SideQuest has just received what might be one of the biggest changes in its history.
For years, properly using SideQuest with a Meta Quest headset meant registering as a Meta developer, creating an organisation, enabling Developer Mode and connecting the headset over USB. In a major update announced on October 6, 2026, SideQuest CEO Shane Harris said that process has now been dramatically simplified.
Users can sign into their Meta account and have SideQuest connect to their Quest over Bluetooth, enabling Wireless ADB automatically. No developer organisation. No traditional Developer Mode setup. No USB cable.
And at almost exactly the same time, Shane is preparing to bring AltspaceVR back.
What is SideQuest?
If you've owned a Quest for a long time, you've probably heard of SideQuest. It is an alternative VR discovery and distribution platform that became particularly well known for allowing Quest owners to access applications and experiences outside Meta's main store.
SideQuest has also given developers another place to publish experimental, independent and early-access VR projects. It grew alongside the original Oculus Quest and became especially popular for sideloading, the process of installing Android applications directly onto a Quest.
Over time, SideQuest expanded beyond APK installation to include headset management, device settings, VR discovery and experimental content.
The annoying part was always getting started
The traditional setup required users to:
- Sign up as a developer
- Create a Meta organisation
- Enable Developer Mode
- Connect the Quest using USB
- Get the computer and headset communicating correctly
For developers, that process was familiar. For someone who simply wanted to install an interesting VR application, it was a surprisingly technical introduction.
According to Shane's announcement on Reddit, that barrier is now being removed.
SideQuest can now connect wirelessly
The new process is intended to be much simpler:
- Sign into your Meta account.
- SideQuest connects to the headset over Bluetooth.
- SideQuest enables Wireless ADB.
SideQuest says this removes the previous requirement to create a developer organisation, enable Developer Mode and connect the headset using USB. The setup can be performed using SideQuest on a desktop computer or phone.
That is a significant reduction in friction. Someone who previously saw a developer setup tutorial and decided it was too much effort can now get started with far less technical preparation.
You can even install SideQuest from inside the Quest
The update also makes it possible to install SideQuest directly from inside the headset.
Using the Meta Quest Browser, users can download the SideQuest APK and open it through the Quest's Files application using Package Manager. SideQuest can then be installed directly onto the headset, meaning someone primarily interested in discovering and installing applications may not need a PC or phone at all.
This method does not provide every advanced device control. Features such as headset setting tweaks still require the additional device connection process, but the entry point for finding and installing content is considerably smaller.
Community VR ports are getting easier too
Some community-created Quest VR ports require files from a legitimate copy of the original PC game. Previously, users might have had to move those files manually from a computer onto the headset.
SideQuest says its new system can allow users to sign into Steam from SideQuest and, for supported ports, automatically download the required files for games they own.
That does not mean every Steam game can suddenly run natively on Quest. The feature applies to supported community ports that need files from a legitimate Steam copy. SideQuest has also announced plans for a PCVR mod manager, suggesting the platform is continuing to expand beyond its original role as a Quest sideloading utility.
And then there's AltspaceVR
There is another reason I've been watching what Shane Harris is doing particularly closely: Shane is also bringing AltspaceVR back.
Microsoft shut down the original AltspaceVR on March 10, 2023. For those who never experienced it, AltspaceVR was one of the earlier major social VR platforms, becoming home to communities, meetups, performances, events and thousands of user-created worlds.
I spent a lot of time in Altspace myself and built worlds for the platform, so watching it return in 2026 is particularly interesting for me.
In July, it was announced that Shane had acquired the rights to the Altspace name and intended to create a new AltspaceVR. This is not Microsoft simply switching the old Altspace servers back on. It is a new platform developed by Shane and SideQuest as a spiritual successor to the original experience.
UploadVR reported on the AltspaceVR revival when the project was announced.
Altspace is part of the SideQuest story
Before SideQuest existed, Shane created Shane's Editor, a popular world-building tool for AltspaceVR. After Altspace moved away from its web-based development system, Shane reworked the project into a standalone application and attempted to bring it to the original Oculus Quest.
Meta rejected the application. That experience helped lead Shane towards creating an alternative platform where Quest developers could distribute and promote their applications. That platform became SideQuest.
The history therefore comes around full circle: Shane worked on tools for Altspace, that work contributed to the creation of SideQuest, and now the founder of SideQuest is rebuilding AltspaceVR.
AltspaceVR is getting close
The revival is not simply an announcement for something years away. The new AltspaceVR Steam listing currently lists a planned October 2026 Early Access release.
According to the listing, the core experience includes:
- Multiplayer worlds
- Avatars
- Spatial voice
- Community events
- VR and desktop support
The team plans to continue developing social features, messaging, groups, event and world discovery, avatar customisation, progression, moderation and creator tools throughout Early Access. AltspaceVR is also planned to remain free-to-play.
For somebody like me who lived through the original Altspace community, seeing the name return is strange, exciting and honestly a little surreal.
SideQuest without the old SideQuest setup
SideQuest is not disappearing. If anything, this update brings it closer to what SideQuest was always trying to accomplish: making independent VR content easier to access.
You should not need to understand ADB, create a developer organisation or hunt around for the right USB cable just because you want to explore something outside the conventional Quest ecosystem.
SideQuest originally opened another door into standalone VR. Now that door is becoming considerably easier to walk through, while Shane Harris is preparing to reopen another door many of us thought had closed permanently when AltspaceVR shut down in 2023.
For people who have been around VR for a while, there is something rather fitting about that.
Sources
- Shane Harris / SideQuest announcement on Reddit — primary source for the October 2026 SideQuest changes.
- SideQuest — official platform information.
- SideQuest download and setup — official download destination.
- Official AltspaceVR website — information about the revived project.
- AltspaceVR on Steam — current features and Early Access information.
- UploadVR: AltspaceVR will relaunch this fall under SideQuest CEO Shane Harris — supporting historical context.
