It’ll be no surprise to regular readers that I love my Meta Quest 3. Whether it’s diving into the excellent Batman: Arkham Shadow or streaming a Netflix show onto a giant virtual screen I love using the VR headset – and thanks to a capture card I might have a new favorite use for it.
A few months ago Meta launched HDMI Link, a tool which allows you to use it as a display for your PC or a console like a PS5. The only catch is you need a capture card, as the Quest 3 lacks the hardware to translate the HDMI signal through its USB-C port.
I’ve finally picked one up – the Elgato 4K X – and have been spending my evenings playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in my own private cinema. Folks, it’s superb and as I write this all I can think about is my next gaming session.
HDMI Link is fantastic, and easy to set up
After tweaking the HDR settings to suit the Meta Quest 3’s displays the picture looks excellent even on the vision-filling immersive screen. If anything the screen is a little too big, as there have been times I’ve had to physically turn to see action on the fringes of the virtual monitor.
The latency and refresh rate seems manageable, though. Black Ops 6 comfortably runs at 60Hz and I haven’t noticed any obvious issues with lag – if there is any, it didn’t stop me earning a free-for-all victory (even if an in-game bug counts 1st-place finishes as a defeat right now).
Plus, HDMI Link was super-easy to set up. After downloading the latest firmware to the Elgato 4K X and turning off HDCP in my PS5’s HDMI settings I simply had to connect my console to the capture card via the HDMI-in port, and my headset to the card via the included USB-C to USB-C cable and I was off to the races.
It’s not just a PS5 that should work. Any gadget that outputs video via HDMI should be able to work with the capture card and the Quest’s HDMI Link, provided it doesn’t have any HDCP restrictions.
Given that I mentioned it above, here's a quick explainer on HDCP: High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection is used by some apps and devices to try to prevent you from recording content from the best streaming services, such as Netflix, or in some games it stops you being able to stream key cutscenes that contain major spoilers. On PS5, if HDCP is turned off, you won’t be able to use some media apps – but you can always switch it back on when you’re finished using the HDMI Link app.
Today’s best capture card deals
If you’re wanting to try Meta’s HDMI link for yourself you’ll need a capture card. The Elgato options I'm highlighting below can be a little pricey but I can vouch for their quality and they're excellent as both a Quest 3 add-on as well as for helping you create gaming content for YouTube or Twitch as well.
