Oculus includes some of its own apps for accessing content. They include the
aforementioned web browser and Oculus TV, along with Oculus Gallery and a
tutorial experience called First Steps. The web browser is a fully functional
portal that appears in front of you, letting you use a Touch controller as a
pointer for clicking and entering text with an on-screen keyboard.
Oculus TV is just a launcher for any other video app installed on the Quest.
&XULRXVO\2FXOXV79PRYHV\RXWRDGL̆HUHQWHQYLURQPHQWIURPWKHPDLQ
OLYLQJURRPSODFLQJ\RXLQDPLQLPDOLVWZKLWHURRPZLWKFXUYHGÀRRUVDQG
large windows on either side that show a tree-covered mountain environment.
$ODUJHVFUHHQÀRDWVLQIURQWRI\RXOLNHWKHPDLQZLQGRZLQWKHRSHUDWLQJ
system, but it isn’t framed or otherwise designed to give the impression of a big
TV or theater screen. It’s an odd design choice, but it’s perfectly functional.
Oculus Gallery lets you access media stored on the Quest’s memory or any
networked storage. This app keeps you in the main living room instead of the
Oculus TV theater but still serves as a video player, music player, and image
viewer. The app detected my Plex server, but while thumbnails of my stored
videos appeared in the interface, I couldn’t actually watch any of them. Every
video I tried to load didn’t play. This could be due to my own collection’s
formatting or an issue with the early software we tested.
THE VR EXPERIENCE
The unit Oculus provided us to test ahead of the system’s release lacks the full
Oculus store selection, but it included a handful of games and apps, including
Beat Saber, Ballista, FOX Now, and Neverthink. Hopefully, the full Oculus Go
library will eventually come to the Quest, along with more games from the Rift’s
Oculus Store.
I started testing with Beat Saber. This rhythm game gives you two glowing
swords you control with the Touch controllers and directs you to slash blocks
À\LQJDW\RXLQWLPHZLWKWKHEHDWRIDVRQJ,W¶VVLPSOHEXWLQFUHGLEO\IXQDQG
FDQEHDJRRGZRUNRXWDWKLJKHUGL̇FXOWLHV,WKDVRQO\DKDQGIXORIVRQJV
without the level editor or mod support that you get with the PC-tethered
version on the HTC Vive. Of course, Beat Saber is still an early-access game, and
hopefully, additional tracks and custom playlist support will eventually come to
all versions.