A firmware archive helps to manually update your Meta Quest
Once again, it takes weeks for a firmware update to reach your Meta Quest? There are (risky) shortcuts for those who like to experiment.
In order to detect and respond to potential issues early, Meta releases firmware updates to users on a staggered basis. From my own experience, it can take up to a month for a new update to reach my Meta Quest.
For the impatient, tech-savvy and risk-averse, it is now easier than ever to find new firmware updates and install them early on your own device.
Quest hacker Basti564 has just published a firmware archive for Meta Quest 1, 2 and Pro, where you can download 154 firmwares as a ZIP file. It includes 53 firmwares for Quest 1 (from v3 to v50), 86 for Quest 2 (from v21 to v56), and 15 for Quest Pro (from v50 to v56).
There is a lot to find in a firmware
In his own blog (this and other links are listed under Sources below) Basti564 explains how he and his friend Samulia get access to the firmware updates.
Please note that you can only (re)install your current firmware or update to a newer one. Downgrades are currently not possible.
The firmware archive also has a historical function. You can analyze older software at your whim, if you are interested in such things, of course. Basti, Samulia, and other firmware sleuths often find clues in firmware strings about new headset prototypes and Quest features that Meta is working on long before they are released.
Manually installing a Quest firmware
A complete tutorial will follow at a later date, according to Basti. In the meantime, Basti points to a Reddit tutorial. It explains how to install updates via Windows or MacOS. You have to activate the Developer Mode.
If some time has passed since this article was published, you might want to check Basti's personal blog for a more up-to-date tutorial.
Before you start, remember that the method provided has risks and is not supported by Meta. If you don't know what you're doing, stop and do something else until the update reaches your Meta Quest in the normal way and can be installed without risk.
If you want to follow Basti's activities, you can do so via Twitter and Discord.
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