Hacking the Oculus Go to Play Beat Saber

If you have an Oculus Go and want to try your hand at playing the popular VR game Beat Saber, there are ways to make it happen.

What Is Beat Saber?

Take guitar hero and add a virtual reality lightsaber element to it and you have a pretty good idea of what the game Beat Saber is. As virtual color blocks fly towards the player, the corresponding saber is supposed to be used to slash that block in time to the music. On a VR gaming headset, players use corresponding motion controllers to move, slash and dodge. This game has quickly risen in popularity, ranking as the number 1 single-player VR game across the globe.

Like many popular games that combine activity with movement (Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Sports), the goal of Beat Saber is to get up and move while gaming. The motion controllers ensure you stay active to the tune of original songs in the genre of your choice. There is something incredibly satisfying about crushing the sound cubes like a Jedi Fruit Ninja to the underlying beat of the drum. At the same time, you have to avoid obstacle blocks that keep you on your toes.

Still can’t picture it? You can watch Beat Saber gameplay videos like this on YouTube where players play the game in front of large screens that show how the game looks in their VR headsets.

Can You Play Beat Saber On Oculus Go?

The Oculus Go is the third headset from Oculus and it is a popular choice for those looking to dip their toes into the VR world. It is a wireless VR headset, meaning you don’t need to be tethered to your computer or phone to play. The battery will provide around 2-2.5 hours of gaming time. The new 2560 x 1440 fast switch display means that pixels blur less, the picture is sharper and motion sickness is less likely to occur. But the Oculus Go only allows two degrees of movement (up, down, right and left), which makes it a limited choice for games like Beat Saber.

At an affordable price tag of just under $200, the Oculus Go is a popular choice for those just getting into the VR world. It is half the price of the Oculus Rift—the VR headset that Beat Saber is truly compatible with.

The good news is, you can play Beat Saber on Oculus Go, but it takes a bit of “hacking” your system. If you are planning to buy a new Oculus Go and use Beat Saber on it, you may want to read through these hacks and see if your mind is still made up on the Go. There are other VR sets better suited to the game that may take you further even though the upfront cost will be a bit higher.

One of the biggest issues with Beat Saber on the Oculus Go is that the VR system only has one controller. There are a couple of ways around this if you are determined to play Beat Saber on the Go.

One-Handed Play: Setting Up ALVR

Air Light VR (ALVR) is open-source free software that lets you stream games that are typically PC-based (SteamVR) on the Go. Many of these SteamVR games aren’t going to work correctly, but Beat Saber is one that will partially work. You can get a feel for the game and play certain elements of it.

Start by loading ALVR to your PC. If you have the beta version of ALVR, you will need to opt-out before playing Beat Saber or you might not be able to use the motion controller. You want to use version 2.5.1 of ALVR. When you are in the Beat Saber game menu, you will need to select “No Fail” in order to bypass the inability to dodge obstacles and hit every block. Finally, make sure you select the single saber option before starting a game so you are able to use the sole Oculus Go controller.

Limited Two-Saber Play: Using VRidge Controller from Riftcat

So there is a one saber option for Oculus Go Beat Saber play, but that only gives you a small aspect of the Beat Saber game. If you want to include a second controller aspect, you can hack the Oculus Go to accept your Android as the second controller through VRidge Controller from Riftcat. For less than $5 on Riftcat, you can upgrade your Android into accepting three degrees of freedom (3DoF) and acting as your second saber. Slightly awkward to fling around (and, watch that screen if you slip!), but it will work with the slashing motions. It doesn’t work for every VR game, but Beat Saber uses the flicking/slashing motions and doesn’t require any thrusting.

Again, you will have to set the level to No Fail or turn off the obstacles because you still won’t have the freedom to dodge any of the blockades coming your way. And another catch, you will have to stream through VRidge through another phone or standalone headset. You will start by downloading the VRidge software on your platform of choice (phone or standalone VR headset) and then connecting your phone to that. The phone connected will then turn into a replacement 3DoF controller. Your touch screen will include the standard buttons for gripping or getting to the menu that is on a regular VR controller.

Turning the Go into 6DoF: The Nolo VR Kit

If you have the Oculus Go and really don’t want to move to another headset with the 6DoF capabilities, there are ways to hack your headset for the additional degrees of freedom. This setup also requires a gaming PC, so it is definitely a workaround for a gamer that isn’t ready to purchase another headset yet. The Nolo VR kit costs just shy of $200 and you will still need the Riftcat software for streaming to your device, putting the total price of the Go VR device + software over the price of the Oculus Rift.

You get a tracking device and two controllers with the Nolo VR kit. However, the latency isn’t great, so you will experience lag with the controllers.

Is it Worth the Effort?

There are very few reasons all of the effort towards Beat Saber Oculus Go hacks would be easier than just purchasing a compatible device.

First of all, these hacks aren’t supported by Oculus. This means they are hard to load and sluggish with the device. If Oculus offered them in the store and provided technical support, this whole article might be a different story. This version of the game certainly isn’t on par with the PC version when paired with a true 6DoF headset, but it is a possible way to test out the game if you already have the Oculus Go. You can get a pretty good feel for the nature of the game just by watching YouTube gamers, so testing it out seems slightly pointless for all the effort required.

Beat Saber: Capable VR Devices

To avoid all the effort for a sub-par version of the game, you can get a device that is truly compatible with the game. The Oculus Quest is a great option if you don’t have a gaming PC and the Oculus Rift is good if you do have one. The Quest, like the Go, is a standalone VR device (not tethered to the PC) and you only need a mobile device to access the Oculus app. But, like the Rift, the Quest is also capable of VR games and 6DoF with four tracking sensors. Other top options for VR gaming headsets will include:

• Samsung Odessy+
• HTC VIVE

If you are looking for a great budget-friendly option, you may want to try the HP Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) device. The HP VR headset is going to cost similar to the Oculus Go, but offer the 6DoF and gaming aspect the Go is lacking.

Gaming Options Similar to Beat Saber VR

If you like Beat Saber, here are a few more games along similar lines you might want to check out:

Thumper – Move to the music as a space beetle to the fast-paced music. Slightly less of a virtual Jedi drumming game and more on par with Mario Cart Rainbow course on speed.

Audioshield – Very similar to the concept of Beat Saber, Audioshield has you responding to colored lights in time to the beat of the music you choose. But think less slashing and more Captain America blocking balls of alien fire with dual shield action.

Rockband VR – Basically Guitar Hero for VR, use your plastic guitar and rock along to songs by pressing the correct buttons in time to the song.

BOXVR - Looking for a workout with attitude? Jab, poke and weave in time to great music for a workout that gets your blood pumping and heart racing. The game will keep track of your calories burned and will even allow you to use your own music for your playlist.