Alyx ‘wireless in 4 easy steps

The Oculus Quest 2 is a great VR headset. Starting at $ 299.99, the standalone headset offers a host of immersive experiences that don’t require you to be tethered to a PC. However, you will still need to log in to play powerful games like Half-life: Alyx, restricting your movement.

In other words, unless you are cunning. Quest 2 owners have come up with a smart workaround to make any VR game work wirelessly on the headset. Reverse tested the method on a quest 2 and were able to obtain Half-life: Alyx run on it without problems. All between gamers and wireless freedom is a good PC, a USB-C cable, and a few apps. Here is how to play Half-life: Alyx, and any other VR game, wirelessly on the Oculus Quest 2.

1. Download or purchase all of the following

To get started, you will need to download a few items for this to work. On the one hand, make sure your PC can actually run Half-life: Alyx. You don’t want to complete the setup only to find that your specs aren’t good enough. You will be running games like this on your PC, not your Quest 2. A stable Wi-Fi connection is also a must here as this is how you will communicate with your PC through the headset.

You’ll also need to make sure that you have a way to plug your Quest into your computer. If you have an Oculus link, use it. Otherwise, any USB-C will do. We used the DualSense charging cable that came with the PlayStation 5, so there’s no need to shell out a Link if you have something else on hand.

Then you will need to download a few apps. To get started, you’ll need to purchase the Virtual Desktop app from the Oculus Store, which costs $ 20. This will allow you to access your computer through your headset when plugged in via USB-C or Oculus Link. Next, you’ll need to download the free Virtual Desktop streamer app, the Oculus PC app, and a program called SideQuest on your PC. You’ll also need the Oculus app on your phone and the SteamVR app on Steam, both free.

Finally, make sure to sign in to your Oculus account in the Oculus apps for PC and phone, as well as the Virtual Desktop streamer app. Here’s a quick checklist of everything you need before you take the next step:

2. Activate developer mode

To get started, you need to set up your Oculus account in developer mode. Turn on your Quest 2 and open the Oculus app on your phone. Open the settings menu in the app and you should see your headset as an option at the top. Click on it and tap on More Settings. From there, you’ll see a developer mode option that you can click. Just activate Developer Mode and you’re done with the Oculus app here.

3. Download the Virtual Desktop plugin from SideQuest

Now you will need to ‘side load’ a program into your Quest 2, which is much easier than it looks. Connect your Quest to your PC via USB-C or Oculus Link and open the SideQuest app. If your headset is properly connected, you should see a green light in the top corner of the app, confirming that it is able to communicate with your Quest 2.

Once you’re in the app, search for Virtual Desktop. Click on the app page and you should see a button that says Install on Headset. Essentially, this app updates Virtual Desktop to let you stream games from your PC, rather than just connecting to it. Once installed, you will be able to access your desktop via VR without being connected to it.

4. Connect to your PC

If everything is installed correctly, you are free at this point. Turn on your Oculus Quest 2, unplugged from your PC, and open the Virtual Desktop application. If the Virtual Desktop streamer application is running on your PC, you should go directly to a menu that prompts you to connect to a PC. Choose your computer and once it connects you should see exactly what is on your computer screen through your Quest 2.

Finally, you will need to make sure that SteamVR is running if you want to play Steam games like Half-life: Alyx. Just search for it in your library and activate it. If you open Half-life: Alyx, you should be able to play full VR wirelessly.

Note that this is not an official solution made by Oculus itself, so there can sometimes be some trial and error. I usually had to fiddle around with apps a bit to get them to work or relaunch Steam games to make them appear properly in VR, rather than as a flat screen. It’s also not a perfect experience given that you are at the mercy of Wi-Fi. However, I was able to play Half-life: Alyx start ending up on the Quest 2 without wires and with very minimal hiccups.

Half-life: Alyx is especially fun as a cordless experience, as the extra range of motion allows you to hide behind a shelter and get out without tripping over a wire. Try it out if you are feeling adventurous with your helmet on.

Read more: Oculus Quest 2 is the highlight of VR