How To Change Advanced Quest 3 Settings Within Your Headset

Advanced Quest 3 settings you can change in-headset using SideQuest’s upgraded in-VR app and why it’s a game-changer for your Quest experience

Published in

SideQuestVR

4 min readMar 9, 2024

We built SideQuest back in 2019 to help everyone in the VR community — enthusiasts and app developers alike — get the very most out of their headsets.

There’s a lot that you can do with your Quest 3 headset that isn’t necessarily discussed in standard documentation, and we’re dedicated to helping everyone access that information. From sideloading experimental apps and games with ease to accessing otherwise hidden App Lab content, SideQuest is the best way to unlock your Quest 3’s superpowers and access the indie gems you need to play.

But one of the very best SideQuest features is the ability to manage advanced Quest 3 headset settings within our app — settings that the headset locks you out of in its default mode.

And now, with our new and improved in-VR app, managing these advanced settings is easier than ever — for the first time, you can do it right there in your headset, mid-game!

What advanced settings can you manage within your headset?

Previously only available using our Advanced Installer — and requiring the tethered use of our desktop or Android mobile app — we’ve now added the ability to tweak your Quest’s advanced settings within our headset app.

That means no USB cables. No switching between headset and desktop to find the perfect balance of settings. Just quick and easy settings management from our VR app in as little as 3 clicks.

Here’s just a few of the advanced settings you can now tinker with using our headset app:

Chromatic aberration
CPU and GPU Levels
Fixed foveated rendering
Guardian and Proximity Sensor toggling
Full-rate video capture
Texture resolution
FPS refresh rate
Hand tracking frequency
Experimental mode

These settings can help improve your Quest 3 experience and give you greater control over the device’s capabilities. Reducing chromatic aberration can improve your viewing experience. Disabling the proximity sensor or headset guardian can dramatically improve your quality of life — and, indeed, make some more intense VR games more enjoyable to play without that guardian popping up!

Another popular feature of the in-headset app is the chance to change the default FPS on the fly. Depending on the game you’re playing, this could improve your gaming experience by making the game run more smoothly. If you’re on a Quest 3 playing an older title that hasn’t been re-specced for the improved hardware, crank the FPS up to take advantage of that Quest 3 power. If you’re playing a graphically intensive game on the Quest 2, turn it down slightly to help when things get sluggish. The choice is yours!

Meanwhile, for streamers and content creators, advanced video capture settings are also a boon, helping record quality video content of gameplay within your headset without the need for a PC connection or any other gubbins.

Sure, these advanced settings aren’t crucial for everyone. But having the option to change them is what we care about most. The Quest 3 is an awesome piece of tech — and we’re here to help you get the most out of it!

All you need to do to access these in-headset settings is get our new in-VR app via our Web Installer. And it’s never been quicker or easier to do it!

How to use the SideQuest Web Installer to get SideQuest on your headset

Our brand new Web Installer is by far the easiest way to get SideQuest on your headset. To get started, you just need four things:

Debug Mode enabled on your headset
A USB cable to connect your headset to your device
A Chromium browser (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge are ideal)
A SideQuest account! Make one here if you haven’t got one

Once you’re ready to go with those four, you can run the Web Installer in just 3 steps:

Switch your headset on and connect it to your device using the USB cable
Go to ‘Get SideQuest’, select the Web Installer, and follow the simple steps on-screen
Wait for your installation to complete!

Once the Web Installer is complete, you can find the SideQuest app in your headset under the ‘Unknown Sources’ filter.

To find it, go to your headset app library, head to the top bar, and select filters — you’ll see the ‘Unknown Sources’ option listed near the bottom.

Then, just open up SideQuest and start exploring!

To manage your advanced settings, you just need to turn on the wireless ADB option (the WiFi icon in the top right), then select the tool icon in the menu bar. From here, the full list will appear and you can toggle all those settings and options above on the fly.

And that’s it! You’ve just unlocked your Quest 3’s superpowers!

About SideQuest

SideQuest represents the ultimate community in standalone VR. A place where developers and players around the globe can create, share, and get excited about the virtual reality apps they love.

Developers (like us) are free to experiment with mechanics and modes on their journey to official stores, while players can safely explore thousands of apps across the wonderful world of VR — the biggest collection all in one place, actually.

Because who needs limits, right?

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