Building and Sideloading VR Apps for Oculus Quest 2 with Unity

Objective: Learn how to build and sideload VR applications from Unity onto your Oculus Quest 2 for testing and development purposes.

Creating VR experiences is an exciting journey, and the Meta Quest 2 is an excellent platform to bring your ideas to life. To begin testing your VR app on the Meta Quest 2, follow these steps:

Enabling Developer Mode on Meta Quest 2

Open the Meta quest App on Your Phone: Ensure that your Meta Quest 2 is connected to your phone’s Meta quest app.

Navigate to Headset Settings:

• In the Oculus app, tap the menu button (represented by three horizontal lines).
• Go to “Devices” and select your Meta Quest 2.
• Scroll down and find “Developer Mode” under “Settings.”

Enable Developer Mode:

• Enable developer mode on your Meta Quest 2. If prompted, you might need to create an organization for developer mode if you have not already done so. If not, you can do this by visiting dashboard.oculus.com.

Sideloading Apps with SideQuest

Install SideQuest:

• Download and install SideQuestVR Advanced Installer from sidequestvr.com/setup-howto.

Connect Meta Quest 2 to Your PC:

• Use a USB-C cable to connect your Meta Quest 2 to your PC.

Allow USB Debugging and Data Access:

• Ensure that USB debugging and data access are allowed on your Meta Quest 2. You might need to confirm this on your headset.

Check Connection Status in SideQuest:

• Launch SideQuest on your PC.
• If everything is set up correctly, you should see a green dot in the top left corner of the SideQuest window. If not, SideQuest will provide instructions on what needs to be fixed.

Building Your VR App in Unity

Configure Unity Build Settings:

• Open your Unity project and configure the build settings to target Meta Quest 2. Make sure you set the following settings correctly:
• Platform: Android
• Texture Compression: ETC2 (if not already selected)
• XR Plugin Management: Ensure Oculus is selected. Refer to Oculus’ official Unity documentation for detailed settings: Unity Oculus Configuration.

Connect Meta Quest 2 via USB:

• Note that the “Run Device” option in Unity may only display “Oculus Quest 2” when connected via USB, and Air Link is disabled.

Build Your VR App:

• Build your VR application in Unity. Once the build process is complete, locate the generated APK file.

Sideloading Your VR App

Sideload the APK:

• In SideQuest, click the button to install an APK from your computer (represented by an icon with a downward arrow).

Install Your App on Meta Quest 2:

• Wait for SideQuest to finish installing the APK onto your Meta Quest 2.

Access Your App on Meta Quest 2:

• On your Meta Quest 2, navigate to “Apps” and use the search function.

• Filter for “Unknown Sources” apps and select your program.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully built and sideloaded your VR app from Unity onto your Meta Quest 2. Now you can explore and test your creation in a fully immersive environment. Happy developing!