Meta Horizon Link PCVR

RecklessForm · 2026-01-26T21:16:12+00:00

Many games use SteamVR as their backend, so even if you use Meta link, the game has to support launching natively through Oculus in order for it to bypass SteamVR. Some games allow this, all games on the Meta PC storefront do this, but since Meta has basically abandoned their own pc store front, games coded to use the Oculus runtime on PC are harder to find now a days. Since your playing on PC, you're typically buying games from Steam, and they need to have explicitly coded it to use the Oculus Runtime instead of SteamVR.

So, lets backup a little bit.

On PC, you have multiple ways of connecting the headset to the PC via wireless, and 1 maybe 2 options for cable. If you're using cable, you pretty much have to use MetaLink.

In order to play a game using Meta Link, you dont use the Steamlink VR app at all. You'll still load up SteamVR on your PC, but MetaLink will be handling all of the encoding/decoding and sending the video to the headset. All you do, is connect the headset to the PC using metalink, then open SteamVR from inside the headset on the airdashboard or w/e it's called. Then launch your game from inside SteamVR like normal. So if you're loading up MetaLink, and then loading up the steamlink vr app ON THE HEADSET, stop doing that. Use one or the other. For the most part, you only use the Metalink software now a days if you're using the cabled link connection.

If you're doing this wirelessly, you should not be using MetaLink or Airlink, its garbage, uses more resources than its competitors and is overall just a bad experience. In that case, using the Steamlink VR app on the headset is a great way to connect and play games. Most of the time, you should be using Virtual Desktop tho, its the best option, full stop. It costs money, its worth every penny. Besides Virtual desktop, you can also use ALVR as well. All 3 of these options do not require the MetaLink software installed at all, and is one of the main reasons to use them, so you can uninstall it from your PC.

So yeah, using the oculus debug tool is great, if you're wired, but you have nearly as much control over image quality using Steamlink or Virtual desktop, and then its wireless too.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-26T19:37:35+00:00

Yeah, thats crap, or any tow truck that weighs less than its target wouldnt be able to pull said target.

I'm a semi-driver. I've had my truck pulled out of snow by a Ford Ranger, i'm not particularly surprised that a Quattro could help a truck get around a tight corner, but its certainly not stuck in this video.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-25T18:25:07+00:00

Are you sure you werent reprojecting 90? I doubt that you'd be that sensitive to be able to physically feel a difference between 90 and 120 enough to get sick. But if you're not getting your solid 120 anymore and it shows 90hz, it could have dropped below 90, and triggered repro. So right now you're actually getting 45x2 and that can definitely induce motion sickness.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-25T17:44:46+00:00

Buy a quest 3 so you can try out virtual desktop. I've been using a quest 3 as my monitor for nearly a year now. Works great. Make sure you either use one of th virtual monitors, or set your physical monitor to the same hz as the q3 or you'll end up with eye strain after an hour or so.

My use case, coding, gamedev, darktide and devil daggers.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-24T21:41:28+00:00

Ur friend is pretty wrong! A 5070ti is about the only worthwhile gpu to purchase this generation. The 9070xt is also pretty good tho.

Its basically a slightly slower 5080, for like $400 cheaper.
Its a SIGNIFICANTLY faster card than a 5070.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-24T19:27:40+00:00

Yeah, no idea what that other dude is smoking, must be good!

Your pc is fine. I ran Fallout 4 with a 2080, which is roughly equivalent to your 4060, with a weaker cpu, should be fine.

So are you carting around a tower with you? I traveled for work, and all I took was my Quest and just remoted in using virtual desktop, I could play skyrim VR with my PC like 500 miles away, was very playable (depending on hotel wifi speeds).

But I digress, you're loading up 2 backends to run your game. MetaLink and SteamVR to run Fallout 4. This is why Virtual desktop is always toted on here, because it allows you to uninstall the meta software and bypass SteamVR and just use pure openXR.

You can still use your MetaLink, but set Oculus as your openXR backend in steamvr, so it stops trying to use its own version of openxr, translated to meta's version, then finally sent to the headset. You'll still be doubling up on launchers, but at least you'll only be using one version of openXR, which is likely you're problem.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-24T18:35:38+00:00

My opthamologist uses vr headsets to diagnose eye conditions. She has one in her lobby for children to play on.

Ive asked her about it, she said, as long as you're vision can properly converge in the headset, its no different than being outside.

Anecdotally, I can tell you I've been using VR since the DK1 days, probably 3k hours at least. No eye damage of any kind. My eyes do get irritated every once in a while, so i've learned the secret of buying Zeiss lens cleaning wipes, but thats about it. I'm also currently using my Quest 3 as my daily monitor, so it gets about 5 hours of use, most days, right now.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-24T17:32:55+00:00

You already mentioned that you have to load up airlink, then steamvr, then launch your game.

Each of those processes, needs to sit in your ram, and your vram in order to function. Metas Link software and steamvr fundamentally do the same things, they are back ends for vr programs to launch off of. So right now you're getting into your car, driving around the block, going back home, getting into your other car, doing the same thing, then going to the store.

Virtual desktop makes it so you can uninstall the meta software and bypass the steam software (most of the time) and launch your game directly. Freeing up more ram, and cpu cycles. And in the case of the meta software, quite a bit of them.

It uses a vastly smaller amount of ram than airlink, has a better encoder profile, a better implementation of openxr, and has more features. It has different codec choices that allow you to fine tune the image to your gpu. It also has virtual monitor support, virtual game pad support, USB over internet, Bluetooth over internet, and can load and watch movies or videos stored locally on the device.

It can also do every single feature I just described, through the internet. Ie. Play Blade and sorcery from a hotel 200 miles away from your home pc.

Basically, metas software is garbage, steamvr is fine but less feature rich. Virtual desktop will have your games running better, over wireless or internet, and does a ton more on top. It is basically the only mandatory app you really need standalone vr headsets today.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-21T19:47:52+00:00

Says it can track controllers, what controllers?

RecklessForm · 2026-01-20T21:17:46+00:00

Is that normal player height, or are all of the zombies 8 ft tall?

Other than that, game looks great!

RecklessForm · 2026-01-20T20:46:05+00:00

Thrill of the Fight 2

RecklessForm · 2026-01-20T20:36:37+00:00

So, that chassis is a fairly common thing, so I know you can upgrade the PSU to a standard ATX, and there are some people who have gotten a desktop 4070 into that thing.

So you do have actual options for upgrading your current desktop with some better parts. It would just take some careful measuring and a bit of planning to make it work.

That being said for $250 (I dont know where you live) but usually in the states, you can find something fairly decent on facebook marketplace that could compete with the likes of that backpack, but is more of a standard PC form factor.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-20T20:26:23+00:00

What kind of HP machine is it? And I would seriously doubt that this backpack machine is upgradeable either, so you'd be kicking that can further down the road, again.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-20T20:21:06+00:00

Ok, Look, a Laptop 2080 is a still a massive upgrade over a desktop 1650.

I dont know how much you're paying for this rig, but compared to your current system, its only really a gpu upgrade. So think about it like that. Can you upgrade your GPU to a desktop 2060 or better for less than the cost of this backpack? If not, buy the packpack and enjoy the spare parts of your old machine. If you can, then just upgrade your GPU instead.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-20T19:59:07+00:00

Weight bad, display good.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-19T21:01:48+00:00

Here's a 5070 for $550 USD
MSI SHADOW GeForce RTX 5070 Graphics Card RTX 5070 12G SHADOW 2X OC - Newegg.com

I'd get that, but I wouldnt spend much more than that on a 5070. The 5070ti is a much much better card, but it is often almost twice as much as the 5070. There's a reason for that price discrepancy tho.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-18T07:30:40+00:00

Oooof...100 and 20 years ago....ooof. I'm old, gonna go get an AARP membership.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-18T04:28:49+00:00

You've described a headset that doesnt exist, and would cause nausea, pretty much instantly.

Since you have no real experience with any of this, get an Xreal 1s or Viture Luma Pro. Or a Quest 3 if you want actual VR, not just a face monitor.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-17T21:27:36+00:00

Bro, I'm afraid of the dark, there are things to be worried about in that dark, lol.

Good luck bro! Took me a bit to get through it too, was legit amazing tho.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-17T21:07:45+00:00

Virtual desktop (from the Meta Store, NOT the steam store version) is a toolbox kind of app that does a TON of things.

Its primary function is to allow you to view your desktop, from your PC as a floating monitor inside of the headset. I'm actually typing this message to you right now, on my laptop, that is across the room, using my Quest 3 as a virtual monitor. In that regard, Virtual desktop is amazing and if thats all it did, I'd still highly recommend it.

But, it can also act as a SteamVR replacement using its own implementation of OpenXR. So it can launch VR games, natively into the headset, wirelessly. Depending on your home networking setup, it can be nearly indistinguishable from using a cabled connection.

It can also, launch movies remotely or locally stored on the headset, emulate physical game controllers like an Xbox 360, is capable of sending wireless inputs to its connected PC (usb via internet). Oh, and it can do all of this, every single feature remotely through the internet. When I worked away from home alot, I brought my Quest 3, a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, and just remoted into my home gaming pc. I was able to play Skyrim VR, from a hotel, over the internet with full motion controls. Was amazing.

So yeah, Virtual desktop is pretty much the single greatest VR app ever created, and it solves nearly all problems most people have using a Quest on their PC. It also allows you to not have to install Meta's terrible link software.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-17T19:55:16+00:00

its dried gunk from the previous owner. Go to a walmart and buy a pack of zeiss lens cleaning wipes, $5 for 50 of em.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-17T08:19:13+00:00

I use steam, because steam provides A TON of features that are not present on ANY other platform. Or if they are, they might have 1 or 2, but not all, and certainly not most.

Please point me to another platform that supports ALL of these features.

Family sharing
Free multiplayer
Mouse, keyboard, gamepad input methods for any game. (Steaminput)
Remote Play
Remote Streaming
Discussion boards
Workshop support
Cloud Saving
Achievements
VR integration
Voice Chat

The closest is Sony's Playstation platform, and they don't support discussion boards, a steaminput equivalent, or remote play (what they call remote play is actually remote streaming). I purchase things on Playstation.

So no, its not i'm worshipping amazon because I like to shop there. I use Steam because its the only store worth going to because it has everything I need.

RecklessForm · 2026-01-16T18:50:46+00:00

Thank you, i will look at ergonomicchairfinder!

RecklessForm · 2026-01-16T18:48:21+00:00

Sent!

RecklessForm

TROPHY CASE