While Skyrim has been around for a while (more than a decade) and Skyrim VR has been available since 2016, its popularity remains as undimmed. And with rumours of a new Oculus headset on the horizon, people are asking whether or not we will see Skyrim VR on Oculus Quest 3. While details on the new headset remain extremely sparse, there are a few breadcrumbs we can follow. And throw in some educated guesses, we can suggest why Skyrim VR may well be playable on the Quest 3 when it finally arrives.
Can you play Skyrim on Oculus Quest 3 without using a PC?
We already know that Skyrim VR is playable on the Quest 2. So there is little reason to suspect that it would suddenly become unplayable on the Quest 3. The Quest 3 itself is expected to use a new proprietary chip. This is instead of a Qualcomm Snapdragon, as featured on the Quest 2. As is usual when a new device is released, we'd expect it to be faster and more powerful than the Quest 2. Steam recommends a minimum of 8GB RAM to play Skyrim VR. The Quest 2 comes with 6GB. So it's not unreasonable to anticipate the Quest 3 to comfortably exceed the minimum recommendation.
Whether that means you will be able to download and play Skyrim VR directly on the Quest 3 though, is unknown. While that would be very nice, the reality is that it is more likely that games such as this will still need to be played through a PC. Of course, nothing is decided at this stage, so we may be pleasantly surprised. Just don't be too disappointed if you can't play Skyrim VR on Oculus Quest 3 without a PC.
How to play Skyrim VR on Oculus Quest 3
So if you do want to play SKyrim VR on the Quest 3 when it arrives, there are two likely ways to be able to do that: with a cable, and wirelessly. Let's take a look at each of these options in turn.
Option 1 - Oculus Link
The Oculus Link cable is the easiest way to play Skrim VR on the Quest 2. We would anticipate this to remain the case for the Quest 3. The steps you would (in theory) take are as follows:
- Purchase and download Skyrim VR via Steam.
- Next, connect your link cable to your PC. To do this:
- Open the Oculus app on your PC.
- Turn on your Quest 3.
- Plug your USB 3 cable into a USB 3.0 port on your PC, then plug the other end into your headset.
- A message is displayed in VR prompting you to Allow access to data. Select Deny. If you mistakenly “Allow” the prompt, you must unplug your USB cable from the Quest and plug it back in.
- When prompted to Enable Oculus Link, select Enable to begin remote rendering using Oculus Link.
- Once you’ve got your link cable up and running, open Steam VR. You can either do this on your PC, or via the app on your headset.
- Find Skyrim VR and click on it to launch the game.
It's worth mentioning that you don't necessarily need to use the 'official' Link cable. It is five metres long, which means you'll have plenty of room for manoeuvre. But other compatible USB cables will also do the job. But if you really prefer to be cable-free on VR, there is a wireless option as well.
Read More: PSVR 2 Vs Oculus Quest 3: Differences, Graphics, Specs, Features, Games, Price, And Which Is Better
Option 2 - Wireless
If you don't want to use a cable to conenct with your PC, you have two main options available: Virtual Desktop, and Oculus Air Link.
Virtual Desktop is an app that you install on your Quest headset. We'd be very surprised if it wasn't available on Quest 3. You would then complete these steps:
- Download and install the Virtual desktop app.
- Open the app, then open Steam VR.
- In the Steam VR, Search for Skyrim VR directly or via going to your Steam Library
- Click on the Skyrim VR game and launch it
Air Link meanwhile, is a wirless connection between your PC and Quest headset, using a secure Wi-Fi network. At the moment, it is available in the 'experimental features' settings menu. But by the time the Quest 3 comes around, we can see this being a firm part of the architecture of the headset. In principal though, here's what you do:
- Put on your Quest 2 headset and press the oculus button to open the universal menu.
- Select Settings then select Experimental Features.
- Find and select the button next to Air Link.
- Read the Air Link Requirements, and then select Continue.
- Find and select your PC in the Available PCs list then select Pair.
- Once pairing is complete, you can now click Launch.
At this point, there is no reason to expect that there will be compatibility issues bettwen the Quest 3 and Skyrim VR. And we've outlined ways that work for the Qeust 2, which we'd expect to be transferred onto the Quest 3 when the time comes. As always, we'll keep you updated as we learn more.