Earlier this week, Facebook announced that they will soon be launching two of Oculus Quest’s most requested features: multiple accounts on the same device and sharing games on that device.
This is a big deal for the platform, and lets friends and families keep their progress, friends and other features separate from others. Combined with the recent addition of gifts in the Oculus Quest store, it makes the platform better to use. But there are still many things that Quest and Quest 2 have yet to accomplish.
No, I’m not talking about the same old hardware specs or game wishlists; i’m talking about the list of key software and platform features that are half-baked or just completely missing in the Quest experience. I hope Facebook has these things on its checklist.
Better In-VR discovery
The Oculus Store on the browser and app is actually pretty good. This makes it easy to quickly discover new versions, search for upcoming games, and even see an alphabetical list of every app released so far on Quest. But the story is not quite the same in the headset itself.
Click on ‘Store’ in Oculus Home and you will actually roll the dice on which apps the headset will show you. There are a number of categories to browse through, but these are mostly driven by what you played before. There is no way to quickly find new versions, browse all the titles or order upcoming games. Device shopping is an important way to discover new content, and Quest helps developers find new games so difficult.
Better media sharing
Sharing your screenshots and videos on the first Oculus Quest was so complicated that we could hardly have imagined that a second headset would start without drastic improvements. But Quest 2 still makes us jump through furious loops to share our VR content, and often does not even take the content right.
Somehow, almost two years after the launch of Quest 1, recorded videos are still not regularly synced with audio and are not recorded in 1080p. And if you want to share content, you have the option to upload it to Facebook in-headset or to connect it via a USB to a computer and grab it through SideQuest. You can also get 1080p content … again with SideQuest hacks. It’s painfully inaccessible – Quest should offer a wider range of sharing options from an easy access point, such as the Oculus app. For now, here is our guide to uploading screenshots and videos to a computer.
A Social Oculus Home
Have you ever noticed how many items in the standard Quest 2 home environment are in two? Two swivel chairs, couches, etc. This begs the question; why can we not share that space with someone else? Oculus Quest has decent party invitation systems, etc. To get you from game-to-game with your friends, but it’s a big shame that you can not share any downtime between programs in your personal spaces.
Facebook might argue that you should do this in, say, Venues or the upcoming Horizon, but the fastest way to meet friends in VR should surely be the first world you start. Think of something like Rift’s Home features on Quest – maybe even introduce some simple board games etc (call out to Rooms!) And you’re a good way to get there.
This is our list of things that Oculus Quest has yet to accomplish. What features do you think are still missing? Let us know in the comments below!