The standalone mode was really awesome because you could just play without having to debug your VR setup first. Now, with Quest Air Link, it works reasonably well to play PC VR games without being tied to a cable (but it's just as annoying as other VR setups I've used in terms of glitches and having to debug it). Just being able to bring the headset to friends or a huge empty garage and play there is awesome.

I also wish there was an alternative. I have no intention of giving Meta more money and locking myself in further by buying the overpriced games on the Oculus store (and thanks to Air Link, I don't have to). But I'm not planning on buying a headset that doesn't have a standalone mode, and replacing Facebook with Chinese Facebook isn't going to make anything better.

To be completely honest, Meta treated privacy-aware users on Quest a lot more respectfully than I expected.