How to (sort of) play Beat Saber on Oculus Go

How to (sort of) play Beat Saber on Oculus Go

Oculus Go is a standalone wireless VR headset that natively allows you to enjoy some quality mobile Oculus experiences. Coupled with Air Light VR (ALVR), a free piece of open-source software, you can actually stream SteamVR games normally reserved for PC-based headsets to the Oculus Go.

While a lot of those SteamVR experiences won't work properly, Beat Saber seems to fall under the category of "partially working." You still don't have six degrees of freedom (6DoF) or two motion controllers, but you can certainly get a feel for the game. If you've been dying to try Beat Saber, you're in luck. Here's how to get Beat Saber (sort of) working with Oculus Go.

How to install and set up ALVR

Before anything else, you want to ensure that you can get ALVR working on your PC. I've already written an extensive guide with step-by-step instructions, as well as a short list of what's required when it comes to hardware.

Check out the guide first, and if all works properly, you can proceed with getting Beat Saber set up.

How to play SteamVR games on Oculus Go

How to play Beat Saber on Oculus Go

Now that ALVR is set up and ready to rock, all you have to do is launch Beat Saber through Steam. However, there are a few things that you need to know about running Beat Saber properly.

1. Opt out of the SteamVR beta

If you're part of the SteamVR beta, be sure to opt out before continuing. In my experience, the beta didn't allow me to use the Oculus Go motion controller.

How to enroll in the SteamVR beta

2. Ensure you're using version 2.1.5 of ALVR

It's uncertain whether future versions of ALVR will continue to support Beat Saber, but for now, this version is tested and true.

3. Select "No Fail" from the Beat Saber menu

If you don't select the "No Fail" option within the game, you will quickly lose. It's impossible to duck out of the way of obstacles, and because the controller is essentially stuck in place, you won't be able to hit all blocks.

4. Select "One Saber" from the Beat Saber menu

Before starting a game, be sure to choose the single saber option. This one's a no-brainer, as you only have the one Go motion controller.

What to expect from Beat Saber on Oculus Go

Props to YouTuber RaMarcus for discovering that this now works.

Considering this unholy union was never meant to happen, Beat Saber on Oculus Go can be a good bit of fun. As long as you don't go into this experiment expecting an experience on par with a true PC-based system, you'll do alright.

As we wait and hope that Beat Saber one day comes to Oculus Go in a true sense, you can right now give it a good shot with one saber. You can't really duck obstacles, and moving side to side be a bit sketchy, so the "No Fail" option is still a must.

Definitely give this a try if you already own an Oculus Go and don't mind a bit of PC tinkering, but I'm not sure at this point in time it's worth buying the hardware just for this experience, no matter how awesome Beat Saber is.

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Cale Hunt
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Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.