Oculus Rift update finally lets you install games to a different drive

My solid-state hard drive is 99-percent full, and it’s all because of virtual reality.

Oculus VR, the Facebook subsidiary responsible for the Rift virtual reality headset, has updated the device’s software today and added a key feature that users the option to install their games on a different drive. Up to this point, the Oculus software would automatically add every download to the same drive where you have Windows installed. For me — and many others — Windows is on my smaller, faster SSD, and I only installed four games before running out of space. Meanwhile, I didn’t have the option to move any of that data over to my relatively empty 3TB hard drive. Giving users the choice to use different storage locations means that consumers may have a lot more space, and that could lead to a lot more spending in a VR market that analysts from SuperData Research predict will generate $40 billion in revenues by 2020.

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But while Oculus will let new Rift owners immediately and easily install their games to other drives, you’re going to have to jump through some hoops if you already own the device, according to the Oculus support page. Here’s how to do it:

Backup your gave saves and app data

1. Shut down the Oculus app.
2. Open up the Start menu on Windows, and select “Run.”
3. In the Run window: type and search: C:\Program Files (x86)\Oculus\
4. Copy the Redistributables folder, and back it up in a safe location.
5. Open Run again; type and search: C:\Program Files (x86)\Oculus\Software
6. Copy the contents of this folder except for “Store Assets,” and back it up in a safe location.
7. Open Run once again; type and search: C:\Program Files (x86)\Oculus\Manifests
8. Copy the contents of the folder except for anything that ends with “_assets.json” and back it up in a safe place.

Uninstall Oculus software

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Type: “uninstall Oculus”
3. Select the Uninstall Oculus app that appears.
4. Follow the instructions.

Install the latest Oculus app

1. Download the latest Oculus app if you haven’t yet.
2. You can get it here.
3. Follow the instructions.
4. Choose a new install drive if you wish.

Restoring your game saves and app data from backup

1. Shut down the Oculus app.
2. Open up the Oculus folder depending on where you installed it (example: D:\Oculus).
3. Copy your backed-up Redistributables folder into the new Oculus folder.
4. Copy your backed up contents of the Software folder into the Oculus Software folder (example D:\Oculus\Software).
5. Copy your backed up contents of the Manifests folder into the new Oculus Manifests folder (example D:\Oculus\Manifests).
6. Open the Oculus app, and then reboot it by going to the gear icon, clicking on “Settings,” selecting “Beta,” and clicking “Restart Oculus.”
7. You should now see your apps under “Installed” in the Library section of the Oculus app.

Let GamesBeat know if you have any problems with this complicated process.