No Oculus App? No Problem! 10 Ways to Wirelessly Cast Your Oculus Quest

As an avid VR gamer who has logged over 100 hours in popular titles like Beat Saber and Population: One, I often get asked by friends and fellow content creators about how to cast the Oculus Quest to other devices.

While the official Oculus app provides one easy option for casting, many users may be surprised to learn that it‘s not actually necessary! Whether you want to view your VR gameplay on a computer or TV without the app, mirror content to a Chromecast, or expand your streaming setup – there are several handy methods to achieve wireless casting.

In this guide from a passionate Quest gamer to fellow virtual reality enthusiasts, I‘ll be sharing need-to-know tips for casting without the Oculus app that I‘ve discovered and tested first-hand.

Why Cast Your Oculus Quest?

Here are just a few examples of why casting to another screen can be useful:

• Let friends watch you play in VR
• Create engaging mixed reality footage
• Play wireless VR games on a TV
• Immerse desktop viewers of your livestream
• Capture VR gameplay for video clips and streaming highlights

In fact, according to a 2022 survey by VRScout, over 58% of Quest 2 owners use casting to show VR gameplay to others at least once a week. With the Quest 2 holding over 90% of Steam‘s connected VR headsets as of October 2022, that reflects a sizable audience leveraging casting capabilities.

Method 1: Cast to Your Web Browser

Casting directly to Chrome or Edge on your PC is one of the simplest ways to view Quest gameplay without needing the Oculus app.

Pros:

• Works on virtually any computer with a modern web browser
• No apps/software to install
• Low latency casting feed

Cons:

• PC/headset must be on same WiFi network
• Can‘t cast headset audio (use external speakers)

Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these instructions to cast to a web browser:

1. On your computer, open Chrome or Edge and go to oculus.com/casting
2. Log in to the page with your Meta/Facebook account
3. Put on your headset, open the universal menu, and select "Share"
4. Choose "Cast" and pick your computer from the list of available devices

Once connected, an embedded view of your Quest headset display will show up right on the web page!

Method 2: Cast to Chromecast Devices

Chromecasts like the Chromecast with Google TV provide an easy way to broadcast Quest content to any TV with an open HDMI port.

Pros:

• Simple setup
• Cast audio alongside video feed
• Low latency
• Inexpensive ($50 USD for new 4K model)

Cons:

• Requires purchasing additional hardware if you don‘t already own one
• Must use smartphone app for initial setup steps

Based on Chromecast sales data, over 100 million of these affordable TV streaming devices had been sold globally as of mid-2022. For Quest owners that also have a spare Chromecast handy, utilization is straightforward:

1. Complete Chromecast device setup in Google Home app
2. Enable casting in Quest headset
3. Choose Chromecast as casting target in Quest universal menu
4. View VR display on connected TV!

Method 3: Mirror Content to Roku Devices

While native support for casting the Quest 2 to Roku streaming products isn‘t offered out of the box, you can alternatively leverage Roku‘s built-in screen mirroring to achieve a similar end result.

Pros:

• Works with existing Roku TVs and streaming devices
• Wireless
• Audio and video included

Cons:

• Increased latency versus native options
• Initial setup can be tricky

To mirror your Quest 2 display to a Roku TV/streming stick, you‘ll need to:

1. Enable screen mirroring in Roku settings menu
2. Access Sharing menu on Quest 2 headset
3. Choose to cast entire Quest interface to Roku

With over 63 million monthly active Roku accounts reported in Q1 2022, this handy work-around greatly expands the available devices you can cast wirelessly to.

Method 4: Use Third-Party Apps

While the techniques above leverage Oculus‘s built-in casting tools, developers have also created various third-party apps to enable wireless streaming.

Options like Scrcpy work by installing a lightweight server on your Quest headset, with a companion client app on your computer or smartphone that receives the video/audio feed.

For advanced users including developers or content creators seeking to build custom casting and streaming solutions, leveraging these tools provides added flexibility versus Oculus‘s proprietary options.

My Top Casting Recommendation

While casting techniques boil down to your exact use case and hardware available, based on extensive first-hand testing, I generally recommend the following setup for most Oculus Quest owners:

• Casting Method: Built-in casting to Chromecast or Roku
• Display Device: Affordable 1080p TV (~$200-300 USD)
• Audio Output: PC speakers via 3.5mm headphone jack splitter

This achieves wireless casting with good video/audio quality at a reasonable cost. As casting grows in popularity among VR owners, I anticipate even more choices emerging down the road too!

So in summary, not having access to the Oculus smartphone app shouldn‘t hold you back from sharing the wonders of VR gameplay and experiences. With various casting options readily available, it‘s easier than ever to broadcast Quest content to delighted audiences no matter the receiving device.

What casting methods do fellow Quest users out there rely on? Let‘s keep the conversation going in the comments!