Is Your Oculus Quest 2 Glitching Out? (No Panic, Easy Fix)
Is your Meta Oculus Quest 2 glitching out, too? Well, you’re not alone, so keep reading ahead!
The Oculus Quest 2 is a virtual reality headset that provides an immersive experience while gaming or enjoying VR-enabled apps.
However, when the Oculus Quest 2 starts glitching out and behaving weirdly, we often wonder how to approach the problem, so this guide will help!
Quick Fix: When your Oculus Quest 2 is glitching out, first power cycle the headset and update the operating system to the latest firmware available. Also, you must charge the VR Quest 2 to about 80%, clear all the obstructions from the play area, and factory reset the headset.
To unwrap how all of this is done correctly, keep reading!
Why is My Oculus 2 Glitching?
There are numerous reasons for unpredictable bugs or glitches that might appear on your VR Oculus Quest headset.
So, first, we will attempt and unwrap as many possibilities as possible and then troubleshoot them individually until we discover and resolve the origin of the problem.
Here’s everything that will make your Oculus Quest 2 glitch out:
This is mostly everything that can cause an Oculus Quest 2 to behave weirdly and produce unknown bugs and glitches.
Well, we’ve managed to address each of them, so keep reading!
How to Fix When Oculus Quest 2 Glitching Out?
Tip: Follow the troubleshooting steps in chronological order!
1. Power Cycle Your Oculus Quest
The first and easiest step is to perform a power circulation on your Oculus Quest and justify if the glitches are temporal or accidental.
The power cycle will not erase any of your games or apps but will restart the operating system, refresh the service, and give you a fresh beginning.
Here’s how to power cycle Oculus Quest 2 efficiently:
- First, equip and power on your Oculus Quest.
- Then, locate the power button on the right side.
- Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
- When the power tab appears, select “Restart.”
- Your VR headset will turn off and then turn on.
If you want to take this method one step further, hold the power button continuously, even after the power menu appears.
This will entirely power off your Oculus Quest 2, allowing the device to discharge entirely, which would be enough to resolve all the temporary bugs and weird behavior.
Note: If your Oculus Quest 2 is connected to a computer, disconnect and reconnect the cable!
2. Update Your Oculus VR Headset
The next step is to update your Oculus Quest 2 to the latest firmware version possible.
Hence, if the operating system is outdated, many of your games and apps might not work as intended so they will produce strange bugs, glitches, and weird behavior.
Here’s how to update your Oculus Quest 2 quickly and efficiently:
- First, equip and turn on the Oculus Quest headset.
- Then, verify that your headset is connected to WiFi.
- Press the “Oculus” button to open the main menu.
- Use the right pointer to enter the Settings menu.
- From there, navigate to the “About” tab and enter.
- Then, select “Download, Install, or Install Update.”
- Wait for the Oculus Quest to be updated successfully.
When your Oculus Quest is updated, test whether the glitches will still be there, and if the weird behavior continues, proceed to the next step…
3. Charge the Equipment’s Battery
Your Oculus Quest 2 actively uses a rechargeable battery to provide wireless gaming, but when the battery is low, you may experience issues.
The so-called “battery throttle” appears when the battery is deficient, and the Oculus Quest 2 is under heavy utilization, which it can’t handle.
So, the best next step would be to plug your Oculus Quest into a working power supply and wait for the battery to get charged to at least 80%.
This will guarantee that your Oculus Quest is not throttling and hopefully resolve the weird bugs and glitches you’re experiencing.
If your Oculus is sufficiently charged, but the glitches are still there, they may be related to your internet connection or the specific application that you use.
4. Test Different VR Games & Apps
So, if you’re experiencing bugs and glitches with your Oculus Quest on a specific app or game, you may need to test multiple to justify the problem.
Based on the type of glitch that your VR headset is facing, you must test with similar software to check if the fault affects everything!
How to Install Apps on Oculus?
Installing games and apps on Oculus is very easy as long as the write permission on your VR headset is enabled.
Then, you must enter the Uptodown App Store and download any game or app from the collection.
Then, you can test whether the headset glitch will continue to appear.
How to Erase Apps on Oculus?
If nothing helps and the glitches continue to appear on your Oculus, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the buggy app/game.
- To do so, go to Settings, enter Storage, and scroll down to locate the problematic app.
To delete the app, select the Trash Bin Icon next to the game you want to remove and confirm that you want the app uninstalled.
Reminder: You can download the removed apps/games from the Uptodown App Store!
5. Verify the Computer Connection
If your Oculus Quest 2 is connected to a computer, you must verify that the cable connections are intact and none of your ports/connectors are damaged.
When there is a fault with the link to a computer, your Oculus may start to behave weirdly, so it’s necessary to perform an inspection.
We also recommend unplugging and replugging the cable connections, and in case the issue continues to appear, test whether your standalone Oculus works.
Note: If you have a replacement USB cable to test the connection with, feel free to implement the wire in your setup, at least temporarily.
6. Clear Any Play Area Obstructions
The Oculus Quest 2 uses a tracking system to provide you with a virtual reality play area, which is used for the experience.
However, when there are large objects, such as furniture, in the play area, the Quest VR headset may start acting weirdly due to a bug with the tracking system.
- Test using your Oculus Quest in another, preferably emptier room!
We recommend verifying that the current play area is clear to resolve any obstruction glitches with the tracking system.
Also, if possible, you can test your Oculus Quest outside, with a clear play area, to justify whether the weird behavior is coming from tracking system obstructions.
7. Factory Reset Your Oculus Quest
So, if everything else fails and your Oculus Quest 2 still produces weird bugs and glitches, you must perform a factory reset.
This last-resort solution will permanently wipe all your data, games, apps, and saved settings from the VR headset, so we recommend creating a backup!
Here’s how to factory reset the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset easily:
- First, you must power OFF your Quest headset.
- Then, locate the Power and Volume +/- buttons.
- Next, hold both buttons for at least 15 seconds.
- Shortly, the Quest boot screen should show up.
- Tip: Use the Volume to navigate in the boot menu.
- Tip: Use the Power button to select in this menu.
- From the options, select the “Factory Reset” tile.
- Wait until the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset is reset.
When your Oculus Quest 2 starts to reset, you must remain patient until the device’s operating system is reinstalled.
Shortly, you’ll be prompted to set up your Oculus Quest 2 and reconnect the device to the internet.
This will resume your entertainment without any bugs or glitches.
More Oculus Quest 2 Errors:
Q: What should I do if my Oculus Quest 2 profile is not loading?
A: Restart the headset, check your internet connection, and ensure the Oculus app is updated.
Q: Why won’t my Oculus Quest 2 update?
A: Ensure a stable Wi-Fi connection, sufficient battery life, and try restarting the device or manually checking for updates.
Finn Wheatley, a Master’s graduate in Computer Science from UCL, London, honed his skills at small data science consultancies. There, he helped large corporations enhance their data capabilities by deploying cutting-edge machine learning analytics and resolving technical hurdles.