It’s fair to say that there is increasing demand for cross-platform play on all major consoles. Whilst some developers have been slow on the uptake for online cross-platform play, others have been paving the way for greater integration of gaming experiences.
Virtual Reality, in particular VR gaming, has caught a lot of attention from gamers old and new. There are elements of VR gaming, we would argue, which are yet to be fully explored and developed.
With the above statements in mind, we will be discussing whether it is possible to use the Oculus on PlayStation 4.
The PS4 needs no introduction. Since its initial release in the US on 15th November 2013, the PS4 has sold more than 116 million units.
The console is one of the greatest ever made and the sales figures speak for themselves. Even though the PS4 is coming up to its seventh year of being on the market, it’s still worthwhile and relevant to today’s gaming market.
The Oculus family of VR headsets, on the other hand, is relatively new. There are currently five types of headsets in the Oculus family, Oculus Quest and Quest 2, Rift, Rift-S, and Oculus Go.
In the Oculus family of headsets, only the Quest 2 is still currently in production, with the rest discontinued.
Oculus started out with a Kickstarter campaign back in 2012 and released a development prototype of the Oculus Rift. On March 25th, 2014 Facebook announced that it was acquiring Oculus.
Is There Any Compatibility Between The PS4 And Oculus?
If we define compatibility as being able to plug the Oculus into the PS4 and start playing VR titles, then the answer is a resounding no. Oculus uses an Android-based operating system whereas the PS4 is on the Orbis operating system.
There is zero compatibility between these two interfaces. You might be curious, though, as all models of the PS4 have at least 2 USB ports. These USB ports, however, will be unable to detect the Oculus as they work on different software platforms.
There is a workaround for this, which we will discuss a bit further down the article. The official line is that Oculus will not work with the PS4.
Sony recently announced that they will be releasing a follow-up to the 2016 PSVR with the PSVR 2. At the time of release, the first PSVR headset received generally positive feedback.
However, as there have been advancements in VR technology which makes the 2016 PSVR feel outdated.
The Oculus family of headsets, however, does feel like a truer realization of VR. This can seem like stating the obvious, as Sony is branching out to VR whereas Oculus’s only focus is VR.
It makes sense that Song would prefer people to use their PSVR headset with their PS4, as the PSVR is designed for use with the console. That being said, the incompatibility between Oculus and PS4 isn’t truly intentional.
A Potential Workaround
As mentioned above, this is one potential workaround to be able to play Playstation 4 titles on the Oculus. That being said, it requires a bit of leg work and a PC capable of working with the Oculus (a PC with VR capabilities).
It will also require the Oculus Link cable. This cable allows for data transfer between the Oculus headset and a PC, (and vice versa) as it converts the Oculus to a PCVR headset.
The first thing you will need to do is download and install PS Remote Play on your PC.
This incredibly useful software allows you to play PlayStation titles on various operating systems. It works by allowing your PS4 to transmit its video and audio output to a device with PS Remote Play installed.
With PS Remote Play installed on your PC, the next step would be to mirror your PC screen to the Oculus Quest 2.
You also need a Virtual Desktop for this, as that is what will mirror the screen. In very watered-down terms, a
Virtual Desktop is a term used to describe a way in which a PC’s desktop is expanded beyond the physical screen. In the context of this article, a Virtual Desktop expands your PC’s screen to your Oculus.
There are known issues with this workaround. As data is being transferred from the PS4 to your PC then to the Oculus, there is sometimes an issue with lag. This is particularly noticeable with fast-paced games.
Conclusion
If you are expecting to simply plug an Oculus headset into your Playstation 4 via the USB port and think it will be compatible, then we are sorry to say this won’t work.
The workaround detailed above will enable you to play PS4 titles on your Oculus, and there are plenty of YouTube walkthroughs on how to set up PS Remote Play on your PC to play on the Oculus.
As mentioned above, there will be some lag and latency as data is being transmitted in two different stages and from two separate sources.
To get the best VR experience with Playstation then your best bet would be to go with the PSVR headset, as this workaround can be less than ideal.
It is a shame that there isn’t more cross-compatibility with these devices.
And with Facebook’s rebranding to Meta and the discontinuation of the Oculus brand in 2022, alongside the much anticipated PSVR 2 it looks like these two devices won’t be compatible without further workarounds in the future.
I want to share my passion for VR gaming with others through Moggles. This site is dedicated to providing others with all of the information they need to know about VR. From the best zombie games, the most suitable headsets, and how to successfully mod games, we have got you covered.
- How To Mod Skyrim VR - December 30, 2021
- Can You Use A TV As A Computer Monitor? - December 30, 2021
- How To Charge Oculus Quest 2 Controllers - December 30, 2021
