Oculus rolls out support for 90Hz games in first big Quest 2 update

Oculus has rolled out its first big update for the Quest 2 standalone virtual reality headset, fulfilling a few promises it made when the headset launched last month. Headlining the new features is the 90Hz refresh rate mode that now expands to all system-level apps by default — including through Oculus Link, which has officially exited beta.

The company says it’s now allowing developers to ship Quest titles with native 90Hz support, as opposed to the Quest 2’s 72Hz base refresh rate that was active by default. Soon, the likes of Superhot, Echo VR, Beat Saber, Vacation Simulator, Job Simulator, Racket: Nx, and Space Pirate Trainer will support the higher refresh rate. Hopefully Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite will soon join that list.

If you connect the Quest 2 to your PC via an Oculus Link cable (or a cheaper, compatible USB 3.0 cable), you’ll be able to toggle between 72Hz, 80Hz, or 90Hz through the Oculus app on PC. Oculus says it has improved overall visual quality when using the Link function and the automatic graphics profile settings have been retuned to tax your GPU harder for better performance. You’ll find a new interface for tweaking graphical settings in the app, as well as for easily adjusting the render resolution for a sharper image.

Next week, Oculus is rolling out Oculus Move, the app that lets you track fitness metrics gathered from playing VR games. With it, you’ll be able to see how many calories you’ve burned and minutes spent being physically active in games that you play. It seems kind of neat, especially if you aren’t moving around all that much outside due to the pandemic.

There are two more additions: Later in November, Oculus is going to let you capture the headset’s screen through the iOS or Android app, so you can make clips of your own. Before this, you had to either share recorded clips directly to Facebook or manually hook up your Quest 2 to your PC and drag-and-drop the files.

Lastly, Oculus is making it possible to gift games and experiences through the Oculus store, either in-browser or from within the app. You’ll just need your friend’s e-mail address. The company mentioning this feature is timely, since the Black Friday sale at the Oculus Store will kick off next week, so maybe hold off on buying new games until then.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/13/21564474/oculus-quest-2-90hz-refresh-rate-link-move-screen-recording-capture