SteamVR streaming is not allowed on Oculus Quest

What just happened? Oculus requested the removal of a feature from a virtual desktop app because it allows users to access SteamVR games. It is okay for Virtual Desktop to stream anything else onto the Quest --- Netflix, non-VR games, internet browsing --- just not its competitor's VR content.

Guy Godin designed a virtual desktop application for the Oculus Quest that gives users a VR interface for their PC. It has been available on the Oculus Store for a while, but Godin thought it would be cool to add the ability to stream VR content straight from the PC. This feature would make it possible to play SteamVR games on the Oculus Quest. It can already stream regular desktop games.

Godin worked on the feature over several months and recently released the patch. He had even been incorporating user feedback into improvements over the last few days. However, Oculus suddenly pulled the plug on the feature.

"According to Oculus, I am hurting Quest," Godin said in a Reddit post. "I'm sorry to announce this, but Oculus doesn't want the SteamVR streaming feature in their store."

The company refused to comment on the specific situation. It would only say that its submission system ensures that they only accept the highest quality applications.

"While we don't comment on the status of specific apps, our Oculus Store application submission system is designed to help ensure that our devices deliver a consistent, comfortable experience to customers," an Oculus spokesperson told Engadget. "Apps are evaluated on a number of factors including performance, input, and safety with the goal of creating a quality, high-value experience for all VR consumers."

Godin is not giving up on his idea. While he has removed the feature from Virtual Desktop, he said he would provide a separate APK that can be loaded onto the headset using SideQuest. SideQuest is an open store application on GitHub that allows users to install apps from outside the Oculus Store. It is similar to the Cydia app for jailbroken iPhones. He said it would be ready in the next few days.