Apps on SideQuest
Apps on SideQuest

One of the top VR developers in the industry, Guy Godin, shifted to SideQuest as an alternative way of distributing software updates that hadn’t been approved for Quest by the Facebook leadership. The distribution system includes a utility which works by patching up software to allow it to pass through the PC-based SteamVR apps to the standalone Oculus Quest virtual reality headset.

Facebook’s Success with Quest

Facebook has seen massive success with its Oculus Quest VR headset so far. It’s barely a month since the launch of the headset and already, it is sold out in many of the leading retailers.

Users who make $400 orders for the headset will have to wait until July for the product shipments. The platform has an extensive offering of VR software with prices for these ranging from $10 to $40. Most of the top games on Oculus Quest are in the $20 to $30 price range.

The launch lineup for the Oculus Quest VR headset included more than 50 titles along with various popular free services such as VRChat and the social VR platform Rec Room. Several more titles have since arrived since the initial launch. In the coming weeks, there will also be the offering of optimized versions of Echo Area and Sunshine.

While the Oculus Quest headset offers users a strong lineup of games and apps, there are still many missing apps which are otherwise available on platforms such as SteamVR. The Quest lineup also lacks the high-powered VR offerings that could really push the envelope when it comes to hyper-realistic simulation, complex physics as well as high-quality graphics.

Facebook had hinted that it would offer a highly curated Quest storefront so developers will have to really pull up their socks for their titles to be included onto the platform. This is great as far as the quality controls go but if you are a developer that has spent months working on a virtual reality project only to hit a hitch due to the overly stringent Oculus terms, this can be quite frustrating.

Currently, Facebook is steering developers whose lineup will not be included in the Quest headset towards the PC-based Oculus Rift headsets for their VR projects.

The Oculus Rift platform has the advantage of an early access program so the admission terms here are less stringent than on the Oculus Quest. On Rift, developers are rarely turned down unless the app is just crappy. However, Oculus is yet to commit on a similar liberal early access program for Quest. There is the Quest Start program that offers developers a forum for to exchange ideas with the community along with free hardware support for virtual reality developers who are just starting out.

https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Oculus-Quest-Virtual-Desktop-600x338.jpghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Oculus-Quest-Virtual-Desktop-150x90.jpgSam OchanjiHardwareOculus QuestVR HeadsetsSideQuest is an app distribution project that gained popularity last week on Oculus Quest, particularly following Oculus decision to block SteamVR streaming on Quest. One of the top VR developers in the industry, Guy Godin, shifted to SideQuest as an alternative way of distributing software updates that hadn’t been approved...VR, Oculus Rift, and Metaverse News - Cryptocurrency, Adult, Sex, Porn, XXX