Benefits of Building Apps for Oculus Quest in Unreal Engine | Program-Ace

Out of the abundance of available game engines, VR app developers make use of either Unity or Unreal. Notably, each has its perks and drawbacks, but this article will focus on the benefits of using the latter to build VR software for Oculus Quest. After getting familiar with the provided information, you’ll be able to visualize your VR app in Unreal Engine efficiently.

Before jumping into the development of products for Oculus Quest in Unreal Engine, you have to define whether you’d like your application to be built in-house, with an augmented team, or outsourced to a professional Unreal Engine development company. Each of these solutions imply certain challenges, but the latter two offer better resource optimization.

In a nutshell, by employing Unreal Engine for Oculus Quest VR apps, you ensure more advanced graphics, optimized performance, and software flexibility. Therefore, get ready for helpful perks, curious insights, and a lot more!

Why to Develop VR Software for Oculus Quest with UE?

As one of the most advanced VR headsets available on the market, Oculus Quest is widely applied in various fields, from video games to VR training software or apps referred to in the manufacturing industry. While working with Unreal Engine VR Oculus Quest, developers are often astonished by the variety of tools available to them.
There are multiple reasons to opt for Unreal as a game engine and Oculus Quest as a headset. What you get from this combination of tools includes at least:

• Advanced graphics quality. Unreal Engine, especially its 5th version, is known as an engine famous for innovative global illumination technology, high performance, and flexible graphic configurations. Going for Unreal Engine 5 in tandem with Oculus Quest 2, you ensure the best visual quality of your product in the VR environment.
• Sufficiently low entry threshold. Developers who work in-house or are being outsourced to take on a project are usually pretty much satisfied with such a toolkit due to its wide range of options and user-friendly interface.
• Versatility. Once developers master Unreal Engine and all its VR plugins, they will be able to elaborate on projects requiring excellent graphics beyond immersive technology. Thanks to the system of visual scripting called Blueprints, user-friendly plugins, and the flexibility of C++, which powers the engine, people responsible for an Oculus Quest project will be qualified to develop any other product in the industry.

Notably, even if you don’t know how to use Oculus Quest 2 with Unreal Engine, it won’t take much time to figure it all out with the help of online guides, courses, or forums. The same goes for how to connect Oculus Quest 2 to Unreal Engine. Since the headset is equipped with a simple USB A to USB C cable, it’s unlikely to be a big issue to set everything up.

Oculus Quest in Unreal Engine 4

Irrespective of the engine’s version, VR development in Unreal is considered one of the most rewarding initiatives for businesses due to the software’s versatility, quality graphics, and cross-platform prospects. VR products developed in Oculus Quest UE4 aren’t less optimized or dramatically worse in terms of graphics or performance compared to UE5.

You can still build a VR game or training program in Unreal Engine 4, inasmuch as most of the present-day apps supported by immersive technologies don’t take advantage of such innovations of the engine’s 5th version as Lumen, Nanite, or MetaSounds. Therefore, if you intend to develop VR apps for Oculus Quest 2, Unreal Engine 4 is still your best friend.

Oculus Quest in Unreal Engine 5

However, if your decision involves making use of only high-end technologies, you don’t have a better choice rather than addressing Unreal Engine 5 Oculus Quest 2. As a top-of-the-range solution, the 5th version of one of the most popular game engines provides dynamic global illumination, the best graphics possible, and flexible optimization tools.

Whenever it comes to developing software for VR, all the benefits guaranteed by UE5 may come in handy and be put to good use by professional developers who know how to squeeze the most out of a game engine. That’s why each version of Unreal offers its perks and comes with downsides that can easily be leveled if utilized by the hands of experts.

Oculus Quest in Unity or Unreal Engine? — Quick Comparison

In the world of game engines, there’s a conspicuous battle of Unity vs. Unreal. Down below you may familiarize yourself with a table shedding light on some features of each of them:

Unity

• Offers video graphics of decent quality and variability;
• Uses C# as a primary coding language with an additional option of installing Bolt, a visual scripting tool;
• Is simple and straightforward due to a high number of free tutorials, supportive community, as well as easy-to-learn official documentation;
• Better suits the requirements of indie projects, mobile-only products, and inexperienced development teams;
• Provides rich 2D support and has a formidable community on Reddit.

Unreal Engine

• Allows you to work with AAA projects thanks to advanced graphic prospects;
• Requires developers to either learn C++ or visual coding called Blueprints;
• Is a bit more challenging in terms of mastering its tools but turns out incredibly rewarding in the long run;
• Facilitates a faster development workflow under the fingertips of professionals who can leverage its all potential to the fullest;
• Ensures more optimized work with AI and has better network support.

Examples of VR Apps Built in Unreal Engine

Aside from traditional games created inside Unreal Engine, developers often prefer its tools to make VR apps for Oculus Quest. This Meta’s headset is supportive of almost all the most innovative technologies, which enables companies to build quality, reliable, and entertaining training simulators, games, etc. Let’s take a look at a couple of successful examples.

Aircraft Engine VR Training

Although most people regard virtual reality apps as a means of spending leisure time playing video games, the industry knows a lot of cases when the same technology is employed to help manufacturers train personnel in a risk-free environment with hands-on experience. For instance, the Aircraft engine VR training simulator provides helpful insights into how complex equipment works from the inside. Similar solutions facilitate quicker onboarding and reduce the odds of human error when employees interact with physical objects in the workplace.

Developed in Unreal Engine 4, the simulator allows its users to quickly dive into the training process, providing a virtual room with an airplane engine located in the center. Inside the app, trainees are able to interact with various engine’s elements and other objects, lifting, rotating, as well as examining each of them in detail. As a result, the airplane’s hardware can be disassembled into many parts, each of which is interactive. Isn’t it a useful solution?

Virtuoso — A Virtual Music Playground

The studying process can quickly become tiresome and exhaustive for adolescents mastering new fields. The same relates to learning the foundations of music. Well, Virtuoso allows users to practice and generate electric music inside a VR sandbox. Moreover, you can share your compositions on social media platforms as soon as you finish them.

Launched on Oculus Quest, Virtuoso is another brick in the wall of a tower at the top of which humanity is expected to reach the metaverse. Precisely, an entertaining gameplay, the possibility to create or recreate music, as well as share your work online account for the fundamental elements of interactive virtual environments that combine studying with gaming.

Vermillion: VR Painting Simulator

Just like Virtuoso, Vermillion enables users/players to interact with VR assets via an Oculus Quest headset. Freeing two birds with one key, you can both play and create artworks inside a virtual environment, which is another example of how future players will treat gamification practices. With such apps, e-learning brings immersive experiences to the next level.

Mastering a palette and an easel, you can paint on a virtual canvas as if it were a real one. But guess what? You don’t need to spend money on physical tools, making apps like Vermillion a one-stop shop for all you may need to learn and entertain yourself. Also, this painting simulator allows users to turn on the mixed-reality mode for a better experience.

Create a Reliable Oculus Quest App with Program-Ace

Nowadays, as the metaverse is drawing closer, VR-based apps become a new industry standard for various markets, whether they are training simulators or games. Traditional software solutions are gradually becoming overshadowed by progressive XR technologies, making each new product in this niche a treasure chest for owners.

Considering all the benefits, now is the best time to start conquering the VR market with an experienced partner like Program-Ace. Having 30 years of active presence in the industry behind its back, the company provides all kinds of services in the area of immersive technologies and beyond.

What you can do to swiftly jump into the stream of trends and finalize your own product for Oculus Quest is just contact us, expecting an immediate response as well as total support on our side.

Originally published at https://program-ace.com.