Colin Cassidy
Quest 2 File Sizes Increase Due to Quest 3 Upgrades, Developers Report
Quest 2 file sizes are on the rise as developers struggle to offer separate builds for the newly upgraded Quest 3 versions, according to information provided to UploadVR. Last month, Meta confirmed that over 50 Quest 2 titles, including popular games like Red Matter 2 and Guardians Frontline, are receiving Quest 3 upgrades. These upgrades, which include features like 4K textures and enhanced detail, are resulting in increased file sizes for Quest 3 games. However, developers have confirmed that these file size increases also affect the Quest 2 edition of the games.
Lack of Convenient Method to Offer Separate Builds
Developers such as Vertical Robot and Guy Godin (Virtual Desktop) have both expressed that there is currently no option to provide separate Android Package Kits (APKs) for different Quest headsets. This means that Quest 2 games are forced to have larger file sizes without receiving the improvements intended for Quest 3. Tommy Maloteaux, CEO of Myron Games, acknowledged that there is a method to offer separate packages, but he stated that it is not a convenient one. This process involves uploading two builds with slight differences in the manifest, but it must be done in a specific order to ensure that both devices receive the correct version.
Varied Increases in File Sizes
While the file size increases vary depending on the game, some notable examples include Red Matter 2, which is jumping from 5.6GB to 9.1GB, and Espire 2, which is growing from 7GB to 12GB. However, not all games will undergo such significant increases. Jon Hibbins, CEO of Psytec Games, explained that Windlands 2 only increased by 0.72MB on Quest 3 because they had already included high-quality asset pipelines. Factors such as new code and minor asset improvements also contribute to the variations in file size.
Meta’s Plan for Separate Binaries
In January, Meta announced its intention to allow developers to add separate binaries between different Quest headsets. While Meta confirmed that this ability already exists for Quest 1 and Quest 2, it has not been fully implemented yet. Responding to inquiries, Meta stated that they plan to extend this feature to Quest Pro and Quest 3 in the future. However, no specific timeframe for this update was provided.
As developers continue to upgrade their Quest 2 titles to take advantage of Quest 3 improvements, users should be prepared for larger file sizes. The lack of a convenient method to offer separate builds for different Quest headsets is a challenge that developers currently face. Hopefully, Meta’s future implementation of separate binaries will alleviate this issue and provide a smoother experience for both developers and players alike.
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