Top Oculus Quest 2 tips and tricks

The standalone Oculus Quest 2 is arguably one of the best VR headsets on the market right now, offering a stellar standalone experience with plenty of games – including some exclusives – as well as the ability to double up as a PC VR headset. 

If you want to get the most out of your Oculus Quest 2, we at Tech Advisor have you covered. We’ve been using the Quest 2 since its launch in 2020, and here are some of our top Oculus Quest 2 tips and tricks. 

Keep your headset up-to-date

Before we go any further, it’s probably worth explaining how to update the software on your Oculus Quest 2 as, even with automatic updates enabled, you’ll have to manually initiate the update process from time to time – especially if you want access to many of the experimental features outlined in this article. It’s not as hard as it sounds though:

1. Open the Settings app within the headset
2. Select Software Update on the left-hand menu
3. If there’s an update available, select Download Update to initiate the process

That should trigger the update process, and the next time you’re not using the headset, it should install the latest update. If it doesn’t work, or you need any extra help, we outline how to update the Quest 2 software in more detail separately. 

Use Oculus Quest 2 as PC VR headset

The Oculus Quest 2 provides a great standalone experience, but the Snapdragon XR2 platform at its heart isn’t quite up to the task of running AAA PC VR titles like Half-Life: Alyx, but thankfully, the headset doubles up as a PC VR headset using a compatible USB-C cable like the official Oculus Link cable. From there, you need only install the Oculus App on your PC and follow the on-screen instructions to use the headset for PC games. 

If you don’t have a compatible USB-C cable and don’t fancy splashing out on the Oculus Link cable, you’ve also got the ability to wirelessly connect to your PC. Of course, the experience won’t be quite as crisp as if it were physically connected, but you do get the benefit of wireless freedom.

The feature is called Oculus Air Link, and it requires both your PC and VR headset to be connected to a 5GHz 802.11ac or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6) router and you’re within 20ft of it. 

If your setup ticks those boxes:

1. On your PC, head to the Beta menu of the Oculus app Settings and enable Air Link.
2. On your headset, go to the Experimental Features section of the app and toggle on Air Link. 

You should then be able to use your Quest 2 with your PC without the need for a cable. We outline how to use Oculus Air Link in more detail separately for those who want to find out more. 

Mirror your phone notifications in Quest 2

The virtual world can be a little too immersive at times, and you’ll often miss calls and other notifications that come through to your smartphone – so why not mirror your phone notifications to your headset? You’ll be able to check notifications at a glance without needing to take the headset off, and if it’s not important, you can carry on with what you were doing. 

To mirror your phone notifications, you’ll need to use the Oculus app for iOS or Android:

1. Open the Oculus app on the smartphone your headset is paired to.
2. Tap the Devices tab.
3. Select your Oculus Quest 2.
4. Tap Phone Notifications.
5. Follow the on-screen controls to allow notification mirroring on your headset.

Once you’ve set up notification mirroring on your smartphone, you’ll need to enable the functionality on the headset itself:

1. On your headset, open the Oculus menu by pressing the Oculus button on the right controller, and select the Settings menu (gear icon). 
2. Navigate to the Notifications section of the Settings app.
3. Toggle on Phone Notifications.

You’ll then begin receiving notifications on your Oculus Quest 2! We outline the process in more detail in how to see your phone notifications on the Oculus Quest 2.  

Set up multiple accounts

The standalone nature of the Oculus Quest 2 means that friends and family are likely going to want to use the headset to explore virtual worlds and maybe even get some exercise – but you don’t want them messing up your high scores, do you?

Thankfully, the Oculus Quest 2 offers the ability to set up multiple accounts. It’s an experimental feature right now, but it works just fine in our testing. If you want to set up multiple user accounts on your headset:

1. On your headset, open the Oculus menu by pressing the Oculus button on the right controller, and select the Settings menu (gear icon). 
2. Navigate to the Experimental Features section of the Settings app.
3. Scroll down and toggle Multiple Accounts and Library Sharing on. 
4. Follow the on-screen controls to configure your user accounts.

Once you’ve set up different user accounts, it’s as simple as selecting your profile photo in the toolbar and selecting the new user.

We take you through the step-by-step process in more detail, including enabling Library Sharing, in our dedicated tutorial on how to set up multiple accounts on the Oculus Quest 2. 

Cast to your TV

The Oculus Quest 2’s standalone nature means it’s easier than ever to introduce your friends and family to VR, but let’s be honest, it’s not fun watching someone flail around, hitting invisible objects. What if everyone else could see what the person in VR was seeing? 

That’s exactly what Oculus thought, and integrated Chromecast functionality into the headset. If you’ve got a Chromecast connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the headset, you can wirelessly stream the virtual world so everyone else can join in on the fun – especially in multiplayer games like Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. 

All you need to do is access the Share tab from the Oculus menu and select Cast. From there, you’ll be able to select compatible Chromecast devices and begin casting. 

Take and share screenshots

The virtual worlds on offer from the Oculus Quest 2 are gorgeous, exciting and certainly share-worthy, but how do you take and share screenshots on the standalone headset? The easiest way is to use the Quest controllers; simply hold the Oculus button on the right controller and press either trigger to take a screenshot – you’ll hear a camera shutter and get a notification letting you know that you’ve taken a screenshot.

From there, you can head to the Sharing menu from the Oculus home menu and share the content with friends on the Oculus platform.

If you want to share content on unsupported platforms, and you’re running v32 or later of the Oculus software, head to the Files app, click the cloud icon in the top-right to enable syncing and open the Oculus app on your phone. All recently taken screenshots and videos will be available to download to your smartphone, ready for sharing.

It’s not the most straightforward process, and there are other ways to capture content too, so take a look at how to take and share screenshots on Oculus Quest 2 for more details. 

Turn on the passthrough shortcut

Passthrough is a handy feature on the Oculus Quest 2, utilising the cameras on the front of the headset to provide you with a live view of the real world environment – ideal if you need to hunt down controllers, move around the room or avoid an obstacle without taking the headset off. The catch is, by default, it’s only activated once you step out of your play zone.

There is, however, a way to enable a shortcut that’ll let you enable passthrough by simply tapping the side of the headset twice. It’s currently listed as an experimental feature, but like with most new features introduced in beta form, it’ll likely be a fully-fledged feature soon. To enable the passthrough shortcut:

1. On your headset, open the Oculus menu by pressing the Oculus button on the right controller, and select the Settings menu (gear icon). 
2. Navigate to the Experimental Features section of the Settings app.
3. Scroll down until you find Passthrough Shortcut, and toggle the feature on.

Once activated, simply double-tap the side of the headset to activate passthrough, and double-tap it again to disable it. 

See nearby people, pets and objects in VR

Passthrough isn’t limited to the two-tap shortcut though; you can also set the headset up to automatically display a (fun neon) outline of people, pets, tables or just about anything else that enters your play area during VR sessions, allowing you to avoid real-life collisions as your friend tries to sneak past and go to the loo. It has a dedicated name too; Space Sense.

Sounds helpful, right? Space Sense is available as long as you’re running Quest software v34 or later, released in November 2021. If you’re up to date, follow these steps to enable Space Sense:

1. On your headset, head to the Settings menu.
2. Select Experimental Features on the left.
3. Select Space Sense from the list of experimental features.
4. Select Enable.

That’s it! The next time you have an intruder in your play space, you’ll know about it. If you want more information, take a look at our full step-by-step guide on how to enable Space Sense on the Quest 2. 

Use voice commands to launch apps

While the Quest 2 controllers offer a great experience, and hand-tracking isn’t half-bad either, nothing beats the simplicity of voice controls when it comes to opening apps like Beat Saber and performing actions like taking a screenshot or recording a video – and thankfully, it’s available on the Quest 2.

1. On your headset, open the Oculus menu by pressing the Oculus button on the right controller, and select the Settings menu (gear icon).
2. Navigate to the Quick Actions section.
3. Click the circular Voice Commands icon (to the right of the microphone icon). 
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up voice commands. 

Once you’ve set up the feature, simply double-click the Oculus button on the right controller to trigger the voice command and ask away. 

Adjust tracking sensitivity

The near-perfect 1:1 tracking on offer from the Oculus Quest 2 controllers is perfect for an immersive VR experience, but as with any tech, it can sometimes go wrong. If you do have tracking problems, it could be due to interference from lights in your room – usually caused when the lights flicker at the same frequency as the Quest controllers. To fix this, you can adjust the tracking sensitivity. 

1. On your headset, open the Oculus menu by pressing the Oculus button on the right controller, and select the Settings menu (gear icon). 
2. Navigate to the Device section of the Settings app.
3. Select Tracking Frequency.

You can choose between automatic, 50Hz or 60Hz, and it’s worth experimenting with all three to see if the tracking improves. 

Protect your headset from sunlight

This one applies to VR headsets in general, rather than specifically the Quest 2, but you should avoid leaving your headset in direct sunlight – particularly on the lenses.

If direct sunlight shines into the lenses over long periods of time, the lenses have the potential to focus the light – like with a magnifying glass – and burn a hole in the display, if not worse. To avoid the issue, be sure to store the headset in a drawer or in a case (like the official Oculus Quest 2 Carry Case) to prevent any potential sunlight-related damage. 

Invest in accessories

The Oculus Quest 2 is a phenomenal all-in-one VR headset, but it’s made even better with accessories. These range from official accessories, like the Oculus Elite Strap + Battery, which provides a better fit and longer battery life, to unofficial accessories like the VRCover leather faceplate that’s better for sweat-inducing exercise apps. You can customise the headset to suit your virtual needs. 

For ease, we’ve outlined our favourite Oculus Quest 2 accessories separately for those interested. 

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