Meta's working on a fix for Oculus Air Link on Windows 11

Meta Quest 2 under green lighting
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know:

  • Oculus Air Link is Meta's wireless alternative to plugging a Quest into a PC to play VR games.
  • Windows 11 introduced a number of performance issues for Air Link, including frame rate drops.
  • A developer from Meta has promised that a fix is on the way.

Initially released in 2021, Oculus Air Link allows players to wirelessly connect their Quest headset to a gaming PC, making cordless PC VR a reality. It wasn't without its issues, especially since the service hinges entirely on the user's router speed, but Windows 11 has been causing a number of issues for Air Link users.

A VR indie studio by the name BattleAxeVR (@BattleAxeVR), Tweeted about the issues some of its team were facing, specifically citing frame rate and stuttering. John Carmack, a consulting CTO at Meta, responded, saying that there was a fix in the works, but didn't provide any specific details about when those fixes would come for the Quest 2.

Carmack didn't provide details about a specific release date or window, so it's tough to say when exactly players can see these stability improvements, but it's safe to assume that this is a priority for the development team, considering how serious these issues are.

Accessing the broad catalog of PC-exclusive VR games through Steam and Oculus without using a single cord feels incredibly liberating. Air Link stability's only becoming more important now that Meta's no longer selling its other wired headsets like the Rift S anymore. Air Link is now one of the only ways new players can get access to both Quest-exclusive games and PC-exclusive VR games.

If you've recently upgraded to Windows 11 and want to play games like Star Wars Squadrons or Half-Life: Alyx using your Quest 2, but don't want to deal with Air Link's stability issues, you'll need a solid Quest 2 Link Cable replacement or can also purchase Virtual Desktop, an Air Link alternative, to keep things wireless.


Charlie Wacholz
Freelance Writer

Charlie's a freelance contributor at Android Central from Milwaukee, WI.