Oculus Quest sideloading, the act of installing and using apps and mods from outside the Oculus system on thestandalone wireless VR headset, is going to be seeing a significant change soon. Players who want to use apps outside of the Oculus store will soon need to provide their credit card number or phone number to Facebook.
This comes on the heels of another significant change to theOculus Questand its wired cousin, the Rift S. Facebook has plans for changes to the way that the Oculus headsets will work in the near future, by requiring a Facebook account in order to use an Oculus headset.
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Currently, players are only able to access apps from outside the Oculus store by signing up for developer mode. This allows users to access files on the Quest that were installed from unknown sources, and opens the ability to install SideQuest, a fan-created program which facilitates the installation of apps, games, and mods to the Quest. Previously, players could follow a fairly simple process for signing up for developer mode, but starting on October 8, players will have to verify either their cell phone number or add a payment option on the Oculus store to gain access.
Facebook hasn’t offered an explanation behind the change, though it was noted that users who already have developer mode access won’t need to make any changes until June 21, 2025. While many users likely won’t need to do anything, given most Oculus Quest owners have probably bought at least one thing from the app store, the change has given some owners pause, as the previously announced requirement ofconnecting Facebook accounts to a user’s Oculusalready has some people feeling nervous about their privacy.
That being said, sideloading may not even be necessary in the near future.Facebookhas promised to add ways to access non-store content starting in early 2021. This could make the process considerably easier, too, so users who have found the current process to be too much trouble to bother may be able to benefit considerably without ever signing up for developer mode.
Although it seems that manyOculus Quest ownerswould like to maintain their anonymity and full control over the headsets they’ve purchased, Facebook has cornered the market as far as wireless virtual reality headsets go, at least for now. It looks like players will have to acquiesce to any new requirements that pop up until a competitor arrives, or give up on standalone VR for the time being.
