This tiny Oculus Quest 2 update just made connecting with friends a whole lot easier

Oculus Quest 2
(Image credit: Oculus)

In today’s technology-filled world, it’s easy to lose track of the small features that make connecting and sharing with friends an effortless process. 

It’s only when you jump into the virtual environment of an Oculus Quest 2, for instance, that you realize just how important something as simple as an invite link can be to enhancing your social experience.

Well, more than five years after the launch of the company’s first VR headset – which was recently discontinued, as it happens – all Oculus devices have now been updated with the ability to invite friends to game sessions via a simple web link.

That might sound like a trivial addition, but it’s a massive step towards improving the social experience of players using Oculus-branded VR headsets. Essentially, users now have the option to set up multiplayer game sessions outside of their device, making meeting up and playing with friends inside their headset a far easier process.

To generate a URL-based invite link (which can be sent to friends’ mobile devices, posted to social accounts or hand-delivered in an envelope, if you fancy) players can now navigate to the Social tab in the Oculus mobile app on iOS or Android, select the VR title they’re planning a session for and generate a custom invite link for players to jump into the action as soon as they’re back inside their headset.

Oculus Quest invite link

(Image credit: Oculus)

Users can still create a Party and join up with friends that way, if they prefer, but Oculus is hoping that invite links “will streamline the process for those ad-hoc hangouts.”

As part of the update, the company has also added an ‘Invite to App’ button that allows users to send a pop-up invite notification to friends, people they recently played with or in-game connections, without the need to navigate complex menus. Once the invited player accepts, they’ll be whisked into the multiplayer session, further simplifying the social experience on Oculus devices. 

It’s worth noting that only some Oculus apps support both features at present, with more developers expected to adopt the new functionality in the coming months. But titles like Beat Saber, Blaston, Echo VR, Hyper Dash and PokerStars VR are set to benefit imminently.


Analysis: Isolating reality

Perhaps the biggest criticism of Oculus’ VR devices has been their tendency to isolate players in the virtual environments they so brilliantly create. 

Sure, users have long had the option to link up and play with friends, but doing so has always been a lengthy and overcomplicated process. Now, at least, players have the option to invite friends to games before putting on their headsets, as well as the ability to generate in-game invite links far quicker than was previously possible.

A big part of our Oculus Quest 3 wish-list is a neighbourhood-like social space for players to more easily interact with others. This update hasn’t brought quite that level of improvement just yet, but these seemingly-small additions mark major steps towards making some of the best VR headsets the most social ones, too. 

Via RoadToVR  

TOPICS
Axel Metz
Phones Editor

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

Read more
Hamish hector drawing a bow in VR while wearing the Meta Quest 3S.
Meta's Horizon app was the no. 1 iPhone app on Christmas Day – and I'm not surprised. Here's why
The Meta Quest 3 and controllers on their charging station which is itself on a wooden desk next to a lamp
Meta announces major Quest 3 home theater update – but I want to know when it'll make it easier to watch 3D films in VR
Does anyone care about VR anymore? It still doesn't have that "killer" app
Girl wearing Meta Quest 3 headset interacting with a jungle playset
Start your Meta Quest 3 journey off right with my favorite VR games and apps of 2024
An alien stands at a bar in a cantina. He has six eyes and orange skin, tattoos on his arms
Best Oculus Quest 2 games 2025: the VR hits you shouldn't miss
bHaptics vest
This haptic vest might be my new favorite Meta Quest 3 accessory
Latest in Virtual Reality Gaming
A Dragonborn warrior, Tiefling rogue and Halfling mage preparing for battle next to a sign saying "Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked"
First Dungeons & Dragons VR trailer teases a beginner-friendly tabletop game – but I’m just begging for a custom game mode
Meta Quest 3S with Batman: Arkham Shadow banner behind it and red background with black TechRadar lowest price sign
Save $50 on the Meta Quest 3S with a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow
Aliens crawl out of the dark to attack Zula
Alien: Rogue Incursion review: superb survival horror with monsters I wish were more terrifying
Hamish Hector next to Ryan Rayton and a shadowy Batman
Exclusive: the head of Batman: Arkham Shadow answers our 5 biggest questions about a sequel, DLC, and that twist ending
Metro Awakening screenshot
Metro Awakening review: a survival horror adventure that'll land with the right audience, but that's not me
Batman using his grapnel gun
Batman: Arkham Shadow review: an almost flawless VR experience
Latest in News
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Google Messages update
Google Messages could soon follow WhatsApp with an upgrade that makes it much easier to join group chats