Setup

USB Streaming

Set up 100 Mbps USB streaming from your Mac to your VR headset using ADB and MoltenVR for consistent, low-latency wired PCVR gameplay.

USB streaming gives you a dedicated 100 Mbps tunnel between your Mac and your headset, completely bypassing your Wi-Fi network. MoltenVR uses ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to establish this tunnel over a standard USB-C cable, then sends the hardware-encoded H.264 stream through it. The result is consistent bandwidth with no wireless jitter — ideal for fast-paced VR titles.

USB streaming requires ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to be installed on your Mac before connecting. Without it, MoltenVR cannot create the data tunnel. Install it with Homebrew before proceeding:

brew install android-platform-tools

Setup steps

Install android-platform-tools

Open Terminal and run:

brew install android-platform-tools

This installs the adb command-line tool that MoltenVR uses to open the 100 Mbps tunnel over the USB cable.

Enable Developer Mode on your Quest headset

On your headset, navigate to Settings → System → Developer and toggle Developer Mode on.

Connect the headset via USB-C cable

Plug a USB-C cable into both your Mac and your Quest headset.

Allow USB debugging on the headset

Put the headset on — a prompt will appear asking whether to Allow USB debugging from your Mac. Confirm to authorise ADB to communicate with the headset.

Start streaming

Click Start Stream in MoltenVR, put your headset on, and open the ALVR app. Launch a game from the Games screen to begin playing.

Troubleshooting

If MoltenVR cannot establish the USB tunnel after connecting the cable:

Confirm adb is on your PATH by running adb version in Terminal.
If the command is not found, re-run brew install android-platform-tools.
Fully quit and relaunch MoltenVR.

If the headset is connected but the tunnel does not establish, unplug and replug the cable and confirm the Allow USB debugging prompt was accepted inside the headset.